Strong grant applications need good data. Use the alphabetical links below to find data, information, statistics, agencies, and more to make your next grant application more comprehensive and competitive.
Grant writing resources are for all public safety agencies and grants: fire grants, EMS grants and law enforcement grants. Check back often, as we are always adding more grant writing websites and other resources to strengthen your grant research and grant applications.
A–E
Arrest Data Analysis Tool – Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
This dynamic data analysis tool allows you to generate tables and figures of arrest data from 1980 onward. You can view national arrest estimates, customized either by age and sex or by age group and race, for many offenses. This tool also enables you to view data on local arrests.
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government.
Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
Obtain highway safety information statistics for your grants involving these types of issues. Many grants for transportation-related programs, DUI Enforcement, Selective Traffic Enforcement Programs etc. come from the DOT. The BTS was created for data collection, analysis, and reporting. This site is where they hold their statistical data.
Census Data
The Census Bureau is the leading source of quality data about the nation’s people and economy. Find relevant data based on tables, visualizations, maps, profiles, and more.
Child Statistics
Easy access to federal and state statistics and reports on children and their families, including: population and family characteristics, economic security, health, behavior and social environment,and education.
City-Data.com
Discover information about your county, city and state. City-Data.com provides stats and data on real estate, census, demographics, critical infrastructure, economic characteristics, cost of living, crime, race, income, photos, education, maps, weather, houses, schools, neighborhoods, and more. From the main page, enter the name of your town, city or state.
Corrections Statistics in Your State – National Institute of Corrections (NICIC)
State-by-state lists of resources related to local, state, and federal statistics displayed to help you see the current state of the corrections industry as of the last set of reported data. Can include breakdowns of statistics for crime rate, corrections population, community corrections, incarceration rate, jails, prisons, and more. Data sources include the FBI, U.S. Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, American Jail Association, American Correctional Association and various State Government websites.
Cost Savings Calculators for Volunteer Firefighters and EMTs
Figure out how much money your department saves the community. These calculators also provide resources for presenting data to the municipalities who fund your department. Use the calculators to make the case for increased community and governmental support of your department, or use this data in your grant applications. Developed by the NVFC Foundation for both volunteer fire departments and volunteer emergency medical services.
Crime Statistics – Finding Statistics and Data – Managed by the University of Michigan Library
Find data produced by governments on a wide variety of topics including data on local communities, other countries, criminal justice, incarceration and jails.
The Economics of Firefighter Injuries in the United States
This report identifies, summarizes, and evaluates the available data and the literature describing the economic costs associated with non-fatal firefighter injuries, illnesses, health exposures, and occupational disease resulting from line-of-duty activities.
F–J
FBI Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)
Reliable, uniform crime statistics for the nation, compiled by the FBI. Today, four annual publications (Crime in the United States, National Incident-Based Reporting System, Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, and Hate Crime Statistics) are produced from data received from over 18,000 city, university/college, county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies voluntarily participating in the program. The crime data are submitted either through a state UCR Program or directly to the FBI’s UCR Program.
Forensic Science – Young/Juvenile Offenders and Troubled Teenagers
Resources and stats about toubled teens and juvenile offenders.
FreeLunch.com
Variety of free statistical information, including economic, demographic and financial data. Information you select is put into your online basket. After you finish searching, download the basket contents. Registration is required, but everything is free of charge.
Google Earth Pro
Google Earth Pro is now available for free. It expands the functionality of Google Earth with advanced features and tools, including: advanced measurements (distance, radius, proximity, and area), high-resolution printing, exclusive pro data layers (such as demographics and traffic counts), spreadsheet import, GIS import, and movie export.
Google Maps
Use aerial satellite views to examine your area for topographical information, look for critical infrastructure, and determine distances between objects or cities. Also use the satellite view to “zoom” in closer to examine objects in your area that can contribute to describing your area to a grant reviewer. Enter an address or other location information in the search box.
Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program Digest (HMA)
FEMA offers three Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant programs – the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HGMP), the Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program and the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program – to help states, territories, tribal governments, local communities, private non-profits and businesses implement cost-effective, long-term mitigation measures for all natural hazards. The HMA Program Digest is intended to be an easy-to-read, easy-to use, brief summary of the basic HMA program elements. While the HMA Program Digest is primarily intended for those unfamiliar with the HMA programs, it also may serve as a reference for employees, applicants, and other stakeholders with many years of experience with the programs. Because the digest is not exhaustive, either in topics or in detail, information should be verified with the FEMA HMA Unified Program Guidance and FEMA HMA program officials before becoming the basis for decision making.
Infoplease.com Almanac Search Page
The Information Please Almanac® gives you access to a variety of world data, U.S. stats and more.
JustGrants: How to use JustGrants to complete your grant application
This guide from JustGrants breaks down how you can use their system to complete and submit your law enforcement and criminal justice grants.
K–O
Juvenile Justice – National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS)
Information, data, reports and other publications on young offenders and juvenile offenders in the U.S.
Kids Count
Great site for Juvenile Justice statistical research for your area and for comparisons regarding other geographical areas of the U.S. Data can be viewed in the form of profiles, rankings, or raw data. Created by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Kids Count has compiled indicators of child well-being from U.S. Census data and other sources, and created an interactive online database.
National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS)
High-quality data on nonprofit organizations and their activities for use in research on the relationships between the nonprofit sector, government, the commercial sector, and the broader civil society.
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
School Resource Officers and After School Latchkey Kids programs will find this site invaluable. From the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences, the NCES is the primary federal entity responsible for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the United States and other nations.
P–T
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
OJJDP provides information about juvenile justice issues and awards funds to states to support local programming. Part of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), OJJDP supports states, local communities, and tribal jurisdictions in their efforts to develop and implement effective programs for juveniles.
Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA)
From the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT, US DOT or DOT), RITA provides vital transportation statistics and analysis, and supports national efforts to improve education and training in transportation-related fields.
Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool (RAPT) 2.0
Jurisdictions at all levels, other federal agencies, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations can use RAPT to inform strategies for preparedness, response and recovery activated related to the coronavirus pandemic and other disasters. The tool is a free-to-use Geographic Information System (GIS) webmap tool that allows users to combine layers of community resilience indicators, infrastructure locations, and hazard data to visualize, prioritize and implement strategies to impact resilience, response, and recovery.
State and Local Government Information – Research and Technology Guides at University of Michigan Library – Grant Writing Websites
A guide for those seeking government information, statistics and data at the state, county and city level.
State Data Center Program – U.S. Census
Use this shortcut when searching the U.S. Census Bureau for relevant statistics about your state. Since 1978, the State Data Center (SDC) Program makes data available locally to the public through a network of state agencies, universities, libraries, and regional and local governments. The program is a partnership between the U.S. Census Bureau, the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the island areas (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Virgin Islands).
TEOMA Search Engine
The “Google of statistical search engines.” Wonderful for locating statistical information!
U–Z
U.S. Census Bureau
When a grant application talks about information regarding “census blocks,” this is where you go to get it. Probably one of the websites that grant writers visit the most as it contains almost anything you want to know about the demographics of an area, from an entire nation down to several city blocks.
Wikipedia – Free Encyclopedia
Great resource to fact-find various demographics about your area, statistics and other local and state data. Simply go to the page, and at the top of the page where it says “Search,” enter the name of your city or county, and your state.