Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program FY 2025 opened on Tuesday, May 19, and will close on Monday, June 22. If you’re submitting a grant for PPE, here’s important information that you need to know.

General Information

• Available funding will be $291,600,000 with a projected 1,800 grants awarded.
• Funding limits will remain consistent with the previous year:

• Organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number, an Employer Identification Number (EIN), an active System for Award Management (SAM) registration, and FEMA GO account to apply for grants.
• FEMA’s online application portal, FEMO GO (Grants Outcomes), is the platform for submitting, approving, and managing FEMA grants.

Key Changes for FY 2025 AFG

• Under Operations and Safety-PPE Activity, replacement of damaged/unsafe/unrepairable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), regardless of age, is now allowable.
• Language regarding per- and poly-flouroalkyl substances (PFAS) in PPE was moved from Application Tips section to Operations and Safety-PPE Activity section and updated to encourage award recipients to seek acquisition of PFAS-free gear when possible.

High Priority Items for FY 2025 Tied to Safety Equipment

• Under SCBA priorities:
  • Replace in-service or in-use damaged/ unsafe/unrepairable SCBA to meet current standard.
  • Replace in-service/in-use/expired/ noncompliant SCBA to current standard.
  • Acquire or replace an individual SCBA facepiece for each operational member of an organization. Note: To the extent a request for additional facepieces exceeds any facepieces requested as part of an SCBA unit, that request should be entered as a separate request line item and will not be considered a request “to increase supplies” (e.g., if the applicant has the need for 35 facepieces, and requests 25 SCBA units, the applicant should also separately request 10 additional facepieces).
  • Increase supply for new hires and/or existing firefighters that do not have one set of SCBA for allocated seated positions.
• Under Basic Equipment priorities:
  • RIT Pack/Cylinder
• Respiratory list:
  • Air-Line Unit
  • Facepieces
  • Respirators
  • SCBA Spare Cylinders
  • SCBA (SCBA Unit includes Harness/Backpack, Facepiece, and 2 Cylinders)
• Under PPE priorities:
  • Increase supply for new hire/existing firefighters that do not have one set of turnout gear (PPE) or allocated seated position (SCBA). This includes replacing out-of-service PPE and SCBA.
  • Replace in-service or in-use damaged/unsafe/unrepairable PPE or SCBA to meet current standard.
  • Replace in-service/in-use/expired/noncompliant PPE or SCBA to current standard.
• Structural/Proximity PPE list:
  • Boots
  • Coats
  • Complete Set of Turnout Gear
  • Goggles
  • Helmets
  • Hoods
  • Pants
  • Suspenders
• PFAS-Free PPE:
  • Recipients are strongly encouraged to ask vendors about compliance with PFAS-free materials and purchase PFAS-free items where readily available.

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Need Help with Grants for SCBA or Turnout Gear?

MSA sponsors no-cost grant consultation through FireRescue1 GrantFinder:

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