AFG and FP&S FY 2021 Application Period Information

u s d h s f e m a assistance to firefighters grant program

AFG E-MAIL ALERT  |  January 19, 20222

Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Application Period will close Friday, January 21, 2022 at 5 p.m. ET. 

Don't wait to get started, as the FY 2021 Assistance to Firefighters Grant application period is closing soon. Six helpful documents, including the funding notice, application checklist, frequently asked questions and more, are posted at FY 2021 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Application Guidance Materials | FEMA.gov

Reminder: DHS/FEMA will not review applications received after the deadline or consider them for funding. 


APPLICATION REVIEW CHECKLIST

  • Proofread your application: Mistakes or errors on your application can disqualify your organization for grant award consideration.
  • Remove any "filler" or placeholder text and update each application field with your final answer.
  • Does your narrative explain your organizations needs in a way that someone would easily understand? Have you compared your narrative against the Self Evaluation Guides?
  • Make sure that you have described your organization’s needs in your voice. Do not use boilerplate language or copy from vendors, manufacturers, other grant applicants, etc.
  • Check the quantities and costs for all budgeted line items that you are requesting and confirm that there are no discrepancies between the Request Details section of the application and the Narrative.
  • Ensure that you have included costs for all items and/or activities that are needed to implement your grant, if awarded.
  • Have all application fields, or questions, been answered?
  • Ask a colleague who is not involved with the actual writing of the grant to proofread your application. 
  • Make sure that all facts and figures are accurate throughout the entire application.

SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION

The submission of your grant application in FEMA GO is a two-step process.

Step 1:

As you input information into your grant application in FEMA GO, the status of your application will read “Pending submission.”

 

After all required information is entered, you will see a button labeled “Submit for signature” in the Review Application section. Green checkmarks listed for every section of the application signifies all required information is entered correctly.

 

Clicking the “Submit for signature” button moves the application to the second, and final step, of the submission process.

Step 2:

When the application moves to this step, the application status will read “Pending AOR Signature.” The application must be electronically signed by an individual who is assigned the FEMA GO user role of AOR for the submitting organization. An organization can have multiple people assigned with the user role of AOR. The AOR that submits the application will automatically become the Primary Point of Contact (POC) for the grant application.

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants must add a secondary POC to the grant application and the secondary POC must be someone other than the AOR who is submitting the application.

 

If you are assigned the role of AOR for your organization, you will have the ability to continue the application and proceed with signing/submitting.

 

If you are not assigned the role of AOR, such as "Grant Writer", you will not be able to sign and submit the application. In such cases, you must coordinate with a person assigned the role of AOR in the submitting organization. A person assigned as an AOR must log into FEMA GO and complete the final signature submission steps.

 

There are several assurances and certifications that must be completed and signed by the AOR in the “Submit application” process. The “Submit” button will become active once the AOR has completed all required signatures on the Submit Application page.

 

Click the “Submit” button to submit your application to FEMA.

 

Once the AOR clicks the ‘Submit’ button, the screen will refresh, and the status of the application will read “Submitted to FEMA”. The application is now submitted. The AOR should receive an email from the FEMA GO system, sent from no-reply@fema.dhs.gov, confirming the submission. Please check "Spam" or "Junk" folders if the email is not received shortly after successful submission.

Applications that have been reopened are no longer considered submitted and will not be considered for funding. To have reopened applications considered for funding, you must complete the submission process again.

 


HAVE LAST-MINUTE QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS?

If you have last-minute questions about applying for an AFG grant, or are having technical problems with the electronic application, call the Help Desk at 1-866-274-0960 or send an e-mail to firegrants@fema.dhs.gov.The AFG Help Desk staff will be on hand Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET to help applicants through the end of the application period.

