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Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG)

 
Assistance Listing: 97.044
Link
View program website
Sponsors
Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Deadlines
Jun 22, 2026
Contact

866.274.0960
FireGrants@fema.dhs.gov

FEMA Regional Office contacts

FEMA GO Help Desk:
877.585.3242
femago@fema.dhs.gov

For financial matters and budgetary technical assistance:
(Grant Programs Directorate (GPD) Award Administration Division)
ASK-GMD@fema.dhs.gov

Purpose

The Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program is designed to enhance the health and safety of public and firefighting personnel and to provide support for emergency responders regarding fire, medical, and all hazard events.

Funds may be used for:

  • Operations and safety activities such as:
    • Training
    • Equipment
    • Personal protective equipment (PPE)
    • Wellness and fitness programs
    • Modifications to facilities
  • Vehicle acquisition
  • Joint/regional interoperability projects

Detailed lists of eligible and ineligible activities by applicant type are provided in the application instructions.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are:

  • Fire departments
  • Nonaffiliated EMS organizations
  • State Fire Training Academies
  • Non-federal airport and/or port authority fire or EMS organizations that have a formally recognized arrangement with the local jurisdiction to provide fire suppression or emergency medical services on a first-due basis outside the confines of the airport or port facilities

A nonaffiliated EMS organization is defined as an agency or organization that is a public or private nonprofit emergency medical service entity providing medical transport that is not affiliated with a hospital and does not serve a geographic area in which emergency medical services are adequately provided by a fire department. FEMA considers the following as hospitals under the AFG Program:

  • Clinics
  • Medical centers
  • Medical colleges and universities
  • Infirmaries
  • Surgery centers
  • Any other institution, association, or foundation providing medical, surgical or psychiatric care and/or treatment for the sick or injured
Geographic coverage
Nationwide and U.S. territories
Amount of funding

Award Ceiling: $9,000,000
Expected Number of Awards: 1,800
Project period: 2 years
Total Funding Available: $291,600,000

No more than 2% of the total program funding will be awarded to nonaffiliated EMS organizations collectively.

Matching/cost share requirements:
(Cost share must be a cash match. In-kind cost share is not allowable.)

  • 5% for jurisdictions serving a population of 20,000 residents or fewer
  • 10% for jurisdictions serving a population of 20,000 up to 1 million residents
  • 15% for jurisdictions serving a population of over 1 million residents
  • For State Fire Training Academies (SFTAs), the cost share is based on the state's total population.
  • For regional applications, the cost share is based on the combined population of the primary response areas of the host and partner organizations outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding.
Application process

Links to application instructions and application assistance tools are available on the program website and on grants.gov.

Submit the application through the FEMA Grant Outcomes (GO) grant portal.

Program webinar schedule

Tagged as
Capital funding · Emergency medical services · Emergency medical technicians and paramedics · Emergency preparedness and response · Health workforce education and training · Networking and collaboration · Public health · Wellness, health promotion, and disease prevention

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For complete information about funding programs, including your application status, please contact funders directly. Summaries are provided for your convenience only. RHIhub does not take part in application processes or monitor application status.