Home › Blog

Get ready for AFG: Conduct your Needs Assessment

Posted on by

The Fund Finder News by Kurt Bradley, Senior Grants Consultant

Needs Assessment

AFG will be opening soon, and now is the time to get ready for what’s going to be a competitive grant year.

There is an old saying that floats about and holds a special truth not only in how we conduct our daily operations, but also in how we go about applying to grant funding sources. That saying is:

“If You Fail to Plan, You Can Plan to Fail!”

Proper planning involves a myriad of things, one of which is assuring that you have proper manpower and equipment to carry out your basic mission for your citizens.

One of the tools that you should be using in that planning is a needs and capabilities assessment. It is one of the first things that you need to do. This report is what gives you the facts you need to know about how well prepared your department is to carry out its primary function, whether that be a Fire/EMS or Law Enforcement agency. It gives you a “State of the Union” report, so to speak, about your department.

So, just exactly what is a “Needs and Capabilities Assessment,” and how do we go about doing one?

Full story

DoJ 2020 Community Policing Development (CPD) Microgrants Program

Posted on by

Implement community policing strategies

COPS

Grant Website

Grant Guidelines

Funding Opportunity Number: COPS-Community-Policing-Development-Microgrants-2020

CFDA Number(s): 16.710

Grant Deadline: Applications are due by March 11, 2020 at 7:59 PM EDT

Prevent crime and promote safe communities

The 2020 Community Policing Development Microgrants Program is a competitive grant program designed to advance the practice of community policing by providing funding to local, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies.

What this grant does for your agency

Applicants are invited to propose demonstration or pilot projects to be implemented in their agency that offer creative ideas to advance crime fighting, community engagement, problem solving, or organizational changes to support community policing in one of the following 10 areas:

  1. Hate Crimes
  2. Human Trafficking
  3. Meeting Rural Law Enforcement Challenges
  4. Officer Safety and Wellness
  5. Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention
  6. School Safety
  7. Staffing and Allocation Studies
  8. Victim-Centered Approaches
  9. Violent Crime
  10. Youth Engagement

The 2020 CPD Microgrants program will fund projects that develop knowledge, increase awareness of effective community policing strategies, increase the skills and abilities of law enforcement and community partners, increase the number of law enforcement agencies and relevant stakeholders using proven community policing practices, and institutionalize community policing practice in routine business.

Up to $2.3 million is available through this year’s Microgrants program.

Only a limited number of grants will be awarded.

Grant Eligibility

The Fiscal Year 2020 Community Policing Development (CPD) Microgrants program is a competitive solicitation, open to all local, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies.

For full eligibility details, see the Grant Guidelines.

About the COPS Office

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) is the component of the U.S. Department of Justice responsible for advancing the practice of community policing by the nation’s state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies through information and grant resources. More

Grant Deadline

Grant applications are due no later than 7:59 p.m. EST, Mar. 11, 2020.

Apply

Apply for the Community Policing Development (CPD) Microgrants Program

DoJ 2020 COPS Hiring Program (CHP)

Posted on by

Hire full-time sworn Law Enforcement Officers

COPS

Grant Website

Grant Guidelines

Funding Opportunity Number: COPS-HIRING-PROGRAM-APPLICATION-2020

CFDA Number(s): CFDA 16.710

Grant Deadline: Applications are due by March 11, 2020 at 7:59 PM EDT

Increase community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts

The 2020 COPS Hiring Program is a competitive grant program designed to advance public safety through community policing by addressing the full-time sworn officer needs of state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies nationwide.

What this grant does for your agency

CHP provides funds directly to law enforcement agencies to hire new or rehire existing career law enforcement officers and to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.

  • Funds as many positions as possible for successful applicants; however, the number of officer positions requested by an agency may be reduced based on the availability of funding and other programmatic considerations.
  • Provides 75 percent of the approved entry-level salaries and fringe benefits of each newly hired and/or rehired full-time officer, up to $125,000 per officer position, over the three year (36 month) grant period.
  • Requires you to identify a specific crime and disorder problem/focus area and explain how CHP funding will be used to implement community policing approaches to that problem/focus area.

Agencies awarded the DoJ 2020 COPS Hiring Program (CHP) receive funds to recruit and hire law enforcement officers.

Approximately $400 million in funding is available for FY 2020 CHP.

Only a limited number of grants will be awarded.

Grant Eligibility

All local, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies that have primary law enforcement authority are eligible to apply.

For full eligibility details, see the Grant Guidelines.

About the COPS Office

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) is the component of the U.S. Department of Justice responsible for advancing the practice of community policing by the nation’s state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies through information and grant resources. More

Grant Deadline

Grant applications are due no later than 7:59 p.m. EST, Mar. 11, 2020.

