narratives AFG Grants

The program narrative should provide all the information necessary for you to justify your needs and for the program office to make an award decision. In the program narrative, please explain what your needs are and what you will be using the grant funds for. The program narrative must also demonstrate the financial need for the assistance and how the costs expended under this program will benefit the firefighters' and/or public's safety. A panel of your peers will review the narrative you provide as the major part of their evaluation of your entire grant application.

Please ensure that your narrative clearly addresses each of the following areas to the best of your ability. Follow the sequence and specifically address each of the following topics:

Your narrative should be detailed but concise. Your narrative may not exceed five pages of text. You may either type your project narrative in the space provided below or create the text in your word processing system and then copy it into the space provided below. Images and attachments are not allowed.

Note: Fields marked with an * are required. Press the Save and Continue button to save your work, even if you have not completed the Narrative.

MFSN Editors Note:

3.) Regional Projects Tips -

Regional communications projects will not be funded unless their State’s Statewide Communications Interoperability Plan (SCIP) has been reviewed and approved by DHS.

2008 Regional Projects

Any eligible applicant, whether a fire department or a nonaffiliated EMS organization, may act as a “host applicant” and apply for large-scale or regional projects on behalf of itself and any number of organizations in neighboring jurisdictions. A regional project is one in which multiple organizations serving more than one local jurisdiction benefit directly from the activities implemented with the grant funds. A county fire department applying for a countywide communications system is NOT a regional project because it does not benefit multiple “seats-of-government.” Regional projects are designed to facilitate interoperable communications and efficiency among the participating jurisdictions. As such, the only activities available for application under a regional project are training and equipment acquisition (such as communications equipment) that positively affect interoperability between jurisdictions. Purchase of turnouts, SCBA, wellness and fitness, modification to facilities, and vehicle acquisition activities are not eligible as regional projects.

The criteria development panel recommended that, due to the limited funding available for grants and the recent change in SCBA standards (the 2007 Edition of NFPA 1981), DHS will not consider requests for regional projects that involve wholesale replacement of SCBA within a region.

Regional projects require one eligible applicant to act as the “host” for the project. Regional applications may only include activities that are meant to address the identified regional risk. Regional applications cannot include the purchase of resources or any activities meant solely for the host applicant. As in last year’s program, host applicants in FY 2008 may apply for funding to address their own needs beyond the scope of the regional project in a separate application(s). The “host” will be responsible for fulfilling all grant requirements, such as reporting to National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS), control of and accounting for the funds, and distribution and control of the property. Additionally, the host is responsible for assuring that the cost-share is met. The cost share for regional projects is based on the total population and demographics of the entire region.

DHS has the discretion to waive the legislatively established funding limits under AFG. In order to encourage interest and participation in this critical strategy to address interoperability, DHS may exercise this discretion, if the funding of a regional application is at risk of exceeding statutory funding caps, (i.e., the funding of the regional request combined with other AFG awards would cause the host applicant to exceed the legislatively established funding limits).

In general, equipment purchased as a result of a regional project will be physically distributed to all the departments that are beneficiaries of the project. This physical distribution of the equipment to other first responder organizations is the single characteristic that distinguishes eligible regional projects from projects that are not regional in nature but may have an impact on a region via mutual aid. For example, a project that would not be considered to have an affect on interoperability (and thus would not be considered a regional project) would be an application for an air compressor or a hazardous materials (HAZMAT) response vehicle. In these examples, the assets would be shared with neighboring departments under mutual or automatic aid agreements, but the asset is physically located in the awardee’s department and not disseminated among the participants, as such, they do not qualify as a regional project.

Examples of viable regional projects would be a multi-jurisdictional communications system or standardization of training. As stated above, regional projects should be designed to address issues of communications or equipment interoperability among multiple jurisdictions.

In order to apply for a regional project, the host organization must:
1) be an eligible applicant, (i.e., either a fire department or a nonaffiliated EMS organization) (a county, county association, or city could not apply for a regional project), and
2) agree, if awarded, to be responsible for all aspects of the grant, including, but not limited to, accountability for the assets and all reporting requirements.

In the application, the host organization will be required to describe the characteristics of the entire region that will be affected by the project (i.e., the population of the affected region, not the applicant’s first-due population). The applicant must provide detailed information in the project narrative describing the effect of the project and the need for the project. This includes a detailed description of the following:
• the proposed project and the project budget;
• the financial need for the project;
• the benefits that would result; and
• the extent to which the grant would enhance daily operations, and/or how the grant will positively impact the regional ability to protect life and property.

In addition, the applicant must include a list of all the participating organizations that will benefit from the regional project, if the project is approved. Fire departments or nonaffiliated EMS organizations that will benefit from a regional project may also apply for funding under the AFG, as long as they are not requesting the same items as the host applicant for the regional project. For example, if a host applicant applies for a multi-jurisdictional communications project, a participating organization that will receive some of the communications equipment can apply for other needs as long as it does not apply for duplicative communications equipment. Host applicants MAY NOT apply to address other needs beyond the regional project on the regional application; however, a host applicant may submit a request to meet its own, non-regional needs in a separate application.

When evaluating the benefits of any regional project, we will take into account the other partners that will be involved in the project, whether they are other fire departments, nonaffiliated EMS organizations, or other public service organizations. We will also take into consideration the extent to which the non-fire/EMS partners will contribute to the overall costs of the regional project.

The criteria development panel recommended that, due to the limited funding available for grants and the recent change in SCBA standards (the 2007 Edition of NFPA 1981), DHS will not consider requests for regional projects that involve wholesale replacement of SCBA within a region. The criteria development panel recommended that DHS only consider replacing old, inoperable SCBA, and/or upgrading older SCBAs to the new standard within a region if proper justification was provided. Additionally, they recommended that DHS not consider replacement of SCBA that is compliant to the 1997 Edition of NFPA 1981 nor the 2002 Edition of NFPA 1981.

Regional projects’ cost-share will be based on the total population and demographics of the entire region. All non-Federal match funds must be in cash; in-kind contributions are not acceptable. No waivers of this requirement will be granted except for applicants located in Insular Areas as provided for in 48 U.S.C. § 1469a.

WINNING NARRATIVES

Narrative Tips

Specific requirement items in narratives click here

Regional Project Tips - Click here

Buzz Words - click here

Sample narratives - below are winners from 2003, 04, 05, 06 and 2007.

My sample narrative - click here

MFSN Editors Note:

I would highly recommend that your narrative not be longer then two pages if possible!!!!!!

I would highly recommend you include in the Finical Need Section a snapshot of your FD budget and your city budget.

Remember as you view these winning narratives they are from 2003, 04, 05, 06 and 2007.