Fiscal Year 2023 State Fire Training Systems Grant | DHS 23 USFA 043 00 99

Opportunity Information: Apply for DHS 23 USFA 043 00 99

The Fiscal Year 2023 State Fire Training Systems Grant (SFTSG) is a federal grant program run through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FEMA, tied to the U.S. Fire Administration and the National Fire Academy (NFA). It is built on the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974, which sets up the framework for the NFA to work in partnership with state fire training agencies. The basic idea is to strengthen and expand standardized, high-quality fire and emergency services training at the state level by helping states deliver NFA courses locally rather than requiring personnel to travel or rely only on locally developed curricula.

The grant is designed to cover the direct delivery of government-funded NFA courses within a state and to support the distribution and sharing of key instructional materials, including student manuals, instructor guides, and other course resources. Beyond simply passing along pre-built course content, the program also provides funding that states can use to supplement and tailor how training is delivered, while still leveraging NFA courses and programs as the foundation. In practice, that means states can adapt scheduling, delivery methods, and supportive training elements to better match local risks, staffing realities, and regional preparedness priorities, while keeping the training anchored in nationally recognized content.

SFTSG aligns with broader federal preparedness goals, specifically Goal 5 of the DHS Strategic Plan for FY 2020-2024 (Strengthen Preparedness and Resilience) and Goal 3 of the FEMA Strategic Plan for 2022-2026 (Promote and Sustain a Ready FEMA and Prepared Nation). That alignment signals that the program is not just about professional development, but about improving readiness and resilience at the community and state level. By building a stronger, more consistent training pipeline, the program aims to support better incident outcomes, improved coordination during complex events, and a more capable emergency services workforce overall.

One of the program's biggest features is its menu of training options. State fire training agencies can choose from more than 200 NFA courses, allowing them to shape a training plan around their most urgent needs. Course topics include leadership development, community risk reduction, and incident management, among others. This range matters because state systems often have to train for everything from day-to-day fireground operations and prevention efforts to large-scale disasters requiring multiagency coordination, planning, and command-level decision-making.

The opportunity is listed as a grant (FundingInstrumentType: Grant) and categorized under education, employment, labor and training, with additional relevance captured under an "other" category as described in the notice. The eligible applicants are state governments, reflecting the program's emphasis on state-level training systems and statewide coordination. The opportunity number is DHS 23 USFA 043 00 99 and the CFDA (now often referred to as Assistance Listing) number is 97.043, which identifies the federal assistance program associated with fire training support through FEMA/USFA.

For FY 2023, the stated award ceiling is up to $1,000,000 per award, and the opportunity anticipated about 50 awards. The notice was created on June 9, 2023, and the original application closing date was July 10, 2023. As an example of what award activity can look like, the announcement notes that a sample of prior SFTSG awardees averaged about 12 classes completed in a single award year, training an average of 162 students. That snapshot gives a practical sense of the scale: this is not a small pilot program, but a funding stream intended to translate into multiple delivered classes, measurable student throughput, and a meaningful training footprint across the state.

• The Department of Homeland Security, Department of Homeland Security - FEMA in the education, employment, labor and training, other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fiscal Year 2023 State Fire Training Systems Grant" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 97.043.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 09, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 10, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 50 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

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