Illinois American Water Announces 2016 Firefighter Grant Program

Illinois American Water is accepting applications for its 2016 Firefighter Grant Program. Through this program, the company provides financial assistance to fire and emergency organizations serving communities in its service areas.

According to Bruce Hauk, president of Illinois American Water, the Firefighter Grant Program is another opportunity for Illinois American Water to support fire protection efforts.  He said, “This program allows our team to build on our partnership with our local heroes and contribute to their hard work.  Since 2010, we’ve had the privilege of awarding over $294,000 for over 280 grants to our community firefighters.”

The maximum grant amount is $1,000. Fire departments-districts are eligible for one grant per calendar year.  Only uniformed professional and volunteer fire departments serving Illinois American Water’s service territory are eligible to receive funding. Grants of up to $1,000 will be considered to cover the costs associated with the following:
·        Personal protective gear
·        Communications equipment
·        Firefighting tools
·        Water handling equipment
·        Training and related activities/materials used to support community fire protection
·        Reimbursement for specific fire training classes, including training manuals and workbooks

Fire departments should send a letter of application postmarked by Sept. 8, 2016 with the following information:
·        Description of the organization(s) seeking support
·        Overview of specific project to be funded and grant amount requested
·        Community problem/challenges that the project will address
·        Timeframe for implementation of project
·        Summary of other sources being approached for support of project
·        Project budget

Applications can be emailed to Karen Cotton, manager of external affairs, at karen.cotton@amwater.com.