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!
Join us in University Center, MI, Sept. 29-30, 2020
Two days of meat and potatoes grant-writing training!
We designed our training to turn you into a first-rate public safety grant writer. Presented in language you can understand and comprehend. Learn how to help your agency get the training, to get the grant, to get the gear!
April 4-5, 2019, ILEAS Training Center, Urbana, IL
Just south of Chicago, our friends at Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS) are once again opening their doors for 2 days of grant-writing training. First responders and public safety grant writers from around the country will be gathering for plain-talk, meat-and-potatoes training that gives you the ins and outs for writing competitive grants.
Start talking with your chief, captain, or municipal contacts now so your department can join us.
Once summer gives way to fall, we all know how close we are to the holidays… and then to another new year. As we head into the final months of 2018 and look ahead to 2019, there is lots your department can be doing right now to prepare for next year’s grant opportunities.
Conduct a needs assessment
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. A needs assessment gives you the facts you need to know about how well prepared your department is to carry out its primary function.
Each year, public, private, corporate, and non-profit organizations provide thousands of grants worth billions of dollars. What programs are out there that your agency could benefit from? What program will you try for for the first time? What programs have you tried for and gotten rejected, but you’re determined that this year be the year you get to the winner’s circle? Remember: Lots of grants open for applications during the first quarter!
Know and practice the 4 things grant winners have in common
Over the years we’ve looked at thousands of grant applications, and we have seen it all. The good. The bad. The ugly. And there are things that consistently set the winners apart from the losers. Put our 4 tips to work in your grant efforts, and you will be far more likely to celebrate a grant award in 2019.
You can make a well-stated case for why your department needs a grant more than another, but you also have to back up your story with hard data. Luckily, there’s lots of that out there. Demographics, critical infrastructure, economics, you name it.
Before we know it, summer will be on the wane. Vacations will be ending. School will be starting. Someday the temperature might even cool off…
As we start to think about fall and–can you believe it?–the year to come, it’s also a great time to talk with your department and municipality about getting grant-writing training. Since our training is only for first responders, emergency management, and public safety agencies, it’s tailored exactly for what you need to write and send out the most competitive grants you can.
Check out our schedule and sign up for the in-person or online class that’s best for you.
Easy-to-follow grant listings show you programs available for your department and tell you when deadlines loom.
Thousands of grants are available, but not every grant is the right fit for your department. How can you sift through all those grants, without wasting time and getting overwhelmed, yet still find what you need?
Like Google for grants
GrantFinder is like Google for grants. Powerful search features help you zero in on the exact programs that your department can benefit from and that fit your circumstances.
How do you find the public safety grants you need?
Use up to 10 options to narrow or broaden your search
A database that contains thousands of grants has to be easily searchable. Searching isn’t always as easy as tapping a button, though. Sometimes you need to really refine and target what you’re looking for, so you have a better chance at finding a good fit.
That’s why GrantFinder provides powerful yet simple tools to help you focus your search, including:
Keyword
Grant Category
Funder Type
Funder Name
Application Deadline
Rolling Deadline
Matching Requirement?
Administering State
Geographic Coverage
Who Can Apply?
Instead of page after page of possibilities, you can search based solely on what you need and what’s relevant to your department.
Of course, you have other duties to attend to and can’t be expected to be searching in GrantFinder all the time. That’s why GrantFinder can be working for you even when you aren’t using it.
With Grant Alerts, you can tell GrantFinder to send you weekly emails, specific to your grant needs, that keep you up to date.
You found a grant… now what?
Use GrantFinder’s Calendar view to show you grants by their application deadline
Just because you found a grant doesn’t mean you’re ready to apply for it. You may need to get information ready. You might need to talk with your superiors, other personnel at your department or municipality, or with your consultant at First Responder Grants. Or, heck, you just might not have the time right then and there.
Does that mean you have to start your search all over?
Nope.
With “My Grants” and the “Grant Calendar,” once you find a grant you can save it and come back to it later.
My Grants is also useful for when you find many programs that could be a good fit for your department. You can save all the programs you want, and come back one by one as timing and circumstances fit.
Search grant funding sources
Examples of public safety grants that have been available in the state of Minnesota
Did you hear about a particular funding source? Do you want a better idea of what types of programs are available from a grant funder?
By looking through grant funding sources, you can find at-a-glance details on all the programs available from any grant funding source in the GrantFinder database.
Finding grants has never been easier
When it comes down to it, finding grants has never been easy… until now.
