*Please note – there will likely not be another grant released for FY27. The $10 million available within this biennium must be obligated by the end of FY26.

Application Submission Deadline:
11:59 PM CT January 15, 2026

Grant Announcement

FY2026 Interoperable Radio Grant Program

All questions for the FY2026 Interoperable Radio Grant Program should be directed to: grant.grywalsky@widma.gov. If you experience difficulties with the email address above, please call [608] 888-5501 for assistance.

Program Area: Office of Emergency Communications

Grant Title: FY2026 Interoperable Radio Grant Program

Description: The intent of this grant is to assist local government agencies with purchasing radios and equipment needed to transition operations from the existing VHF WISCOM system to the new 7/800 MHz WISCOM system.

Opportunity Category: Competitive

Important Dates:

• Application Period: September 15^th – January 15^th, 2026
• Award Notice: No later than April 2026
• Project Start Date: May 1, 2026
• Progress Report: Due Quarterly
• Project End Date: May 1, 2027

OEC Grant Guide: For more information and helpful tips on applying, including budget and application tips, grant conditions, and supplanting, please see the OEC Grant Guide.

1. Funding Information

1.1. Funding Amount:

Approximately $3 million has been allocated for public safety interoperable communication system upgrades for local units of government whose agencies or entities are interoperable users of the WISCOM system. Grant funds will be received in the form of reimbursement following the applicant’s project closeout. DMA reserves the right to limit the amount that will be funded for individual grants based on available state funds. Applicants will be awarded a maximum grant award of $50,000.00 (including matching funds) per application.

1.2. Match/Cost Sharing Requirement:

Under the FY2026 Interoperable Radio Grant Program, there is a 20% cost share/match requirement. Your proposed project budget total must reflect a maximum of 80% state share and a minimum of 20% local match. You should use your required vendor quote(s) to determine your estimated project budget and consider the maximum amount that you are able to match from local sources and the ability to pay for the full project upfront. Cash match only. Cash (hard) match funds must remain local and not pass through or be awarded by state or federal grant programs. Allowable cash match must only include those costs that are eligible expenses under the grant program.

The applicant must submit a resolution or other written commitment from their governing body indicating the local unit of government’s intention to spend, of its own funds, an amount equal to 20 percent of the total grant awarded. A template with suggested language is included in Section 3.1.

As noted above, you must identify the source of your match amount in your

application. Examples of allowable funding sources that can be used for your match amount include:

• Local government budget (e.g., tax levy, bond)
• Donated funds

Unallowable funding sources that CANNOT be used for your match amount include:

• Other federal grants such as the Homeland Security Grant Program
• Local funds already allocated as match on another grant
• Any state or federal funds

2. Applicant Eligibility

2.1. Eligibility:

To be considered eligible to apply for the FY2026 Interoperable Radio Grant Program, applicants must be local units of government that are or will become interoperable users of the statewide public safety communications system (WISCOM 800). Applications may be submitted by an individual agency and do not need to be coordinated at the county level. Applicants must include a description of the agency’s plan for continued or future use of WISCOM to improve communications interoperability.

Priority may be given to interoperable agencies to correlate timing of the receipt of grant funding with the timing of infrastructure being implemented for WISCOM 800. This FY26 grant round will prioritize agencies in the Southeast, Northeast and East Central Regions of Wisconsin.

Tribal entities may also apply for the grant if applicable under Wis. Stat. § 20.002(13).

2.2. Priority of Eligible Equipment:

Eligible equipment should be prioritized in the following order:

1. Flash upgrades to P25 Phase II 7/800 MHz mobile radios in command/communications support platforms/vehicles
2. Field deployable interoperability solutions (command/communications support platforms/vehicles)
3. Fixed Interoperable solutions (donor radios for PSAP patching, etc.)
4. Flash upgrades to P25 Phase II trunking for 7/800 MHz mobiles, portables, and base station radios/control stations
5. Mobile 7/800 MHz P25 Phase II trunking radios with associated antenna, coax, microphone, speaker, programming and installation
   1. Single-band
   2. Multi-band
6. Portable 7/800 MHz P25 Phase II trunking radios with associated antenna, charger, battery, belt clip/holster, speaker mic, programming and installation
   1. Single-band
   2. Multi-band
7. 7/800 MHz P25 Phase II trunking base station radios/control stations and associated programming and installation
   1. Single-band
   2. Multi-band

3. Grant Application

Grant Application Form & Budget Spreadsheet Links:

3.1. Grant Application Form:

Applicants must provide the following with the application:

