U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency
Assistance to Firefighters Grant
Key facts
- Open now
- None right now
- Type of help
- Project grant
- Typical award
- Award amounts for the AFG Program vary based on approved project costs, item eligibility, and applicable funding caps. The program does not have a minimum amount that can be requested but have funding caps. Awards...
- Deadlines
- In each year's official notice
What it pays for
The goal of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program is to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire and fire-related hazards. The objectives of the AFG Program are to provide critically needed resources that equip and train emergency personnel to recognized standards, enhance operational efficiencies, foster interoperability, and support community resilience. FEMA will measure the recipient�s performance of the grant by comparing the number of items, supplies, projects, and activities needed and requested in its application with the number of items, supplies, projects, and activities acquired and delivered by the end of the period of performance. Please see applicable Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for additional information on the specific program metrics.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants for the AFG Program are limited to fire departments, nonaffiliated EMS organizations, and SFTAs operating in any of the 50 States plus the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico or any federally recognized Indian tribe or tribal organization. Refer to the AFG NOFO for additional information regarding eligibility.
How applications are judged
Steps to Apply: Obtain/verify Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and Employer Identification Number (EIN) (EIN: IRS EIN Application). Create a login.gov account (login.gov) and link it to SAM.gov. Register/update SAM (SAM.gov), renew annually, and maintain an active registration. Register in FEMA GO, add your organization, and establish the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR). Submit the complete application in FEMA GO.
Match
Match: none required (federal program listing). Statutory Formula: Title The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 Chapter:33, Part c, Subpart 2a,Public Law 112-239.Applicants who protect a population of over 1,000,000 are required to provide a nonfederal cost-share of not less than 15 percent of the grant awarded. Applicants who protect a population between 20,000 and 1,000,000 are required to provide a nonfederal cost-share of not less than 10 percent of the grant awarded. Applicants who protect a population of less than 20,000 are required to provide a nonfederal cost-share of not less than 5 percent of the grant awarded. Generally, No waivers of this requirement will be granted except for fire departments of Insular Areas as provided for in 48 U.S.C. 1469a.This program has MOE requirements, see funding agency for further details. Additional Information: Matching...
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal year 2025: The Assistance to Firefighters Grant program funded 1,678 grant awards to purchase firefighting vehicles, ambulances, personal protective equipment, training, modification to facilities, and fitness/wellness programs. These awards provided self-contained breathing apparatuses, firefighting turnout gear, radios, power lift cots, and other basic equipment necessary to respond to fire and emergency situations. The program provided funding for installing exhaust extraction systems to existing buildings and remodel small spaces for classroom or fitness purposes.
Fiscal year 2026: The AFG Program was appropriated $291.6 million to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire and fire-related hazards. We estimate to make 1,800 awards averaging $162,000 per award.
Who in Tennessee has won this program
1592 awards to Tennessee groups since 2013. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Memphis, Tennessee | Memphis, Shelby County | $3M | 2019 |
| City of Memphis, Tennessee | Memphis, Shelby County | $2.2M | |
| City of Memphis | Memphis, Shelby County | $2.1M spent that year | 2025 |
| City of Murfreesboro | $1.7M | 2021 | |
| City of Memphis, Tennessee | Memphis, Shelby County | $1.7M | 2022 |
| City of Memphis, Tennessee | Memphis, Shelby County | $1.5M | 2024 |
| City of Memphis, Tennessee | Memphis, Shelby County | $1.5M | 2024 |
| City of Lenoir City | Lenoir City, Loudon County | $1.4M spent that year | 2025 |
| Memphis City of | $1.1M | 2008 | |
| City of Memphis, Tennessee | $1.1M | 2017 | |
| City of Lenoir City | Lenoir City, Loudon County | $994K | 2022 |
| Jasper Highlands Volunteer Fire Department | Jasper, Marion County | $974K | 2025 |
Source: USAspending.gov, Federal Audit Clearinghouse, OpenFEMA.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), OpenFEMA Datasets: FEMA Non-Disaster Assistance Firefighter Grants - v1 and HMA Subapplications - v2. Retrieved Oct 7, 2026, 12:23 PM CDT. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Tennessee groups that got this money through a state agency or another organization
This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. In Tennessee, Tennessee Department of Military and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security pass it on: watch those agencies for applications, not the federal agency. 21 pass-through grants on file. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Through | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mcnairy County, Tennessee | Selmer, McNairy County | Tennessee Department of Military | $272K spent that year | 2024 |
| Henderson County, Tennessee | Lexington, Henderson County | Tennessee Department of Military | $146K spent that year | 2023 |
| Tennessee Technological University | Cookeville, Putnam County | Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey | $72K | 2024 |
| Town of Nolensville, Tennessee | Nolensville, Williamson County | Tennessee Emergency Management Agency | $71K spent that year | 2025 |
| City of Kingsport, TN | Kingsport, Sullivan County | FEMA | $69K spent that year | 2023 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey | $67K spent that year | 2025 |
| City of Kingsport, TN | Kingsport, Sullivan County | Federal Emergency Management Agency | $61K spent that year | 2025 |
| Tennessee Technological University | Cookeville, Putnam County | Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey | $55K | 2023 |
| Tennessee Technological University | Cookeville, Putnam County | Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey | $54K | 2024 |
| Gibson County, Tennessee | Trenton, Gibson County | Tennessee Department of Military | $47K spent that year | 2025 |
| Sevier County, Tennessee | Sevierville, Sevier County | Tennessee Department of Military | $41K spent that year | 2023 |
| Hardin County, Tennessee | Savannah, Hardin County | Tennessee Department of Military | $39K spent that year | 2025 |
Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).