AFG Grant Window is Open Now

How to Fund Your Department’s Professional Training with AFG & SAFER Grants

Budget constraints are one of the most common reasons fire departments delay professional training — but right now, there’s a federally funded solution on the table. FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) programs opened on May 19, 2026.

You have until June 22nd to submit your application. That’s less than a month to take action. If your department has been putting off training due to budget constraints, now is the time to change that.

 

What Are AFG and SAFER Grants?

Both programs fall under FEMA’s preparedness grant umbrella and recognize that a well-trained firefighter is the foundation of a capable department.

• The AFG program helps fire departments obtain the critical resources and training they need to protect the public and their personnel. Check out FEMA GO Guides for AFG
• The SAFER program is designed to help fire departments (career, combination, and volunteer) increase and maintain their number of trained frontline firefighters, including through hiring, volunteer recruitment, and retention.

Under the AFG Operations and Safety project category, professional training programs are fully eligible expenses.

 

Using AFG Grants for Standards-Based Firefighter Training

To qualify for AFG funding, training programs must align with recognized national standards,  which means your vendor matters. Courses built around NFPA, NREMT, and OSHA standards are the ones FEMA’s Operations and Safety projects are designed to fund.

Since 1988, Action Training Systems (ATS) has been the fire service’s trusted partner for standards-based multimedia training. Because ATS courses teach to current national standards, they align directly with what AFG projects require, making them a straightforward, fundable choice for your award.

 

Unlike traditional in-person training that locks your crew into fixed schedules, travel, and overtime costs, ATS courses are built for how fire departments actually operate — available as interactive online courses, streaming video, or physical DVD and USB formats so your personnel can train between calls, at the station, or on their own time without taking them out of service.

ATS also provides instructor support materials that include lesson outlines, testing, scenarios, and discussions, so even instructors new to the training officer role can deliver consistent, professional training with confidence.

Our catalog covers the full range of fire service topics, including:

• Firefighter (Firefighter I & II, Fire Operations Support)
• HAZMAT (Awareness, Response, Containment & Decontamination)
• Driver/Operator (Pumping, Aerial, and EVOC)
• Emergency Operations (Wildland Urban Interface, General Aviation Response, Rapid Intervention, Extrication, Rescue)
• Officer Development (Fire Officer I, Incident Command & Management)
• EMS Training (CAPCE-approved)

Get Your Quote Before You Apply

Contacting ATS before you apply pays off twice: you’ll have actual course titles, pricing, and descriptions ready to reference in your narrative — and if you’re awarded, you can move straight to purchasing without delays.

• • • • • Visit: www.action-training.com
        • Call: 1-800-755-1440
        • Email: info@action-training.com

How to Apply – FY 2025 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program

Note: Although you’re applying in 2026, FEMA designates this as the FY 2025 grant cycle. The funding year refers to the federal fiscal year in which the funds were appropriated, not the year in which applications are submitted.

1. Create your login.gov account:  Get started at secure.login.gov.
2. Set up your FEMA GO account:  Access the Grants Outcomes platform at go.fema.gov.
3. Submit your application before June 22, 2026

Pro tip: Don’t wait until the last minute to build your narrative. A strong application clearly explains your department’s specific training gaps and how the requested curriculum addresses them. The more specific and well-supported your narrative is, the stronger your application, so give yourself at least two weeks before the deadline to write and refine it rather than rushing at the end.

 

Frequently Asked Questions About AFG Training Grants

 

• Can AFG grants be used to buy online fire training curriculum? > Yes. Under the FEMA Operations and Safety category, professional training programs that teach to national standards (NFPA/IFSTA) are fully fundable expenses.

• When is the FY 2025 AFG application deadline? >The application period closes on June 22, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET.

• Do I need a FEMA GO account to apply? > Yes, all applications must be tracked and submitted through the FEMA GO (Grants Outcomes) platform after authenticating via login.gov.

• AFG Information 
• Action Training Systems