Question about grants

[effd3918 34]

I am new to the whole applying for grants thing. I know the country as a whole is in a fiscal crisis but does anyone have any info on obtaining federal or state grants to build a new firehouse. I know there is alot out there for equipment and such but I have been having trouble finding info on grants for buildings. Any help would be appreciated.

[CTFF 65]

have you checked out:

http://www.fema.gov/firegrants/tools/sc_grants.shtm

[effd3918 34]

Yeah it dosent look like they have changed and accepted applications since 2009. Thanks though

[firemoose827 324]

Anyone know when the next round of AFG grants are opening? I thought it was every spring...

[helicopper 1,050]

I am new to the whole applying for grants thing. I know the country as a whole is in a fiscal crisis but does anyone have any info on obtaining federal or state grants to build a new firehouse. I know there is alot out there for equipment and such but I have been having trouble finding info on grants for buildings. Any help would be appreciated.

http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1279205905487.shtm

http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1265124355731.shtm

<H1>Secretary Napolitano Announces More than $23 Million in Recovery Act Funding for Fire Station Construction Grants

Release Date: February 3, 2010

For Immediate Release

Office of the Press Secretary

Contact: 202-282-8010

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced more than $23 million in Fire Station Construction Grants (SCG) funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)—designed to support the nation’s first responders while creating jobs and stimulating local economies.

“America’s firefighters play a critical role in disaster prevention and response,” said Secretary Napolitano. “These Recovery Act-funded fire station construction projects and upgrades will strengthen community preparedness and the nation’s emergency response capabilities.”

The 14 Fire Station Construction Grants announced today were selected through a competitive peer review process based on need to build new or modify existing fire stations to enhance response capabilities and protect communities from fire-related hazards. These grants will replace unsafe or uninhabitable structures and expand fire protection coverage in compliance with National Fire Protection Association standards.

These grants come in addition to the ARRA funding for 96 SCG grants announced by Secretary Napolitano in September, 2009.

The Recovery Act provided $210 million in SCG grant funds to DHS.

ARRA, signed by President Obama on Feb. 17, 2009, provided more than $3 billion to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and General Services Administration (GSA) in support of homeland security programs.

</H1>

[Bnechis 3,961]

Yeah it dosent look like they have changed and accepted applications since 2009. Thanks though

Anyone know when the next round of AFG grants are opening? I thought it was every spring...

You are correct about the Construction Grants. It was a one time grant designed for the trades and not for us. $200 million was budgeted and they recieved over $3 Billion in requests (clearly a need exists).

Normally it is spring, but the Gov. shut down threat, put it off. Sounds like it will open between Memorial Day & the 4th of July

[davidemt 9]

I work as a freelance grant writer, so hopefully I'll be able to offer a little bit of help for those looking for grants as well as those applying for them.

In the world of grants, there is a "grants season," usually in spring and early summer, when many (although not all) grants become available. Now is the best time to start looking for funding opportunities for the upcoming year.

One of the biggest challenges in grant seeking (i.e., finding grants to apply for) is creativity. The grant opportunities that are easiest to think of and look for are the ones that you'll have the most competition for--everybody else thought of them and applied for them, too. Although it's important to look at the usual sources--Grants.gov for federal grants as well as the various state government departments' web sites (and Google!)--it can also be helpful to think about unusual sources, too. Corporate foundations might be interested in contributing to your project, for instance. Also keep in mind that, even though money is the most versatile type of funding, in-kind contributions (actual products or services instead of the money to buy them) are also tremendously helpful.

Your project can be significantly bolstered by community support. Imagine being a prospective grantor, with several hundred thousand dollars to give to a worthy cause. How likely would you be to fund a project that the community is wholeheartedly behind and supportive of versus one where the extent of community support is unknown? It can be very helpful to your grant application when you reach out to the community--local government officials, leaders of civic groups, citizens your department has helped--and they tell grantors, in their own words, how vital your project is. As an added bonus, reaching out could yield information about other grant opportunities or, if you're really lucky, the holy grail of grant writing: connections!

It's also worth mentioning that it's dangerous to put all your eggs in one basket. Very often, people ask one prospective grantor for 100% of the funds needed for their project. Grant seeking is an uphill battle--for a million different reasons, even the best grant applications don't always get funded--and, sadly, it's more likely than not that your application won't be funded. Applying for only one grant from only one grantor makes it extraordinarily likely that you won't get your project funded. Instead, consider applying for a variety of different grants, each of which is intended to fund a portion of your project. Beyond enhancing the likelihood that you'll get some funding (a partially-funded project is better than an unfunded project... you can work with a little money, but not with no money at all), you'll also be demonstrating to prospective grantors that they're not "going it alone"--that they're sharing the risk with other grantors--and that you're not asking them for a lot of money. Usually, the number of funding sources you seek out should be in proportion to the magnitude of your project (and its budget).