  • Having computer or technical problems? Late submissions will not be accepted even if due to problems such as expired passwords or technical malfunctions. If you are having a problem submitting your application, you must report the problem to the AFG Help Desk before the application deadline of Friday, January 21st at 5 p.m. ET.
  • Formal submission of the completed application is required. Many applications appear to be complete but have not been officially submitted into the FEMA GO system. No application will be processed automatically or considered for funding unless the applicant properly submits the request and receives a subsequent e-mail confirmation.
  • FEMA GO automatically records proof of timely submission and the system generates an electronic date/time stamp when FEMA GO successfully receives the application. The individual with the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) role that submitted the application will also receive the official date/time stamp and a FEMA GO tracking number in an email serving as proof of their timely submission on the date and time that FEMA GO received the application. Applications received by FEMA GO after the extended application submission deadline will be considered late and will not be considered for funding.

APPLICATION PERIOD FOR THE FY 2021 FIRE PREVENTION AND SAFETY (FP&S) GRANT NOW OPEN

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 FP&S Grant application period is now open and will close on Friday, February 18, 2022 at 5 p.m. ET. Start your application today by reviewing the FY 2021 FP&S Notice of Funding Opportunity and associated tools posted on the FP&S Program website at:  FY 2021 FP&S Application Guidance Materials.


Fire Grants Help Desk: If you have questions about the guidance materials listed above, call or email the Fire Grants Help Desk. The toll-free number is 1-866-274-0960; the e-mail address is for questions is firegrants@fema.dhs.gov. The Fire Grants Help Desk is open Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET. 


CORRECTED FY 2021 FP&S LIVE WEBINARS SCHEDULE

FEMA will host live Adobe Connect webinars to provide an overview of the FY 2021 FP&S Program. The application webinar is intended to outline important information on the FP&S program, what is new for 2021, program priorities, eligible costs, how to navigate the grant application, and tips for preparing a FP&S application. FEMA Preparedness Officers will be available to answer your questions.

FP&S Webinar Schedule

Topic

Day of the week 

Date  

Time 

FY 2021 FP&S Activity

Wednesday

01/19/2022

2 - 3:30 p.m. ET

FY 2021 FP&S Research and Development Activity

Friday

01/21/2022

2 - 3:30 p.m. ET

FY 2021 FP&S Activity

Wednesday 

01/26/2022

noon - 1:30 p.m. ET

FY 2021 FP&S Activity

Tuesday

02/01/2022

1 - 2:30 p.m. ET

FY 2021 FP&S Activity

Wednesday

02/09/2022 

3 - 4:30 p.m. ET

 

Live Webinars: Webinar sessions will be broadcast using an Adobe Connect webinar link. We suggest that you save this link to your web browser's favorites. The Adobe Connect webinar link can be found at https://fema.connectsolutions.com/fy21fpswebinars/. A conference line will also be available at 800-320-4330 Conference Code: 258436

To access the webinar, follow these steps:

  1. Click on the webinar link;
  2. Select “enter as a guest” and provide your name and your department’s name. Click on enter the room;
  3. Agree to the terms of the Adobe Connect system, click on “OK”.

If you have never attended an Adobe Connect meeting before, you may test your connection and audio at   https://fema.connectsolutions.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm


Web Browser Information

FEMA GO will support only the most recent major release of the following browsers: Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, or Microsoft Edge. Users who attempt to use tablet type devices or other browsers may encounter issues with using FEMA GO.


DUNS Transition to UEI

By April 4, 2022, the federal government will stop using the Dun & Bradstreet number (DUNS) to uniquely identify entities registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). At that point, entities doing business with the federal government will use a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) created in SAM.gov.

Based on SAM.gov guidance, organizations that are currently registered will automatically be given a UEI and it will be displayed in FEMA GO. No action is needed at this time by active organizations. The FEMA GO system is sweeping SAM.gov nightly and the UEI should prepopulate in your application.


Twitter @FEMAGrants

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SHARE YOUR SUCCESS STORY

Do you have a Success Story regarding a FEMA Grant that you’d like to share with everyone?  Contact us at Meghan.Luke@fema.dhs.gov or through Twitter @FEMAGrants using a private message.