Tips for Winning Government Grants

     Whether your agency is large or small, career or volunteer, "We all have an obligation to pursue every single funding opportunity available to us," says Scott Dane of the City of Biwabik Fire Department (CBFD)--a group of 22 volunteers who protect residents in rural northeastern Minnesota. "That's why fire departments and EMS agencies must pursue government grants whenever possible."

     Fortunately for residents in the CBFD's jurisdiction, the department has put its money where its mouth is. Actually, it is the Department of Homeland Security that has come up with the money, in response to the CBFD's applications to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program.

     "The department has received four AFG grants since 2001," says Dane. "These grants have funded new personal protective equipment (pants, coats, boots and helmets), a new fast-attack CAFS vehicle and new self-contained breathing apparatus."

     Given that there have been six funding cycles since 2001, the City of Biwabik Fire Department's record of successful applications is an astounding 67%! Clearly, the CBFD knows a thing or two about writing grant applications, as do other successful applicants, like the North Tongass Volunteer Fire Department (NTVFD) in Ketchikan, Alaska. You can read about what these and other departments bought with their DHS grants at www.firegrantsupport.com/afg/stories/. Here they share their advice on writing winning grant applications.

Attention-Getting Tactics
     First things first: "Granting agencies like DHS want to give away grants. Specifically, they are charged by Congress with distributing funds to achieve certain policy goals," says Andy Mitchell, director of operations for the DHS Office of Grants and Training. "It is our job to match these funds with qualified applicants who meet the criteria of our programs. We don't want to hold on to these funds, because not granting them works against Congress' intent."

     So what tactics can help your grant application stand out among the 21,000 DHS receives annually--of which only 6,000-7,000 are approved by independent third-party evaluators? "The proposals that help multiple agencies catch DHS' attention," says Dane. "For instance, the CBFD belongs to a coalition of 17 first responder agencies, all of which help each other during mutual aid situations. What this means is that our fast-attack CAFS vehicle doesn't just help our residents, but citizens in the entire 17-agency territory. The same is true of all our DHS-funded equipment purchases."

     "We certainly encourage proposals that provide benefits to multiple users," says Mitchell. "In fact, you get extra credit on your application for demonstrating that your department is collaborating and cooperating with other agencies to improve public safety."

     A second tactic is to show that the grant will resolve a serious threat to public safety--one the community can't afford to address itself. This has been the case in Ketchikan, where the community was left without any form of fire protection following the closing of a privately subscribed service. "We've only got 3,500 residents here," says local EMS Lt. Jerry Kiffer. "There just wasn't the tax base to create a publicly funded volunteer fire department. That's the case we have made in our AFG grant applications; one that has apparently been well-received in Washington."