Apply

Apply for the DoJ 2020 COPS Hiring Program (CHP)

Juvenile, criminal, and civil justice grants

Posted on by

Find grants in the DOJ Program Plan

Looking for law enforcement or justice grants? The Department of Justice’s FY 2020 Program Plan contains over 200 programs available.

Expect many programs to open from now through March, but other programs may be available under the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2020.

Find grants in the DoJ Program Plan

AFG opens soon, are you ready to GO?

Posted on by

FEMA GO guide to apply for and manage grants

FEMA is transitioning its grant applications and grant management to a new system called the FEMA Grant Outcomes system, or FEMA GO. From now on, FEMA GO is how departments like yours will apply for and manage public safety grants such as Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG), Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response Grants (SAFER), and Fire Prevention & Safety Grants (FP&S).

We’re not sure yet when AFG is going to open. Now is the time to get set up and familiar with FEMA GO. Once it’s go time for AFG, you’ll be off to the races!

Learn more in our FEMA GO Guide

A good grants year starts with training

Posted on by
Winner!

Starting the new year is all about starting right. A great way to help this year be better than last year? Get the grant-writing training you need to help you be competitive in your public safety grants.

First responders, emergency management agencies, and public safety agencies around the country have used our online and national training to help them go on to win grants big and small. And this year could be your turn in the winner’s circle too.

Whether online or at one of our convenient nationwide trainings, we look forward to helping you become the best grant writer you can be!

National grant-writing training

Winning AFG online grant training

Writing public safety grants online grant training

A new year of grants awaits

Posted on by

Here are just a few ways we can help your agency win grants in 2020

Happy New Year and welcome to 2020! The holidays might be over, but a new year of grants has just begun.

Throughout 2020, grants will be available from a range of federal, state, local, corporate, and non-profit sources. Some grant-writing services might be able to help a church get a new roof or a teacher fund a new project for their school. But when it comes to helping public safety and emergency management agencies write grants, there is no one like us at First Responder Grants.

Here are just a few ways we can help your agency this year:

Grant-writing training online and nationwide

Grant consulting

Grant writing and review

Need help finding grants?

Law Enforcement: 2020 grants are coming… are you ready?

Posted on by

Is your agency getting ready for 2020 grants?

“secured over $1M in grant monies for my department” — Sgt. J. Kemp, Yuma PD, Arizona
“$1.25M to hire 10 new LEOs” — Deb Morrone, Fort Wayne PD, Indiana
“$410,199 for new equipment, including Livescan fingerprint machine and KLER records management interface” — Undersheriff Mickey Gruber, Brown County Sheriff, Kansas

Agencies likes these have worked with us to help them with their grant applications, and that help has made a big difference in their departments.

2020 can be your agency’s year in grant winner circles too. Federal, state, non-profit, private-sector grants will soon be opening around the country. If your organization is planning to apply for grants next year, NOW is the time to get in touch with us ensure your spot for grant assistance

Get the grant help you need!

Reserve your time now:

Call 863-551-9598

Fire Service: Mutual aid for your 2019 Assistance to Firefighters Grant

Posted on by

AFG opens for applications in January

Image: Ada Be http://flic.kr/p/8FKgee
Image: Ada Be http://flic.kr/p/8FKgee

Are you ready?

Is your department getting ready for the FY 2019 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG)?

AFG opens for applications in January. If your organization is planning to apply for this grant, NOW is the time to get in touch with us ensure your spot for our FY 2019 AFG grant assistance

Get the AFGP help you need! Reserve your time now:

Call 863-551-9598

New grant-writing training in New England

Posted on by
National and Online Training for Public Safety Grant Writing

With our friends at Berlin & Gorham FD, NH, Apr. 18-19, 2020

“We were awarded an AFG grant in the amount of $150,286 to purchase 24 air packs. We would not been able to make this purchase without me taking you class and learning how to write grants. Thank you for all of your help!”

– Bobbi Beers, Friendship Fire Company No. 1, Inc., Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania

New grant training in New England! Our friends at New Hampshire’s Berlin & Gorham FD are graciously hosting 2 days of grant-writing training for anyone in public safety, first responder, and emergency management.

Does this sound like your agency?

  • Your agency lacks funds for vital equipment or training.
  • You applied for grants in the past, but just can’t seem to get your application into the winner’s circle.
  • Times are tight and your budget is shrinking, but grants seem so intimidating, you’ll never figure out how to get that crucial additional funding for your department.

You’re not the only one. Fire Departments, Law Enforcement Agencies and other Emergency Services Agencies nationwide have felt the sting of the budget ax.

They could’ve spent another year going without.

But they did something else. They took action, and they got that crucial grant funding.
Register today and get ready to have 2020 be full of grants for your agency!

Learn more and register