AED Grants: How to Get a Free AED Donated

The cost of an AED is both priceless and expensive. It’s priceless because you simply cannot put a price on saving a life. However, the reality is that there is a significant price tag for an automated external defibrillator.

Automated External Defibrillator Grants can sometimes be a route for many organizations to get the defibrillator they need. However, what happens when your organization doesn’t meet the criteria set out in the grant requirements? Perhaps your organization is small, and simply doesn’t have the resources to put in the time required for writing a grant application.

Below we’ve pulled together some potential resources you should consider for AED funding. If we can aid your organization in creating a route toward getting an AED donated or funded, we’d love to help. Connect with us about setting up a campaign for your community youth organization to cover the cost of an AED, today!

Defibrillator funded through an AED grant

Finding and Winning an AED Grant

Organization searching for an AED donation or funding solution

While we don’t keep a list handy of available AED grants, because grant availability is always changing, and the parameters of each grant will vary based on the funding organization’s targeted beneficiaries, we can tell you that a well-written grant application will likely go a long way toward getting the defibrillator funding your organization or AED program needs.

When searching for an AED grant, don’t limit your internet search to “AED grants.” The simple reason is that this search is very narrow, and funding specifically rendered for AEDs will be few and far between. That said, check with local community resources. Offices like your local elected representatives may know where to point you in the right direction.

You could also put a call out on social media asking if anyone in your youth organization’s network knows of community grants or foundations that have specifically set aside money for things like this. There are often many opportunities available for funding various community projects, and chances are you may be able to secure money through a fund that has a wider range of application.

If you have found a potential opportunity to fund an AED, be sure to outline both the ways in which your organization benefits the community as well as the ways in which the availability of an AED would benefit your organization and the wider community.

Here are a few helpful tips when writing an AED grant application:

  • Read the AED grant application carefully. Chances are, many other applicants will be vying for the same funding. Don’t let it be an easy choice for the grant funders because you missed a detail on the application. As you go through the grant application, highlight the questions you need to answer. Funders will be very clear about what they will and will not provide money for.
  • Present a strong summary. Before you compose your grant proposal, summarize your organization’s needs in a nice, tidy paragraph. Many grants have a word limit, so by outlining your needs ahead of time, it will help you organize the letter for the application without adding unnecessary information.
  • Define your organization. While the youth organization you represent is probably everything to you and the others involved, not everyone may know about it. This is your chance to tell them about the great things you do.
  • Explain what the funding will be used for. Explain briefly how you plan to use the funds, because the funders will want to know your plans and that the money will not be wasted.
  • State the amount your organization requires. Some community grants have specific sums they allot, while others may just give what you ask for (assuming they agree with the usage and can give the amount requested).
  • Declare the problem the grant will solve. Since you’re looking for a grant to fund an AED, this is pretty straightforward. However, you may have found a grant that provides more than the amount needed for an AED, so have additional uses in mind as well.
  • Discuss the impact your organization has on the community. Share the lives your organization touches and how people are served by it. Numbers are often a good way to illustrate impact.
  • Discuss the benefits of having an accessible AED. Numbers are impactful here too. Feel free to use the statistics we provide on our website related to sudden cardiac arrest and the positive impact of having an AED. By stating this information, along with the amount of people (not just the kids, but their parents and volunteers as well) that are involved with your organization, it sends a clear message about how many people stand to benefit from the availability of an AED.

AED Funding Through Donations From the Community

Sometimes finding an AED grant can prove to be difficult, if not impossible. However, that doesn’t negate the fact that your youth organization would provide a safer environment for the children it supports with access to a defibrillator. The amazing thing about communities is the way in which they come together to support their members. You might be surprised at just how willing people are to pitch in and help a good cause. If you would like to start a crowdfunding campaign for AED funding to benefit the youth-based organization you represent, connect with us anytime. We’d love to help!