We’ve Got You Covered
by Tony Wyman
When Writing A Grant, Be Needy, Not Greedy
Writing an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program application can be an intimidating, time-consuming and challenging task. But by doing research, getting some help from experienced grant writers and by following the guidelines listed by the Department of Homeland Security, departments can be successfully led to the AFG finish line.
With that said, here are some of the very first things to be done at the beginning of the grant application process.
West Milton (Ohio) Volunteer Fire Department firefighter Patrick Murty, who has written several successful applications, says the first step is to form a small, committed team to assist in collecting research and information needed to justify the application.
“I recommend no more than four or five members who are the sort of people who will do a thorough job of researching your department’s needs and who can compile statistics that you will need to back up your request,” he says. “Firefighters aren’t academics by nature, but to write a good grant, you’ll need people who can help write a concise, clear, and well-reasoned application.”
Match Program Priorities
Once a committee is established and has a leader, it will need to decide what the department most needs and how that need matches the AFG program priorities. Murty says; “Be needy, not greedy. The purpose of the grants is to get gear that departments need, not things they would like to have.”
The most important thing the committee can do is to make sure the application’s focus most closely matches the priorities of the program. For example, 2007 personal protective equipment (PPE) priorities are to provide PPE for departments that do not have gear and to provide PPE to departments that need to replace old and/or non-compliant gear. The lowest priority is PPE for departments that have 100 percent of their members in new, compliant gear that is still serviceable. Departments in this category will have to demonstrate that they have a new mission requiring gear better suited to the new tasking and that their current gear fails to provide adequate firefighter protection.
Identify Department Risks
If applying for a PPE grant, the closer to the first two priorities a department can stay and the more clearly its research demonstrates its need, the more likely it is to win.
Keep in mind the purpose of the AFG program is to protect the public and fire service personnel from fire and fire-related hazards. The more departments can demonstrate, empirically, that they and the communities they serve are at risk because of the condition of the gear or lack of compliant gear, the more likely grants will be awarded to those departments. The more departments deviate from the priorities of the program, the more likely their applications will fail.
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So, to make sure departments’ needs match the AFG priorities, applicants will need to identify the risks the departments face.
To do that, look at the run history and make note of the trends, particularly if the run numbers increase and they are becoming more severe, more taxing and more dangerous.
Next, examine the department’s current situation and whether the department is appropriately equipped to safely respond to calls. Look at the condition of the equipment and determine whether it is placing the municipality at risk. The political and economic climate in the municipality should be examined to determine the level of support for the department’s core mission and expanding role.
On those same lines, the department’s financial situation weighs into any grant application, as should the future demands placed on the department in terms of population growth.
Departments should take into account the assets they protect and whether they are of importance to national security. Departments would be wise to show how the grant money would allow the department to better protect the municipality and how it benefits other communities.
The next step should be to read the Department of Homeland Security Web page that pertains to the grant program (www.firegrantsupport.com). There is a copious amount of critical information on this site, including links to government-sponsored grant-writing workshops, support for writing grants, an applicant tutorial, frequently asked questions, a subscription service to sign up for the AFG newsletter and the e-grant application.
The Evaluation Process
The e-grant application is very simply a step-by-step process to lead grant writers through the required fields. Anyone with rudimentary computer experience can easily fill out the form, but keep in mind the information entered will determine the success of an application.
Each application is subjected to an evaluation process. The first stage is an electronic scoring of the application to determine how closely aligned to AFG priorities it is; the second stage is a peer review. Those closest to AFG priorities go to the AFG panel for review. Those that do not are eliminated.
There are a number of steps in the process of writing a grant. One of the first pages on the e-grant application is the Department Characteristics Screen. Here, the applicant will be asked to provide information on the type of organization represented; the size and nature of the community served; the number of firefighters active in the department; the department’s budget; demographics on the community; and the department’s call rate.
Accuracy Is Essential
While it is important to make the best case possible for a department, it is absolutely essential that the information provided in this section be accurate and defensible statistically. It is possible that claims made in the Department Characteristics Screen will be audited by the AFG program and if it is determined that information was exaggerated, it is likely the application will be dismissed, regardless of whether a department’s need is valid or not. This will be embarrassing professionally and personally and, more importantly, harmful to a community and a department. Make sure the information reported here is 100 percent correct.
The Request Details Screen follows, and it is where the primary data is collected to determine those applications that qualify for panel review. This is where the specifics and costs of the request are tabulated and where determinations are made about which departments are in the greatest need of assistance in the specific activities offered. For this reason, it is advisable to consider writing grant applications for those areas where the needs are greatest, rather than writing them for areas where the wants are strong.
