Florida Firefighter Assistance Grant Program

Catalog of State Financial Assistance (CSFA) Project Number:
43006
CSFA Title:
Florida Firefighter Assistance Grant Program
Notice of Funding Opportunity Title:

FY2026-27 Florida Firefighter Assistance Grant Program

Overview:

The Firefighter Assistance Grant Program was established by Florida Statute 633.135 and F.A.C. 69A-37.502 to improve the emergency response capability of volunteer fire departments and combination fire departments and provide financial assistance to improve firefighter safety and enable such fire departments to provide firefighting, emergency medical, and rescue services to their communities.

 Funding Priorities:

Grant funding is only available for training, PPE, SCBA’s, safety related equipment and tools, wildland fire fighting and urban interface protective clothing and equipment, and cost share subsidy for AFG apparatus awards.

For specific information on program priorities and objectives for the FY2026-27 FFAGP, refer to Florida Administrative Code 69A-37.502.

B. AWARD INFORMATION

Award Amount and Important Dates

  • Total Available Funding for the Notice of Funding Opportunity: TBD
  • Period of Performance Start Date: July 1, 2026
  • Period of Performance End Date: June 30, 2027

 C. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Eligible applicants are fire service providers organized and operating in the state of Florida as a volunteer or combination fire department and meeting all of the following requirements:

  1. A fire service provider,
  2. Organized as a fire department for a consecutive period of not less than five (5) years,
  3. Recorded as a fire department in the Division’s online electronic database,
  4. Has a Florida fire department identification (FDID) number,
  5. Will submit fire incident data for a period of twelve months following the date of grant award,
  6. Compliant with the Florida Firefighters Occupational Health and Safety Act, and
  7. Submitted the Florida Fire Service Needs Assessment Survey.

Cost Share or Match

There are no cost share or matching funds required by the eligible applicant for the Firefighter Assistance Grant Program.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Key Dates and Times

  • Opening Date for Submitting Applications: July 7, 2026, 8:00 am, EDT.
  • Closing Date for Submitting Applications: August 20, 2026, 5:00 pm EDT.

Application Submission

In addition to meeting the above requirements, applicants for the Florida Firefighter Assistance Grant Program must complete the following items and submit the Grant Application to: FirefighterGrant@MyFloridaCFO.com.

E.  Application Review Information

The Bureau of Fire Standards and Training (BFST) will rank all complete and submitted applications based on how well they match the program priorities.  Answers to the application’s activity specific questions and Florida Fire Service Needs Assessment Survey provide information used to determine each application’s ranking relative to the stated program priorities. 

Review and Selection Process

Applications are scored competitively by (no less than three) peer reviewers.  These

reviewers will assess each application’s merits with respect to the details provided in the Narrative Statement on the activity, including the evaluation elements listed in the Narrative Evaluation Criteria below. The panel will independently score each project within the application, discuss the merits and/or shortcomings of the application, and document the findings. A consensus is not required.

Narrative Evaluation Criteria

1.  Financial Need

Applicants must describe their financial need and how consistent it is with the intent of the Program. This statement(s) should include details describing the applicant’s financial distress, summarizing budget constraints, unsuccessful attempts to secure other funding, annual budget with revenues and expenditures, and proving the financial distress is out of their control.

2.  Project Description and Budget

The statement(s) should clearly explain the applicant’s project objectives and its relationship to the applicant’s budget and risk analysis. The applicant should describe the various activities applied for with respect to any program priority or facility modifications, making sure they are consistent with project objectives, the applicant’s mission and national, state, and/or local requirements.

Applicants should link the proposed expenses to operations and safety, as well as the completion of the project goals.

Turndown Notifications

All applicants who do not receive an FY2026-2027 Grant award will receive a notification letter by email from BFST within 90 days of grant application closing date.

F. Award Administration Information

Award Notification

All applicants who are awarded a FY2026-2027 Grant award will receive a notification award letter by email from BFST within 90 days of grant application closing date.  The recipient will have 45 calendar days from notification to email BFST whether to accept or decline the award. 

Award Agreement Information

If the recipient decides to accept the grant award, they will be required to sign a grant agreement between Department of Financial Services and the recipient within 90 days of the announcement. The Contract provides the requirements for services and performance as outlined in the Scope of Work including deliverables, Specific Grant Award, Audit Requirements, and Public Records Requirements. 

Supplemental Grant Award

Department of Financial Services will issue supplemental grant awards to eligible grantees to replace applicants who did not respond to the notification of the grant award or did not execute an agreement.

 

 

 If you have any questions regarding the Florida Firefighter Assistance Grant Program, send an e-mail to:

FireGrantQuestion@MyFloridaCFO.com