Funding Your Fire Department Drone Program
State & Private Grant Programs
The number one question we hear from fire departments is: 'How do we pay for it?' The good news: federal, state, and private grant programs have never been better funded for public safety UAS acquisition. DroneRescue helps you identify the right funding sources and supports your grant narrative with technical documentation, spec sheets, and cost-benefit analysis.
Program
Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG)
FEMA BRIC / HMGP
DHS Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP)
DRONE Act of 2025
FEMA Port Security Grant
Details
Primary federal grant for fire equipment. Apply under Operations & Safety. Annual cycle, though the application window has shifted substantially in recent years. Monitor Grants.gov directly.
Building Resilient Infrastructure & Communities and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Strong fit for WUI communities.
Covers SHSP and UASI sub-awards. Drone acquisition for disaster response aligns with priority areas.
Enacted December 2025 as part of the FY2026 NDAA. Adds UAS as an eligible expense under DOJ's Byrne-JAG and COPS programs. Primarily a law enforcement funding route, relevant to fire departments operating under combined public safety agencies or through a partnering law enforcement agency.
For departments protecting critical port infrastructure.
State Homeland Security sub-awards, through your State Administering Agency
EQT Foundation, volunteer SAR and firefighting drone programs, limited to PA, WV, and OH
USDA Community Facilities program, for departments serving rural communities
Local municipal budget appropriation and cooperative purchasing
Private foundation funding for public safety UAS is limited and often regionally restricted. Several well-known fire service foundations explicitly exclude drones from their equipment programs, so confirm current guidelines before investing time in an application.
How DroneRescue Supports Your Grant Application
We provide the technical documentation grant reviewers require:
Official system specifications and performance data
Cost-benefit analysis vs. helicopter operations
Deployment scenario documentation for narrative justification
The Program Framework and Roadmap, is a general guide covering compliance, funding sources, and the six phases of building a fundable program. For a review of your own fleet, mission profile, and authorization posture, we offer a fixed-fee readiness assessment.