2012 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program

IAFC Metro Chiefs ConferenceMay 24, 2012

1

Metro Departments:Successfully Navigating Your

AFG Grant

Assistance to Firefighters Grant

David GudinasSection Chief202-786-9611david.dudinas@fema.dhs.gov

Glenn GainesDeputy US Fire Administrator301-447-1018glenn.gaines@fema.dhs.gov

Today's Objectives

– AFG FY12 Program Funding Overview

– AFG FY11 Award Overview

– FY12 AFG Changes

– Metro Departments & AFG

– Best Practices & Common Mistakes

– Understanding Narratives & Narrative Scoring Exercise

Grant Programs Offered by AFG

Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG)

Fire Prevention and Safety Grants (FP&S)

Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants (SAFER)

Total FY 2012 Appropriation

AFG $285 million

SAFER $320 million

FP&S $35 million

Maximum Funding Levels

Population less than 500,000 $1,000,000

Population 500,001 to 1,000,000 $1,750,000

Population 1,000,001 or greater $2,750,000

Required Cost Share is Based on Population

Population 50,001 or greater

20%

Population less than 20,000

5%

Population 20,001 to 50,000 10%

AFG Application & AwardsYear-to-Year

Year Applications Req (Fed Share) Awards

2009 19,782 $3.17B 5,211

2010 16,231 $2.55B 2,934

2011 16,491 $2.85 B 1,714

AFG Application & AwardsYear-to-Year

Year Average Award (Federal Share)

2009 $97,447

2010 $115,387

2011 $199,447

AFG Program Overview AFG Funding Levels

Appropriated Available for Award

• AFG FY11 = $404,190,000 / $345,746,980FY12 = $337,500,000 / $285,625,000

• SAFERFY11 = $404,190,00 / $380,746,980FY12 = $337,500,000 / $325,625,000

• FP&S FY11 = $35,000,000 (funded out of AFG)FY12 = $35,000,000 (funded out of AFG)

New Items for 2012

•The Program Guidance has a new format, known as the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), which still accents the funding priorities as High (H), Medium (M), or Low (L).

•When requesting training that accompanies PPE, vehicles, etc., you will now make that request under Additional Funding in the same Request Details section.

•When requesting multiple vehicles, there will now be separate line items with separate narratives.

FY 2012 AFG Changes

Metro Departments and AFG

Metro Departments & AFG

Metro Departments From 2008 – 2011• 58 departments submitted applications– 72% submission rate of IAFC Metro members

• 239 Applications received– 20 of those were “regional”

• 95 awards to fire departments (43% success)• 8 regional awards (40% success rate)

Metro Departments & AFG

Metro Departments From 2008 – 2011• 72% of IAFC Metro Departments applied– 51% of those applied each of the last 4 years– 27% applied 3 out of 4 years– 12% applied 2 out of 4 years– 10% applied only once out of the 4 years

Metro Departments & AFG

Metro Departments From 2008 – 2011• 47 departments applied as “Urban”• 9 departments applied as “Suburban”• 2 departments applied as “Rural”

Metro Departments & AFG

Metro Chiefs Fire Dept Applications

2008 2009 2010 2011

# of Apps Submitted 55 58 48 58

# of Apps Awarded 17 33 23 22

Success Rate 29% 56% 48% 38%

Total Fed Share Approved $7,954,653 $16,042,860 $11,904,971 $19,581,282

Average Fed Share Awarded $497,166 $501,336 $517,607 $890,058

Min Fed Share Awarded $78,400 $62,000 $98,340 $96,585

Max Fed Share Awarded $1,248,000 $1,716,388 $1,392,000 $1,750,000

Median Fed Share Awarded $357,331 $424,272 $368,160 $833,200

Top 10 Best Practices

1. Assign someone to be the primary owner of your grants. Make it part of their primary responsibility.

2. Start preparing early and read the Program Guidance and related help documents.

3. Align your department’s Needs Assessment with the current funding priorities.

4. Tell your department’s story.5. Read each question carefully, then answer.

Top 10 Best Practices

6. Have your application read by someone else before submitting.

7. Submit your application before the deadline.8. Make sure you include all eligible costs as part of your

application, including:– EHP review– State taxes– Vehicle performance bonds– Expenses associated with an A133 audit

Top 10 Best Practices

9. Make sure your project can and will be done within your grant’s period of performance and have your bid specifications ready when you receive your award.(be proactive).

10. Ensure you have support from your local government leaders.

BONUS: Call the AFG Help Desk or regional representative with ANY questions!

The single most important thing you can do to ensure your department has the best opportunity for success in the AFG Program is to match your highest needs to AFG Funding Priorities.

DO NOT DEVIATE

Funding Priorities

AFG Timeline

• FY12 AFG – June/July 2012 (tentative)• FY12 SAFER – July/August 2012 (tentative)• FY12 FP&S – Winter 2012

• AFG & SAFER awards to start by 9/30/12

AFG Resources• Website• www.fema.gov/firegrants

• Get Ready Guides

• Quick Reference Guides

• Quick Facts

• Tutorials & Videos

AFG Help Desk

•Phone: 866-274-0960

• Email: firegrants@fema.gov

Questions?

Thank You