Federal 911 Funding
Across the nation, 911 leaders continuously plan technology and operational upgrades for local, regional and state 911 systems. Though these upgrades are expensive and resource-intensive, there are numerous federal grants and financial assistance opportunities available to support improving emergency communications across the country. Below you’ll find more information about many emergency calling federal funding program opportunities across agencies within the U.S. federal government.
Federal 911 Funding Program Opportunities
A wide range of federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and Department of Health & Human Services, among others, offer financial assistance that may be applicable to 911 projects, including Next Generation 911 (NG911) and Enhanced 911.
List of Federal Financial Assistance Programs Funding Emergency Communications - Identifies federal grants, loans, and cooperative agreements that support emergency communications investments, and summarizes program descriptions including funding amounts, application deadlines, eligible applicants, and allowable cost that may relate to emergency communications. Periodic updates are posted throughout the year as new programs are announced.
FY 2023 SAFECOM Guidance on Emergency Communications Grants - Provides general information on eligible activities, technical standards, and other terms and conditions that are common to most federal emergency communications programs.
List of Emergency Communications Financial Assistance Programs with Applicability to 911 - Identifies federal grants, loans, and cooperative agreements with allowable costs applicable to 911 emergency communications investments. This PDF summarizes each program and outlines program amount, application deadline, eligible applicants and allowable costs as it relates to 911 investments
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911 Grant Program
There are currently no 911 Grants open for application.
Questions about National 911 Program-administered grants can be sent to nhtsa.national911@dot.gov.
Past Grants
The Department of Transportation (DOT) and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) have jointly managed the distribution of 911 Grants to date.
In August 2019, the Departments of Transportation and Commerce announced more than $109 million in grants to 34 states and two Tribal nations. (See the official press release and list of grant awards for more information.) Any State, the District of Columbia, U.S. Territory or Tribal organizations that met the certification requirements were eligible to apply.
The 911 Grant Program was authorized by the NG911 Advancement Act of 2012, part of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, and provided grant funding to support state and local efforts to deliver optimal 911 services. This funding was used for the implementation and operation of 911 services, E911 services, migration to an IP-enabled emergency network, and adoption and operation of Next Generation 911 services and applications.
In September 2009, the Enhanced 911 Grant Program made more than $40 million in grants available to 30 states and territories to help 911 call centers nationwide upgrade equipment and operations. Read the Enhanced 911 (E911) Grant Program: Final Report to understand how those funds were used to improve 911 systems across the country.