CFDA#
|
|
Funder Type
State Government
|
IT Classification
B - Readily funds technology as part of an award
|
|
|
Authority
Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM)
Summary
The Small Equipment Grant Program was established to provide grants for the purchase of small firefighting and ambulance equipment. This program is an innovative approach to a problem that has long caused difficulties for the fire departments and not-for-profit ambulance services in Illinois, particularly those that have hardships in generating the necessary revenue for small equipment. The purpose is to allow eligible applicants the opportunity to purchase small equipment that they may otherwise not be able to purchase.
History of Funding
$4,000,000 was available for FY2025.
$4,000,000 was awarded to 165 fire departments/districts and EMS providers across the state in 2023. More information can be found here: https://www.myradiolink.com/2024/04/29/illinois-state-fire-marshal-awards-4-million-in-grants-to-illinois-fire-departments-and-ems-providers/
$1,500,000 was awarded to 64 fire departments/districts and EMS providers across the state in 2022. More information can be found here: https://www.illinois.gov/news/press-release.26131.html
$2,500,000 was awarded to 104 fire departments/districts and EMS providers across the state in 2021. More information can be found here: https://www.illinois.gov/news/press-release.24731.html
Additional Information
For the current application cycle, a list of priority items can be viewed here: https://sfm.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/sfm/documents/grants-loans-documents/fy25-smallequipmentgranttier1-tier2.pdf
Requests for equipment not included in the categories described above may be made, but such requests will not be considered until applications that include the priority equipment described above have been considered.
Eligibility Details
Most Illinois fire departments, fire protection districts and township fire departments are eligible to apply for grants. Additionally, ambulance services that are a not-for-profit emergency medical service provider are also eligible to apply. An ambulance service shall be a volunteer, non-profit, stand-alone emergency medical service provider not tied in any financial or legal manner to a fire department. Applicants in this category may have to provide additional documentation in order to verify eligibility.
Units of local government that do not operate fire departments or ambulance services are eligible for grants under this program (e.g., a municipality that contracts for fire suppression or emergency medical service from another municipality, fire protection district, or for-profit or not-for-profit business); however, if a unit of local government contracts for fire protection service from another unit of local government that has applied for a grant under this program, the unit of local government contracting to receive the services is prohibited from receiving a grant under this program.
Fire departments that are for-profit entities, not-for-profit entities, associations and/or not-for-profit corporations (i.e. not a governmental body) are not eligible to apply.
Fire department, fire protection district and township fire department applicants must have participated in the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS”) for a minimum of two years prior to the application for the Small Equipment Grant, except that fire departments that were issued a Fire Department Identification Number (FDID”) by the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM”) less than two years prior to the application are eligible to apply for a Small Equipment Grant if they have participated in NFIRS since the date their FDID was issued by the OSFM.
Deadline Details
Applications were to be submitted by November 14, 2025. A similar deadline is anticipated annually.
Award Details
$6,000,000 is available for FY2026. Individual awards may be up to $26,000. There is no cost share/match requirement.
Related Webcasts
-
New Funding Opportunities for K-12 School Safety - Sponsored by NetApp
-
Playback Available
-
Funding to Address High Crime Areas within Your Community - Sponsored by NetApp
-
Playback Available
-
Funding to Enhance Response, Investigation, and Prosecution of Domestic Violence - Sponsored by Panasonic
-
Playback Available