Because the answers in this screen are so critical to the request, it is important to spend extra time on the Request Details Screen. Applicants would be well served by printing off the questions on this screen and going over each one in detail, making sure all the supporting data has been collected before the screen is filled. Again, make absolutely sure that all the answers are supported by accurate data and make sure that the responses address the program’s priorities to receive the highest score possible in the evaluation process. Failing to focus responses on the program’s priorities will cost points and, most likely, the grant as well.
Next is the Narrative Screen. It is here the applicant justifies, in narrative form, the items the department requested in the earlier parts of the application. Treat this section like a term paper upon which there’s an opportunity to rise above classmates in a class that grades on a scale. In other words, here is where the department sells itself to the panel and shows why its need is greater than other departments and more beneficial to a community and the national defense.
This section must address these four elements or the application will fail: the project and its budget; the department’s financial need; the cost/benefit relationship of the project; and the effects on a department’s daily operation that winning the grant will have.
This information will be read by peers – fellow firefighters – so make sure to address them in a narrative in a manner that is clear, rather than one that is grandiose or embellished. The people reviewing these applications understand the fire service, so they are looking for information about the department that will help them rank the needs of many similar departments. Help them do their job by providing them with information they don’t already have about what makes the department’s need unique.
In a single paragraph, explain the project’s description and budget. Make sure to state who you are, where the department is located, what the determined threat is to the community and the department, what the solution addressing that risk is, how much it will cost and what standard the solution meets.
Next, explain to the evaluators the need for federal money and describe the department’s costs versus the department’s income. Highlight any deficiencies in funding, particularly those related to the request. In other words, if the department has not purchased needed PPE because municipal funding wasn’t available, highlight that. If the department has attempted to get other grants, report that, including those that were turned down. Report fundraising efforts, savings, and other sources of income that the department has that have not sufficiently satisfied the financial requirements.
The major focus of late has been interoperability. If the grant request is based on improving interoperability between agencies, highlight that here. List here what the benefits of receiving the grant will be to the department. For example, if the item the department will purchase with the grant money will be used on X number of runs per year, determine what the cost per run will be. Obviously, the more an item is used, the less it costs per use. Anything that shows the department will operate more effectively or more efficiently due to receiving grant money should be explained here.
If what the department wishes to purchase with the funding will be used rarely, the department will need to justify the expense by showing how such equipment could lessen the severity of a disaster or contribute to saving lives during such an event. Items that will be used daily are much easier to explain, especially when their effect on firefighter and community safety is measured statistically.
There are some important tips to keep in mind when writing a grant application:
• -Don’t apply for grants for low-priority projects or for items the department wants, but doesn’t need.
• -Don’t mix low-priority items in with high-priority items on the grant request.
• -Don’t start more than one grant application at a time.
• -Don’t use pre-written grant applications as they all look alike and rarely get attention.
• -Don’t CAPITALIZE statements, particularly in the narrative section. It is annoying.
• -Don’t embellish or try to make a small, rural department look like FDNY. It won’t fool anyone.
Some other pitfalls to avoid include misspelled words or bad grammar, which make the department look unprofessional. Use spell check and have more than one other person proofread the application before it is submitted. Don’t allow the request to appear to have a low cost-to-benefit ratio. Make sure the request affects as many firefighters in the department as truthfully possible. Don’t submit an incomplete or inaccurate grant application, and above all else, don’t wait until the last minute to start!
There are several to-do tips on a grant application including making sure to thank the grant program administrators and the firefighting peers for their time and consideration. Doing so isn’t “sucking up,” it is common courtesy. Make sure to highlight how the grant request will help other municipalities and increase interoperability, i.e. how will this grant help the department respond to an area-wide disaster. Make sure all the statements are concise, intelligent, and well written. The evaluators have thousands of applications to read and their time is valuable. Make their job as easy as possible, and the effort will be rewarded. Attend grant-writing seminars. The people who give these seminars are experts and can help applications stand out from the herd.
Much of the information for this article came from such seminars, including ones run by the Department of Homeland Security. Their seminars typically run from January through March and are held all over the country. Check out the following link for more information: (www.firegrantsupport.com/Workshop/display/workshops.aspx).
Finally, talk to other firefighters who have been successful in writing grants. They have experience and knowledge that will be invaluable to the effort.
Don’t reinvent the wheel when your brothers and sisters in the fire service are ready and willing to help.
Editor’s Note: Tony Wyman is vice-president of marketing for Total Fire Group. His background includes careers in journalism, the housing industry and as a captain in the United States Air Force.