A maximum of 300 applications are accepted on a bi-yearly basis. Please do not contact USFRA, its members or board of directors with grants questions.

What does the USFRA Public Safety Grant support?

Our Ongoing Mission:

• Fire service, Law Enforcement and Public Educators working together to provide a resource for consistent and current fire and life safety information.
• Share knowledge and stimulate information exchange and develop better and safer responses to emergencies and disasters of all types.
• Developing and promoting community fire safety, crime awareness and disaster preparedness programs as well as disseminating fire and life safety education materials.

If approved, how are the USFRA Public Safety Grant awards funded?

USFRA procures grant awards in one of two ways. The procurement method will be determined by the USFRA team.

1: Direct Purchase made by USFRA

2: Memo of Understanding in which funds will be transferred via USPS to the granted organization

Are there items USFRA does not support?

All requests must fall within our funding guidelines.  Examples of items that are not supported by our board of directors include:

· body cameras

· building exhaust removal systems

· crash data boxes

· dash cams

· drones and drone accessories

· exercise equipment

· guns/firearms/use of force equipment, riot gear, laser pointers (designators) & tasers

· inflatable bounce houses

· license plate readers

· Narcan & TruNar analyzers

· Cardiac Science Powerheart G3 AEDs & Philips FR3 AEDs

· Polar Breeze thermal rehabilitation systems

· portable message signs

· power load stretchers

· promotional items including apparel, costumes & Pluggie the fire plug/Sparky the Fire Dog robots

· radar detectors

· recording devices

· refurbished equipment

· security systems & surveillance equipment

· stop sticks

· throw bots

· traffic road barriers

Who can apply for this grant?

Fire Departments, law enforcement, EMS, municipal & state organizations, public safety organizations and non-profit.

If my organization has received a grant award from USFRA Public Safety Grants in the past, when can we reapply?

We ask that grant recipients wait a minimum of two years from the date of approval before reapplying.

Does USFRA provide reimbursements for purchased equipment?

No. If your organization has already purchased the equipment and is seeking reimbursement, please do not apply.

What are the most common reasons a grant application is marked incomplete?

Quote is missing the required contact information and/or is not itemized

Financials are outdated and/or do not include both revenues and expenses

Alternate contact information is the same contact information as the main contact information

The name of the organization is missing on the inventory and/or financials

W9 form is missing the required information

Can my organization submit multiple grant applications?

USFRA does not accept more than one grant request per organization each year. If your organization receives a grant, please wait a minimum of two years from the date of approval to apply again.

Do USFRA match grants?

There are no matching funds involved in our organization’s grants program.

What is USFRA’s average funding range?

$500-$5,000 is a guideline. Requests exceeding $5,000 will be denied.

What financial information should we provide?

Financials must show revenue and expenses and list the name of your organization, city or county. One of the following options must be submitted:

• A recent - within one month - Balance Sheet which consists of Assets and Liabilities

• A recent - within one month - Profit & Loss Statement also called an Income Statement

• A current year annual budget showing projected income and expenses

• A previous year audit or 990

What is needed for the required vendor quote/bid attachment?

You must provide an official vendor quote with the following information for your grant request to be considered. Submitted quotes MUST meet the requirements below, please read carefully:

• Only one vendor quote must be submitted for related items only, within one equipment category

• Vendor sales representative's first and last name must be included on quote

• Vendor email address must be included on quote

• The name & physical address of your organization must be included

• The first & last name of a contact person from your organization must be included

• Only one vendor quote can be submitted. Your application will be marked incomplete if more than one quote is submitted.

• Quote must be itemized

• Online quotes will not be accepted

• Must be dated within six months of the application deadline

• Must contain only the item(s) pertaining to your grant request

• The total dollar amount and equipment quantities in the vendor quote MUST MATCH the total that your department is requesting on the application

• Include sales tax if applicable and freight charges, if applicable. USFRA Public Safety Grants will not be responsible for additional shipping costs or sales tax not included in the submitted quote.

• The cost of maintenance plans and extended warranties are not permissible

• USFRA Public Safety Grants will not be responsible for restocking fees or costs related to errors within your quote

Your application will be marked incomplete if multiple quotes are submitted or if a quote containing multiple types of equipment is submitted.

Note: When requesting a quote/bid from a vendor, please share our quote requirements and notify the vendor that you are applying for a grant from USFRA Public Safety Grants.

What inventory information should I provide?

Equipment inventory is required for first responder organizations only. If your organization does not have apparatus, vehicles or specialized equipment, please attach a document noting that the organization does not have any applicable inventory, and include the name of your organization on the document.

For first responders: The inventory documentation must list the name of your organization. Please include a list of apparatus, vehicles and other specialized equipment, if applicable. The lists we receive vary in length depending on the size and type of organization. (For example, include items such as vehicles, extrication equipment, breathing devices, and personal protective equipment/PPE).

USFRA focuses its resources on rural and volunteer departments throughout the country, and will consider combo and career department applications.

When can we expect to find out if our grant has been approved or denied?

Grant award notifications will be emailed to ALL applicants within two months after the grant deadline. Please do not contact USFRA, with questions regarding your grant status.

Does USFRA only work with specific equipment vendors?

No, USFRA does not endorse any specific equipment vendor or brand. Our goal is to provide the equipment that best fits the needs of our recipients, at the best possible price, to enable us to help more organizations.

Does the USFRA Public Safety Grants fund requests for refurbished equipment?

We do not accept grant requests for refurbished or pre-owned equipment.

Does the USFRA Public Safety Grants accept requests for partial funding?

We will consider requests for partial funding, however, the balance of funds must be secured and outlined within your grant request. Documentation of partial funding must be included as part of your background/history attachment.