Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG)
Direct funding to fire departments, nonaffiliated EMS organizations, and state fire training academies to buy equipment and protective gear, train personnel, acquire emergency vehicles, modify facilities to protect responders from health hazards, and run health and wellness programs.
Who it is for
Career, volunteer, and combination fire departments, nonaffiliated EMS organizations, and state fire training academies. Open to departments of all sizes.
Department types: Career, Volunteer, Combination
Before you start
How you apply: Apply directly to the funder.
Your department applies directly to FEMA. You do not go through your state.
Match required: Yes. Cost-share is generally 5 to 15 percent of the project, scaled to the population the department serves. Smaller jurisdictions pay the lower share.
How to apply
- Register your department in SAM.gov if you are not already. This can take several weeks, so start early.
- Create or log into your FEMA GO account at go.fema.gov, the system used to submit and manage the application.
- Gather supporting data the application asks for: call volume, population served, financial information, current equipment inventory, and a clear description of the need.
- Write the project narrative explaining what you need, why, and how it meets program priorities. This is what the application is scored on.
- Submit through FEMA GO before the application window closes, then monitor your account for requests for more information.
Deadline: Annual. The application window typically opens in spring and runs a few weeks. For FY2026, the window opened May 19, 2026 and closed June 22, 2026. Dates shift year to year, so check the program page for the current window. (Annual cycle)
Funding: No simple per-award cap; award size scales with population served and need. Total program funding was about $291.6 million in the most recent cycle.
Verified as of 2026-05-31. Programs are checked periodically against their official source. Funding details and deadlines change. Confirm the current requirements on the official program page before you apply.