Federal / State / Local / Private:
Federal
Disaster declaration required?:
Yes
One time or recurring opportunity?:
Recurring
Responsible Organization:
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Contact info:
866-274-0960 | firegrants@fema.dhs.gov
Partnership required?:
Yes
Type of Partnership:
Regional coordination allowed but not required
Rolling/ Fixed Deadline:
Fixed
Single or Multiple Deadlines?:
Single
Award announcement dates:
Who's Eligible?:
- Fire departments and rescue squads
- Nonprofits
- Units of local government
Who is not eligible?:
Individuals; For-profit entities; Organizations outside FEMA eligibility definitions; Agencies not providing fire suppression or emergency response services
Eligible Uses:
- Administrative & Compliance Costs
- Emergency Response & Public Safety
- Long-term Recovery
- Planning, Resilience & Mitigation
Additional detail on uses:
Allowable Project Types:
1. Hiring Activity The Hiring Activity provides grants to support fire departments in hiring new firefighters or converting part-time or paid-on-call firefighters to full-time positions. However, national, regional, state, local, Tribal Nation, and nonprofit organizations that represent volunteer firefighters are not eligible for SAFER Program awards under the Hiring Activity.
2. R&R Activity The R&R Activity provides grants to help fire departments recruit and retain volunteer firefighters trained in firefighting and emergency response operations. Career fire departments are not eligible for funding under the R&R Activity.
Each activity has its own application and eligibility requirements, as further outlined in Appendix B – Programmatic Information and Priorities of the NOFO.
Prohibited Uses:
See additional restrictions beginning on page 8 of the NOFO.
Award Mechanism:
Competitive
Match/Cost Share Details:
For Hiring Activity grants, applicants selected for this award must commit to an acceptable cost share agreement. Otherwise, they will not be funded. For R&R Activity grants, there is no cost share requirement. Please see Application Criteria for more information.
Payment Mechanism:
Reimbursement
Award Selection Criteria:
- Demonstrated staffing need
- Community risk and response demand
- Alignment with NFPA staffing standards
- Financial need
- Recruitment and retention strategy quality
- Regional and operational impact
- Cost effectiveness
Procurement:
Must comply with applicable federal procurement standards
Duplication of benefits rules:
Federal funding cannot duplicate other federal assistance for the same staffing costs