Grant Program FAQs
What does the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation support? Our Mission is to impact the lifesaving capabilities, and the lives of local heroes and their communities. This is accomplished by providing lifesaving equipment and prevention education tools to first responders and public safety organizations. Requests such as event sponsorships, exercise equipment, and family support services are not supported by our Foundation. See below for more information regarding items that are not supported by our grants program.
Is this grant only available for Fire Departments? No. Law enforcement, EMS, public safety organizations, non-profits and schools are encouraged to apply for life saving equipment.
If my organization has received a grant award from Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation in the past, when can we reapply? We ask that grant recipients wait a minimum of two years from the date of approval before reapplying.
Does the Foundation provide reimbursements for purchased equipment? Our program DOES NOT provide reimbursements for purchased equipment. If your organization has already purchased the equipment and is requesting reimbursement, please DO NOT apply.
What are the most common reasons a grant application is marked incomplete?
- Quote is missing vendor sales representative first and last name & vendor email address
- Quote is missing name & physical address of the applying organization, and a contact person from the organization
- Online quotes are not permissible
- Quote does not match the dollar amount or quantity requested in the grant application
- Quote includes item(s) that are not being requested in the grant
- Attachments are uploaded that don’t pertain to the grant
- Attachments are missing
- Attachments that are not saved as .doc, .pdf, .jpeg or .xlsx
- Financials are outdated or do not include both revenues and expenses
- Alternate contact information is the same contact information as the main contact information
- The requested equipment does not fall within the Foundation’s funding guidelines
Can my organization submit multiple grant applications? No, the Foundation does not accept more than one grant request per organization.
Can an individual apply for a fire school or police academy scholarship? No, however, the Foundation may partner with accredited schools for scholarship programs for individuals pursuing or advancing their career in the public safety sector.
Is the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation grant a matching grant? There are no matching funds involved in our organization’s grants program.
If my request is more or less than $20,000 will it be denied? $15,000-$25,000 is a guideline. Requests exceeding $50,000 will not be accepted.
What financial information should we provide? Financials must show revenue and expenses and must include the name of your organization, city or county. One of the following options must be submitted:
- A recent – within one month – Balance Sheet which consists of Assets and Liabilities
- A recent – within one month – Profit & Loss Statement also called an Income Statement
- A current year annual budget showing projected income and expenses
- A previous year audit or 990
What is needed for the required vendor quote/bid attachment? You must provide an official vendor quote with the following information for your grant request to be considered. Submitted quotes MUST meet the requirements below, please read carefully:
- Vendor sales representative first and last name must be included on quote
- Vendor email address must be included on quote
- The name & physical address of your organization must be included
- The name of a contact person from your organization must be included
- Only one vendor quote can be submitted, our organization no longer accepts multiple quotes. If more than one quote is submitted, your application will be marked incomplete
- Online quotes will not be accepted
- Must be dated within six months of the application deadline
- Must contain only the item(s) pertaining to your grant request
- The total dollar amount and equipment quantities in the vendor quote MUST MATCH the total that your department is requesting
- Include sales tax if applicable and an estimated freight charge if applicable
- The cost of maintenance plans and extended warranties are not permissible
- Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation will not be responsible for restocking fees or costs related to errors within the submitted quote
- Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation will not be responsible for additional shipping costs or tax not included in the submitted quote
Note: When requesting a quote/bid from a vendor, we highly recommend sharing our quote requirements with the sales representative and making them aware the quote is for a Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation grant application.
What inventory information should I provide? Please include a list of apparatus, vehicles and other specialized equipment. Submitted equipment inventory documentation must include the name of your organization. The lists we receive vary in length depending on the size and type of organization. (For example, include items such as vehicles, extrication equipment, breathing devices, and personal protective equipment/PPE)
If my department is located more than 60 miles from a Firehouse Subs restaurant, should I still apply? Our Foundation mainly focuses its resources in areas served by Firehouse Subs restaurants. We recognize the need of rural and volunteer departments throughout the country, and will consider applications outside of the 60 mile guideline.
When can we expect to find out if our grant has been approved or denied? ALL applicants will be notified of a decision regarding their application within two months of the close of the grant deadline. Please do not contact restaurants or the Firehouse Subs Care Center with questions regarding your grant. For assistance or questions other than grant status, email foundation@firehousesubs.com. We offer assistance until two weeks before the grant deadline.
Does Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation fund requests for “use of force”? As per our guidelines, Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation does not accept grant requests for “use of force” items such as guns or tasers.
Are there items that your Foundation does not support? All requests must fall within our Foundation’s funding guidelines which can be found on our website via firehousesubsfoundation.org/about-us/funding-areas. Examples of items that are not supported by our board of directors at this time include drones, body cameras, building exhaust removal systems, power load systems, exercise equipment, radar detectors, uniforms, recording devices, Narcan, safety education robots and costumes, building exhaust removal systems, security systems, and use of force equipment. The Foundation does not accept requests for refurbished, pre-owned equipment or patent-pending products.Note: Our organization is unable to accept requests for Philips automated external defibrillator FRx models or Scott SCBA Model AP50 at this time. All other Philips and Scott product requests are acceptable.
Does the Foundation only work with specific equipment vendors? No, the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation does not endorse any specific equipment vendor or brand. It is up to the grant applicant to submit a quote/bid for the requested equipment which will include the brand and manufacturer. As needed, the Foundation’s procurement team will evaluate pricing and reach out to other distributors of the same manufacturer and brand.
Does the Foundation fund requests for refurbished equipment? No, our organization does not accept grant requests for refurbished or pre-owned equipment.
Does the Foundation fund requests for patent-pending equipment? No, our organization does not accept grant requests for patent-pending products.
Does the Foundation accept requests for partial funding? The Foundation does consider request for partial funding, however, the balance of funds must already be secured and outlined within your grant request. We ask that you include a note about the project and the secured funding as part of your organization’s background/history attachment if submitting a request for partial funding.
If approved, what is required by the recipient? Documentation must be submitted to verify that the grant award was received. More details will be provided if approved.Please
do not contact area restaurants or Firehouse Subs Care center with grants questions.
