David Schwartz (pictured above), president and founder of Firehouse Grants in Jenkintown, has helped secure more than $180 million in grant funding for Fire and EMS departments across the country.

A 1995 graduate of Cheltenham High School and a volunteer with the LaMott Fire Company since 2001, Schwartz said the endeavor began in 2004 when someone handed him a grant application and said, “Go figure this out.”

From there, Schwartz’s services spread through word of mouth, neighbors began asking for help, and Abington Township became Schwartz’s first client. He officially started the business in 2009.

Firehouse Grants has a marketing and advertising presence through the internet, and Schwartz and staff attend trade shows across the country. Clients have come mainly from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, New York, and Delaware, though Schwartz said clients represent municipalities from coast to coast, including a handful in the Minneapolis region.

“A few years ago, someone from the Minneapolis area reached out to us for help securing a grant to pay for career firefighter staffing. They had a positive experience, and through word of mouth that relationship grew. As a result, we now have a small cluster of suburban communities there that we continue to work with,” said Schwartz, a University of Pennsylvania graduate.

Firehouse Grants has helped companies in greater Glenside receive more than $3.2 million in grants, including $337,000 for a new pumper truck in 2017.

“We’ve successfully supported all of the local fire companies in Cheltenham, Abington, and Jenkintown,” he said. “Most recently, we helped secure a $337,000 FY2024 Safer Award to improve volunteer recruitment and retention for the Elkins Park Fire Company and we got LaMott Fire Company $460,000 through the same award.”

Schwartz noted that LaMott Fire Company also recently received a state LSA award for a building renovation.

“That was just announced in December. We got Glenside Fire Company an $11,000 grant last year to upgrade essential equipment through the AFG Award Program,” he said.

For Schwartz, being in firefighting is an occupation as well as a way of life.

“Everybody that works with me is also a firefighter. We all live and breathe the fire service. I often tell clients that as corny as it sounds, we believe in what we do because these grants help underfunded departments serve their communities and ensure that firefighters go safely,” he said. “They rely on these grants to help underfunded departments make sure they can effectively serve their communities and
ensure that firefighters go safely home to their families every night. We see it firsthand when we go out on calls.”

“I run the business from LaMott’s firehouse every day. If we get a call, I go on the call, and then I come back and keep working. I love it. I love everything about the fire service,” he said, noting that he has wanted to serve as a firefighter for as long as he can remember.

“It’s in my blood. My son just turned 16 and became a junior firefighter with Abington Fire Company in August. I ended up joining there as well, so now I’m at both,” he said.

For more on Firehouse Grants, you can visit their Facebook page and website.

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Photo: Dave Scwhartz