Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program Frequently Asked Questions

The Narrative Statements of the application must provide unique and specific details about the activity for which applicants seek funding, including budget details. Peer Review Panelists will evaluate and score each activity based

on the narrative elements within each activity. The weighted evaluation criteria used by the peer reviewers in determining the grant award, as described in the NOFO, make up the elements of the Narrative Statements’ score.

Under the Hiring Activity, the peer review panel score is 50% of the total application score. Under the R&R Activity applications, the peer review panel score is 70% of the total application score.

Note: FEMA conducts reviews of a random sampling of applications to compare them for duplication including the narrative statements and statistical data. Therefore, all elements of the narrative statements must be specific and unique to the applying entity, and all statistical data must be accurate.

Applications with narrative statements that have substantial duplication of statements, sentences, or paragraphs to other submitted applications, and/or inaccurate data that may mislead reviewers may be disqualified. Discovery of falsification, fabrication, or plagiarism of other grant proposals will disqualify the application(s).

Overmatch. In the application narrative, an organization may indicate a voluntary pledge to commit additional financial support toward a project(s) cost, which is in addition to their cost share obligation as detailed in the NOFO and required by law. FEMA will not account for this promised additional funding in the award budget.

Any letters of support should be emailed to the AFG Program Help Desk at firegrants@fema.dhs.gov.

The letter should reference any applicable grant application ID numbers. The letter should be addressed to:

Pamela S. Williams

Assistant Administrator, Grant Programs Directorate

U.S. Department of Homeland Security/FEMA

400 C Street S.W., 3 N

Washington DC 20472-3635

Please note, letters of support are not considered in the award decision-making process.

The available funding for the FY 2023 AFG is $324 million.

The total amount appropriated under the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2023, Pub. L. No. 117-328 is $360 million. However, to meet the statutory requirements of § 33 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974, as amended (codified at 15 U.S.C. § 2229), $36 million (or 10%) of these “available grant funds” will be allocated to the FY 2023 Fire Prevention and Safety Program, which will have a separate funding notice and application period.

FEMA provides monthly updates on various AFG-related topics. You can sign up for FEMA email updates at: Signup for FEMA Email Updates (govdelivery.com).

Effective April 4, 2022, the Federal Government transitioned from using the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, to a new, non-proprietary identifier known as a Unique Entity Identifier or UEI. For entities that had an active registration in SAM.gov prior to April 4, 2022, the UEI has automatically been assigned and no action is necessary.

For all entities now filing a new registration in SAM.gov, the UEI will be assigned to that entity as part of the SAM.gov registration process. UEI registration information is available on GSA.gov at: Unique Entity Identifier Update | GSA.

Applicant registration in SAM is free. All applicants must be registered and active in order to apply online. Please remember that SAM registration is only active for one year and must be renewed annually.

Existing SAM.gov account holders should check their account to make sure it is active.

An applicant’s SAM registration must be active not only at the time of application, but also during the application review and awarding process, as well as throughout the entire award management phase.