America’s biggest, most competitive fire grant
Current application period: FY 2025
According to FEMA, “FY 2024 ASSISTANCE FOR FIREFIGHTERS GRANTS awarded 1,678 grants totaling $291.6 million”
Application period opening date
May 19, 2026, 8 a.m. EST
Application deadline
June 22, 2026, 5 p.m. EST
Questions about AFG or your application?
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Program information
AVAILABLE NOW:
FY 2025 AFG Notice of Funding Opportunity
FY 2025 AFG Notice of Funding Opportunity Key Changes
Changes from FY 2024 to FY 2025 AFG
Below is a brief list of changes between Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 and FY 2025 to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. The FY 2025 AFG Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) contains some changes to definitions, descriptions, and priority categories. You can also download a PDF of this document from FEMA:
- Props (single-use or permanent) essential for training programs requested in the application cannot exceed $100,000
- Phones (telephone/satellite/cellular), carrier plans, and vehicle mounted fans were included as ineligible items
- Computing devices necessary to operate the awarded equipment were added as eligible
- Replacement of damaged/unsafe/unrepairable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), regardless of age, is now allowable
- Vehicle Acquisition Activity: NFPA standards 1901, 1906, and 1917 were replaced with the consolidated NFPA standard 1900
About AFG fire grants
AFG is America’s largest fire grant program. Provided through FEMA and DHS, the FY 2022 AFG program awarded 1,995 fire grant awards, totaling $720 million.
What does AFG do?
AFG focuses on enhancing the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire and fire-related hazards. The program provides financial assistance directly to eligible fire departments, nonaffiliated emergency medical service (EMS) organizations, and State Fire Training Academies (SFTAs) for critical training and equipment.
The AFG Program has awarded over $8 billion in grant funding to provide critically needed resources that equip and train emergency personnel to recognized standards, enhance operational efficiencies, foster interoperability, and support community resilience.
As of the FY 2018 AFG program, FEMA has awarded AFG fire grants to over 3,800 Fire Service and EMS organizations from coast to coast, large and small, urban and rural, including:
- Over 600 fire apparatuses
- More than 102,000 PPE items
- 124,000 other fire equipment items
Agencies awarded the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP) receive funds to
- Provide critically needed resources that equip and train emergency personnel to recognized standards
- Enhance operational efficiencies
- Foster interoperability, and
- Support community resilience
AFG Programs Status Update
Current period: FY 2025
Things you can outside or during an AFG application period (the sooner, the better):
- Verify your organization’s SAM.gov account is Active.
- Ensure grant writing staff have accounts with SAM.gov and appropriate permissions in FEMA GO.
- Conduct a Risk Assessment to determine your greatest needs. Compare your needs to the priorities of the program once the AFG funding notice is released to identify what you should request.
- Poll vendors to start determining the costs of items you plan to request.
- If requesting a vehicle, establish your committee and develop specifications.
- Use the Application Checklist to gather information needed to complete the application.
- Use the Self-Evaluation Sheets to start drafting the four scored sections of the application narrative. These documents provide the exact criteria that panelists will be looking for in your narrative at panel review. There is one for Operations and Safetyand another for Vehicle
- Use the Narrative Development Toolkit to help identify ways that you can address the criteria outlined in the Self-Evaluation Sheets.
- Write your narrative now. It is easily pasted into the application once the application period opens. This will allow ample time for others to review what you’ve written and provide feedback.
- Contact your Regional Fire Program Representative with any questions.
More AFG news in FEMA’s September AFGP update
How to apply
Applicants must set up and maintain an active account in SAM.gov.
To apply for AFG, use FEMA GO.
Questions about AFG or your application?
Our grant consultants are here
