What are the eligible expenses under the R&R Activity?

Applicants must correlate the activities for which funding is being requested with the identified recruitment and/or retention problems/issues being addressed. SAFER Program grant funds may only be used for volunteer firefighters who are involved with, or trained in, the operations of firefighting and emergency response. FEMA will not provide funding for a budgeted line item if an applicant does not provide enough information detailing how the item and/or activity will enhance the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters. Allowable costs may be limited to reasonable amounts, as determined by FEMA.

All grant-related purchases and activities must be incurred, received, and completed within the period of performance. Additionally, all funded activities under the R&R Activity must be governed by formally adopted Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Minimally, these SOPs should specify who qualifies for each of the incentives, specific requirements for earning the incentives, and the disposition of the awarded incentives if an individual fails to fulfill the stipulations. FEMA may ask for copies of SOPs prior to, or after a grant is awarded.

Examples of eligible expenses include but are not limited to the following:

• Marketing Program (e.g., media and print advertising) to recruit new volunteer firefighters
• New recruit basic training
• Leadership/career development training
• Personal Protective Equipment for new recruits

For the full list of eligible and ineligible costs, please refer to Appendix B – Programmatic Information and Priorities, in the FY 2021 SAFER Program NOFO.