GrantFinder can’t write your application for you—that’s why we are here to help. But GrantFinder can make it a lot easier for you to find the grants that are a good fit for your department. Take advantage of their database of thousands of grants, robust search tools, and saved grant listings, all right here, at special pricing available only for First Responder Grants clients and students:
Your grants are only as strong as the information you include. Grant reviewers need to understand why you deserve their grant more than anyone else. That means reviewers need to know about your population, economy, geography, critical infrastructure, and any other detail that strengthens the case for your grant.
Here are 5 resources that can make your next grant stronger—and easier.
1. 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.
3. 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.
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.
Public Safety Grant News and Tips by Kurt Bradley, Certified Grants Consultant
The end of the year is coming fast and furious, and it’s time to look ahead to 2015. What is your department’s strategy for next year’s grants? How will you bridge the gap between your agency’s needs and budget?
As you look to next year, here are some things to remember that we can help you with:
Want a final perspective and revision before sending off your all-important grant application? Need someone to write your grant for you? We can help. Go»
We offer an economical, bundled, annual subscription package of grant writing support services for public safety and emergency service providers just like you. Go»
As part of preparing fire departments and other qualifying agencies for FY2013 AFG, FEMA has released an announcement for the following resources.
SAM.gov Registration Required to Submit Your FY 2013 AFG Application
Starting with the upcoming FY2013 AFG application period, a valid registration in the System for Award Management (SAM), formerly the Central Contractor Registry, or CCR, will be required in order to submit an AFG application.
Federal law now requires that applicants to Federal grant programs have a valid registration within SAM.gov at the time of registration. Applicants will be asked to affirm that they have a current registration prior to submitting their application.
As part of the SAM.gov registration process, every eligible grantee must have their SAM.gov account validated through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and have their CAGE (Commercial and Government Entity) code validated in order to be eligible for award. These validations are conducted as part of the registration process after the organization has submitted their SAM.gov registration.
A valid SAM.gov registration is now also required for any payment or amendment request to an existing, open award. A valid SAM.gov registration is now also required for any payment or amendment request to an existing, open award. If your department has not yet registered within SAM.gov, you are encouraged to do.
SAM.gov is administered through the Government Services Administration (GSA). Technical assistance may be obtained through the Federal Service Desk at 866-606-8220. Please be advised that during peak activity periods, it may take more than 2 weeks to complete the registration process.
AFG Regional Workshops and Webinars Now Being Conducted
In preparation for the FY 2013 application period, workshops and webinars are being conducted by AFG Regional Fire Program Specialists.
Whether in person, or through webinars, these presentations provide a unique opportunity to learn firsthand about the funding priorities for the upcoming application period as well as provide an opportunity to bring your questions about the AFG grant programs directly to the experts. A current listing of the workshops and webinars scheduled are now available on the AFG website.
Schedules are subject to change and are updated frequently. Visit this website or contact your Regional Fire Program Specialist to confirm the workshop schedule for your region.
FY2013 AFG Technical Assistance Tools Now Available
In preparation for the FY 2013 AFG application period, the following resources are now available on the AFG website:
FY 2013 AFG Get Ready Guide
FY 2013 AFG Narrative Guide
FY 2013 AFG Self Evaluation for Operations & Safety
FY 2013 AFG Self Evaluation for Vehicle Applicants
FY 2013 AFG Regional Workshop Presentation
AFG has recently introduced a series of videos designed to provide additional technical assistance. Topics include:
Getting a Grant
Procurement Integrity
AFG Vehicle Grants
Additional videos as well as the FY 2013 AFG Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will be available soon.
Public Safety Grant-Writing Training from First Responder Grants
Are you in Hawaii or the Pacific Island Territory Islands? We’re bringing our grant training to Guam!
Our 2-day Grant Writing for Public Safety and First Responder Agencies training class will be held Sept. 30-Oct. 1 at Guam Community College, Barrigada.
All are welcome to attend this course, a considerable cost savings to your agency as opposed to the cost of sending students to the mainland for our regularly scheduled classes.
Cost to attend: $500 per student. Registration and payment of tuition fees for this class will be handled directly through Guam Community College. For further information contact Senior Grant Consultant Kurt Bradley at 863-551-9598 or kbradley@firstrespondergrants.com at First Responder Grants, or contact Director of P.O.S.T certification, Dennis Santo Tomas, at Guam Community College directly at coronetst@gmail.com or by phone at (671) 788-1537.
This is a unique opportunity for those agencies eligible for and seeking federal grant assistance for their agencies through DHS that are located in the South Pacific.
As part of preparing fire departments and other qualifying agencies for FY2013 AFG, FEMA has released an announcement for the following resources.
