Navigating Today’s NG911 Funding Landscape

Law enforcement agencies and local government agencies alike are being asked to do more with less. With our ever-changing environment, it’s important for all agencies to have access to the technology and infrastructure needed to ensure success.

As an organization that supports both public administration and public safety, we’re continually monitoring grants and what is available. In fact, even as recent as of September 10, 2021, the House of Representatives Energy & Commerce Committee confirmed $10B will be included in their upcoming proposed Budget Reconciliation Act for Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG911).

These funds would be allocated to make grants available to eligible entities for implementing, operating, maintaining and training directly related to NG911. This situation is evolving and even with this recent news, we are continuing to learn more and will continue updating via our website and social media channels.

As we continue to monitor the news coming out of Washington D.C., we want to make cities and counties aware that there are funding opportunities for 911 and other public safety technology projects through existing grant programs. These grants, available now, can be found at the state and federal level and can help your agency get started on upgrading your NG911 system.

Opportunities To Fund NG911

There are many opportunities at the state level to secure funding, however available grants differ from state to state.

Some states have 911 or Primary Safety Answering Points (PSAP) grant programs. The State of New York, the Commonwealths of Massachusetts and Virginia, for example, offer funding through PSAP grants. These programs provide support for technology initiatives such as 911, Computer Aided Dispatch and Records Management Systems. Other states, like Florida’s E911 State and E911 Rural County grant programs, fund Enhanced 911 systems.

There are also federal grants available that help in securing funding for NG911. For example, FEMA Preparedness Grants offer non-disaster related funds to support citizens and first responders. This includes cybersecurity, public transportation systems, firefighters and law enforcement and training. While NG911 is not specifically mentioned, 911.gov is a great resource to help interpret language and how to integrate NG911 into the grants you apply for.

Here are some examples of available FEMA administered preparedness grants

Recruitment and retention are among the many challenges facing current law enforcement agencies and their leaders. It has become increasingly difficult for agencies to not only recruit but also retain the officers they have.

• Emergency Management Performance Grant – Enhancing and sustaining all-hazards emergency management capabilities.
• Homeland Security Grant – Preventing, preparing for, protecting against and responding to acts of terrorism.
• Tribal Homeland Security Grant – Preventing, preparing for, protecting against and responding to acts of terrorism.
• Transit Security Grant – Protecting critical public transportation systems (intra-city bus, ferries and all forms of passenger rail) from acts of terrorism.
• Port Security Grant – Protecting ports from acts of terrorism.

Grant Assistance

For some agencies, budgets are just not there. Whether you are at the state, county or city level many agencies struggle with getting more funds to improve and upgrade their services, special projects or upgrading their technology infrastructure. For agencies, large and small, it can be incredibly overwhelming to navigate this process.

There are federal grants, state grants and private grants. But which is right for your agency? What grants does your state offer?

CentralSquare Technologies offers a grants program that provides FREE, unlimited and customized grants assistance.

The Grant Assistance Program includes: 1:1 unlimited, personalized grant consulting from Lexipol’s Grants Experts; customized grant research specific to each department’s funding needs; ongoing, pre-screened, product eligible grant alerts through GrantFinder; and grant narratives and application reviews.

Tips & Tricks

• Police Grants 101 (policegrantshelp.com)
• 5 grant writing tips for law enforcement agencies (police1.com)
• Grant proposal writing mistakes (police1.com)