For the Public Safety Market, there are three types of grants:
- Federal
- Private
- State
The Federal Grants are some of the most well-known and popular of all three types. Some of the most popular are:
- Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG)
- Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP)
- Operation Stonegarden Grant Program (OSGP)
- State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHGP)
- Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI)
- American Rescue Plan (ARP)
- Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and. Economic Security Act (CARES)
What I am about to share with you is a 10,000-foot view of Federal Grants. To be successful with any grant, you must read the application and guidance kit.
There are two ways to approach Federal Grants. First is the current year Federal Grant Funding Opportunities. The media writes about them, and the cable news runs stories about them. They are by far the most competitive I have come across. To apply for a Federal Grant is a two-step process.
- Fill out the application.
- Write the justification paper.
Once you apply for the grant, it is common for the results of the grant application to take three to six months. If awarded, the money goes to the city or county the agency serves, and they must spend it within twelve months on the specific project. With Homeland Security Grants, the city or county government has the opportunity to extend the awarded funding twice. Each extension is six months in length.
For help with the application process, the grant has a State Point of Contact (SPOC), whose responsibility is to help agencies receive funding that has a problem the specific Federal Grant wants to solve. I highly recommend leveraging the SPOC by having conversations, and email correspondence exponentially increases your chances of receiving an award.
Second is the previous one to two years Federal Grant Funding opportunities. These funding opportunities are when the money has been allocated but unspent on the project. To locate any unspent Federal Grant Funding, you want to call the following government agencies:
State Level:
- Emergency Management Agency
- Homeland Security Agency
- State Finance Department
- State Public Safety Agency (If the project is a Statewide Project)
County Level:
- Emergency Management Agency
- County Finance Department
- Public Safety Agency (If the project is a county project)
City Level:
- Emergency Management Agency (Large Cities Only)
- City Finance Department
- Public Safety Agency (If the project is a city project)
When applying this strategy, always start with the person that runs the specific agency, i.e., the Director of Emergency Management Agency or the Finance Manager, etc. Odds are they ultimately won’t be the person. However, they will get you to the appropriate person to speak with about the Federal Grant Funding.
If nobody at the state level can help, contact your county point of contact next. With more populated cities, they will have an Emergency Management Agency. If that doesn’t work, speak with your department leadership. The key is to be persistent and follow up accordingly. You might have to make multiple calls and emails. Follow up every month to every 3-months.
Please feel free to contact me or come to one of my FREE Grant Funding Assistance Strategy Classes to learn more.
My goal is simple: To solve the public safety funding problem!