Federal grant programs / Department of Homeland Security

Assistance to Firefighters Grant (97.044)

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$1.8 billion
• Grant awards10,120
• Typical award$91,429
• Awarded in FY 2025$312 million
• Size rank179 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceProject grants

Key findings

• Annual funding fell from $354 million in fiscal 2021 to $312 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 179th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 6% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 53 states and territories.

What the program funds

The goal of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program is to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire and fire-related hazards. The objectives of the AFG Program are to provide critically needed resources that equip and train emergency personnel to recognized standards, enhance operational efficiencies, foster interoperability, and support community resilience. FEMA will measure the recipient’s performance of the grant by comparing the number of items, supplies, projects, and activities needed and requested in its application with the number of items, supplies, projects, and activities acquired and delivered by the end of the period of performance. Please see applicable Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for additional information on the specific program metrics.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

Eligible applicants for the AFG Program are limited to fire departments, nonaffiliated EMS organizations, and SFTAs operating in any of the 50 States plus the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico or any federally recognized Indian tribe or tribal organization. Refer to the AFG NOFO for additional information regarding eligibility.

What the money can and cannot pay for

All costs charged to awards under the AFG program must comply with the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements at 2 C.F.R. Part 200, unless otherwise indicated in the NOFO or the terms and conditions of the award. This includes, among other requirements, that costs must be incurred, and products and services must be delivered, within the period of performance of the award. Additionally, all costs must comply with the applicable statutes, policies, and requirements in the respective NOFOs as well as with the terms and conditions of the award. Grant recipients may only use federal funds or funds applied to a cost share for the purposes set forth in the NOFOs and the terms and conditions of the award, and those costs must be consistent with the statutory authority for the award. Grant funds may not be used for matching funds for other federal grants/cooperative agreements, lobbying, or intervention in federal regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings. In addition, federal funds may not be used to sue the federal government or any other government entity. All costs charged to awards under the AFG program must comply with the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements at 2 C.F.R. Part 200, unless otherwise indicated in the NOFO or the terms and conditions of the award.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Matching requirements

Statutory Formula: Title The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 Chapter:33, Part c, Subpart 2a,Public Law 112-239.Applicants who protect a population of over 1,000,000 are required to provide a nonfederal cost-share of not less than 15 percent of the grant awarded. Applicants who protect a population between 20,000 and 1,000,000 are required to provide a nonfederal cost-share of not less than 10 percent of the grant awarded. Applicants who protect a population of less than 20,000 are required to provide a nonfederal cost-share of not less than 5 percent of the grant awarded. Generally, No waivers of this requirement will be granted except for fire departments of Insular Areas as provided for in 48 U.S.C. 1469a.This program has MOE requirements, see funding agency for further details. Additional Information: Matching requirements are required. These programs have Maintenance of Effort (MOE) requirements in that recipients are required to maintain operating expenditures during the grant’s period of performance in the areas funded by a grant at a level equal to or greater than the average of their operating expenditures in the 2 years preceding the year in which the grant is received. This requirement is intended to ensure that the Federal funds are used to supplement, not supplant, existing resources.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters for application deadlines. Application deadlines for the FY 2025 AFG Grant Program will be announced in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

Award amounts for the AFG Program vary based on approved project costs, item eligibility, and applicable funding caps. The program does not have a minimum amount that can be requested but have funding caps. Awards may range from $571.42 to $3,043,478.26. Under the AFG Program maximum amount of funding an applicant can receive is set based on the population of the jurisdiction served by the applicant. Please refer to the AFG NOFO for additional information regarding funding limitations.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: The Assistance to Firefighters Grant program funded 1,678 grant awards to purchase firefighting vehicles, ambulances, personal protective equipment, training, modification to facilities, and fitness/wellness programs. These awards provided self-contained breathing apparatuses, firefighting turnout gear, radios, power lift cots, and other basic equipment necessary to respond to fire and emergency situations. The program provided funding for installing exhaust extraction systems to existing buildings and remodel small spaces for classroom or fitness purposes.Fiscal Year2026: The AFG Program was appropriated $291.6 million to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire and fire-related hazards. We estimate to make 1,800 awards averaging $162,000 per award.

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

Almost all of the money went to state and local governments.

By state

52 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.