Make sure that your (and your agency's) thinking is crystal clear about the project you're interested in seeking funding for. All aspects of the project need to be well thought-out: What, exactly do you want to do? Why do you want to do it? What are other agencies doing to address this problem? Why is your approach the best? Where is every cent of money going to go? How much support is there for your project? What else have you done to address the problem? Where else have you gone for support? In the same way that you wouldn't want to give your own money to somebody who wants to buy "a bunch of stuff that's awesome," prospective funders have no interest in giving money to a poorly-conceived project. In a funder's eyes, it's destined for failure and a waste of money that could go to another, more worthy, project. As an aside, although it could be argued that this shouldn't be the case, the quality of writing in your grant proposal does make a difference. Good writing comes from clear thinking, and it can really give your project a competitive edge.

There are a lot of resources online about grant seeking and writing, as well as some pretty good books on the subject, that can offer much more comprehensive advice than I can here. (It's late, but I'll post them tomorrow if anybody is interested.) But, these are the little tips I've come up with from having gone through the grant process successfully (and unsuccessfully, too) and hopefully they'll be able to help someone....

Edited April 20, 2011 by davidemt

[firemoose827 324]

I work as a freelance grant writer, so hopefully I'll be able to offer a little bit of help for those looking for grants as well as those applying for them.

In the world of grants, there is a "grants season," usually in spring and early summer, when many (although not all) grants become available. Now is the best time to start looking for funding opportunities for the upcoming year.

One of the biggest challenges in grant seeking (i.e., finding grants to apply for) is creativity. The grant opportunities that are easiest to think of and look for are the ones that you'll have the most competition for--everybody else thought of them and applied for them, too. Although it's important to look at the usual sources--Grants.gov for federal grants as well as the various state government departments' web sites (and Google!)--it can also be helpful to think about unusual sources, too. Corporate foundations might be interested in contributing to your project, for instance. Also keep in mind that, even though money is the most versatile type of funding, in-kind contributions (actual products or services instead of the money to buy them) are also tremendously helpful.

Your project can be significantly bolstered by community support. Imagine being a prospective grantor, with several hundred thousand dollars to give to a worthy cause. How likely would you be to fund a project that the community is wholeheartedly behind and supportive of versus one where the extent of community support is unknown? It can be very helpful to your grant application when you reach out to the community--local government officials, leaders of civic groups, citizens your department has helped--and they tell grantors, in their own words, how vital your project is. As an added bonus, reaching out could yield information about other grant opportunities or, if you're really lucky, the holy grail of grant writing: connections!

It's also worth mentioning that it's dangerous to put all your eggs in one basket. Very often, people ask one prospective grantor for 100% of the funds needed for their project. Grant seeking is an uphill battle--for a million different reasons, even the best grant applications don't always get funded--and, sadly, it's more likely than not that your application won't be funded. Applying for only one grant from only one grantor makes it extraordinarily likely that you won't get your project funded. Instead, consider applying for a variety of different grants, each of which is intended to fund a portion of your project. Beyond enhancing the likelihood that you'll get some funding (a partially-funded project is better than an unfunded project... you can work with a little money, but not with no money at all), you'll also be demonstrating to prospective grantors that they're not "going it alone"--that they're sharing the risk with other grantors--and that you're not asking them for a lot of money. Usually, the number of funding sources you seek out should be in proportion to the magnitude of your project (and its budget).

Make sure that your (and your agency's) thinking is crystal clear about the project you're interested in seeking funding for. All aspects of the project need to be well thought-out: What, exactly do you want to do? Why do you want to do it? What are other agencies doing to address this problem? Why is your approach the best? Where is every cent of money going to go? How much support is there for your project? What else have you done to address the problem? Where else have you gone for support? In the same way that you wouldn't want to give your own money to somebody who wants to buy "a bunch of stuff that's awesome," prospective funders have no interest in giving money to a poorly-conceived project. In a funder's eyes, it's destined for failure and a waste of money that could go to another, more worthy, project. As an aside, although it could be argued that this shouldn't be the case, the quality of writing in your grant proposal does make a difference. Good writing comes from clear thinking, and it can really give your project a competitive edge.

There are a lot of resources online about grant seeking and writing, as well as some pretty good books on the subject, that can offer much more comprehensive advice than I can here. (It's late, but I'll post them tomorrow if anybody is interested.) But, these are the little tips I've come up with from having gone through the grant process successfully (and unsuccessfully, too) and hopefully they'll be able to help someone....

Excellent advice. I too write grants for my town. I have 2 out now for a thermal imager. We desperately need to get one, as well as turnouts for our members, ours is 15+ years old. Thanks for sharing the info.

[helicopper 1,050]

You are correct about the Construction Grants. It was a one time grant designed for the trades and not for us. $200 million was budgeted and they recieved over $3 Billion in requests (clearly a need exists).

Or a lot of people tried to take advantage of an opportunity.

[Bnechis 3,961]

Or a lot of people tried to take advantage of an opportunity.

Having worked on this one, there was a major committment on the part of the municipality in preparing this grant. We had to invest money upfront just to be able to apply. So I think it was less the case of an opportunity. Knowing what the needs are in just a dozen cities, I'm sure, the rebuilding of 50-100 year old fire stations is very needed.