Rural and underprivileged communities face barriers as they prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. A lack of fire and police equipment is a common challenge for these communities. When agencies involved in emergency response — such as emergency medical services (EMS), fire departments, and rural public health agencies — are underfunded or lack needed equipment, response capacity is impacted, making citizens less safe.
We aim to assist these communities in breaking down those barriers and limitations.
Goals & philosophy
- Support the disaster prevention and disaster recovery of the community.
- Grants in this category must be core to our mission.
- We are committed to assisting neighboring communities throughout the United States in providing safe emergency services.
- We make grants to nonprofits and governments for projects under this incentive to further this motivation.
Examples of projects funded
- Ambulances.
- Emergency communications equipment.
- Police cars.
- Fire trucks.
- Firefighter equipment.
- Police equipment.
- Hire additional police officers and/or firefighters.
Aspirational goals we look for
Broad reach. The grant awarded will benefit the widest subset of the entire community. We believe your grant should not only benefit the underprivileged in your community but also benefit the broader community at large.
Matching funds. We want to see your community's commitment to safety. While not required, preference will be given to communities that provide some level of matching funds.
Rural community. The Census Bureau defines rural as any population, housing, or territory NOT in an urban area. For this grant, we define rural communities as a municipality, town, or county in the United States with a population of fewer than 25,000 people.
Underprivileged community. For the purpose of this grant, we define an underprivileged community as an enclave of people in an area where the average income is below 1.5 times the US poverty line, notwithstanding population density.
Measures of success. Success will be measured by (1) grant recipient measurable outcomes and their anticipated timeline, (2) the overall number of citizens assisted, and (3) partial or full completion of your community-established Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Plan.
Apply for a grant
If you have a project you think fits these goals, check your eligibility and apply. Questions? Contact us at info@parkerfoundation.care.