The eleventh cycle of the Alabama 9-1-1 Board Grant Program is now open and accepting applications.
The overall goal of the Grant Program is to provide financial assistance to validly formed Emergency Communication Districts (ECDs) based on demonstrated need(s) in compliance with §11-98 et seq. of the Code of Alabama 1975, as amended. The purpose is to partially fund the non-recurring costs of projects necessary to achieve or maintain continuity and enhancement of 911 assuring that every location in Alabama has equitable access to 911 service.
During the February 18, 2026 Board meeting, the Alabama 9-1-1 Board approved up to $3,000,000.00 for Grant Cycle 11 to be entirely focused on NG911 call handling equipment solution (CHE) projects. All other project categories will not be considered and will be excluded from the evaluation. NG911 call handling equipment (CHE) is defined as systems capable of processing NG911-compatible IP-based communications, such as location information in Presence Information Data Format-Location Object (PIDF-LO) and other Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) data as defined by NG911 commonly recognized standards. These equipment capabilities will be imperative to ensure 911 Authority/PSAP readiness as part of the criteria necessary for the Board to certify compliance when submitting the Phase 2 Valid Request to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) per FCC Report and Order 24-78.
These criteria include:
- IP-Based Delivery -- receiving 911 traffic in an IP-based SIP format that follows NG911 standards
- i3 Standards -- processing "i3-enabled" SIP, which includes advanced routing and location data
- Native Location Data -- receiving and processing location information embedded directly in the call signaling using PIDF-LO
- Validation -- utilizing a Location Validation Function (LVF) to verify caller locations against authoritative GIS data
As a reminder, there was a notable change made in the last grant cycle to the application submission process. We will only require an electronic version of the application to either be emailed to adam@al911board.com or placed on a digital storage media device and mailed or hand delivered to the Alabama 9-1-1 Board office. There is no need to send a printed version of the grant application for Grant Cycle 11.
The Grant Cycle 11 calendar is as follows: The application period opens today, March 30, 2026; applications are due on or before June 19, 2026. Review of applications will take place during the months of June and July 2026 and grants will be recommended for award at the next regularly scheduled Alabama 9-1-1 Board meeting.