• Copy of fully executed WISCOM User Agreement(s) for all agencies being included in the application
• Copy of the agency’s relevant training plans, possibly including but not limited to:
  • Existing training plans for communications interoperability
  • Regional communications interoperability plan(s)
  • Updated training plan to address new and/or upgraded equipment and the transition to the new 7/800 MHz WISCOM system, or a commitment to develop such training
• Copy of the agency’s communications interoperability planInteroperability readiness data, including (but not limited to) information on:
  • Existing interoperability repeaters/systems and their location, such as MARC, VTAC, UCALL/UTAC, and 8CALL/8TAC repeaters (stationary or deployable)
  • Radio caches maintained by the applicant that may be available to other counties
  • Current LTE integrations, such as push-to-talk over cellular services
  • Lineup of interoperability frequencies/channels/talkgroups currently programmed in agency radios
• Written acknowledgement that the grant recipient will financially plan for each replaced or upgraded radio’s future replacement (identify the life expectancy of the radio)
• Written acknowledgement of a maintenance plan to keep the radio in good operational order
• A resolution or other written commitment from the local unit of government’s governing body indicating the local unit of government’s intention to spend, of its own funds, an amount equal to 20 percent of the total grant awarded. A template with suggested language has been provided below.
  • Use of this template is optional. This document shall not be construed as legal advice, and the appropriate legal counsel should be consulted before being submitted by the unit of government’s governing body. Link to Resolution Template

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

• Grant Application Form: FY26 Interoperable Radio Grant Application
• Budget Spreadsheet: FY26 Interoperable Radio Grant Budget Spreadsheet
• Vendor quote(s) and other procurement documentation to verify proposed project costs
• Copy of executed WISCOM User Agreement for all agencies receiving radios
• Resolution or other written commitment covering all agencies receiving radios
• Copy of the agency’s communications interoperability plan
• Copy of the agency’s relevant training plan(s)
• If encryption is being purchased with grant funds:
  • Written plan for implementing and maintaining the use of encryption

3.2. Allowable Expenses:

Applicants may submit grant applications for the following expenses:

• Field deployable interoperability solutions (donor radios for command and communications support platforms/vehicles)
• Fixed interoperability solutions (donor radios for PSAP patching, etc.)
• Up to $8,000 per radio package (amount includes applicant’s matching funds), to include accessories, installation, and programming, for:
  • 7/800 MHz P25 Phase II trunking base station radios/control stations
    • Single-band
    • Multi-band
  • Mobile 7/800 MHz P25 Phase II trunking radios with associated antenna, coax, microphone, speaker
    • Single-band
    • Multi-band
  • Portable 7/800 MHz P25 Phase II trunking radios with associated antenna, charger, battery, belt clip/holster, speaker mic
    • Single-band
    • Multi-band
• Flash upgrades to P25 Phase II 7/800 MHz mobiles/portables/base radios/control stations/mobile radios in command and communications support platforms/vehicles

Requirements if encryption is being purchased with grant funds:

• Encryption must be listed as a separate line item on vendor quotes and invoices.
• Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and multi-key encryption must be features in the radio.
• A plan for implementing and maintaining the use of encryption must be provided as an attachment to the application.
• Must follow the Storage Location Number (SLN) Plan for Wisconsin.

Any regular maintenance and/or calibration required to ensure the accuracy and dependability of the requested equipment must be completed in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations and specifications.

3.3. Unallowable Expenses:

The following expenses are not eligible for grant funding:

• Subscriber radio accessories that are not included in the above eligible list
• Crossband repeaters
• Base station antenna replacement
• Base station antenna infrastructure upgrades such as towers or coax cabling

3.4. Grant Timeline:

These timelines may change at any point during the grant process. Changes will be communicated to all applicable parties. The period of performance is one year but grant extensions may be requested.

Application Period: September 15, 2025 – January 15, 2026

Award Notice: No later than April 2026

Project Start Date: May 1, 2026

Progress Report: Due Quarterly

Project End Date: May 1, 2027

Application Submission: Applications must be emailed as attachments to interop@widma.gov by the application deadline of 11:59PM January 15, 2026. Emailed applications should be labeled with the subject “FY26 Interoperable Radio Grant Application”. All application documents must be submitted as separate documents and in PDF or excel format.

4. Evaluation and Award

4.1. Evaluation Process:

Grant applications will be reviewed for completeness, applicant eligibility, and whether the proposed expenses are allowable and reasonable. If requests for funding exceed the amount available in the fiscal year, grant budgets may be reduced at the discretion of the Office of Emergency Communications staff.

4.2. Award Information:

Applicants will be notified once an award decision has been made. The award documents will specify the awarded grant amount, including the local match amount required, the grant period of performance, and any special conditions that have been placed on the grant award. Awardees must return award documents to interop@widma.gov prior to starting the grant project. All FY26 grant projects may begin no sooner than May 1, 2026.

4.3. Programming Requirements:

• Grant recipients will be required to program a minimum prescribed set of state, national, and federal interoperability channels in all radios replaced or upgraded with grant funds.
• The prescribed set of channels and talkgroups will not exceed 300 in a multi-band radio capable of VHF, UHF, 700, and 800MHz RF band operation; the number of required channels and talkgroups will be less for radios supporting fewer RF bands. Prescribed channels and talkgroups shall be programed with the exact names as provided; recommendations will be provided for grouping of channels and talkgroups into zones, along with recommended naming for these zones.
• The complete list of required channels and talkgroups, and zone recommendations, will be made available by the time grant awards are announced.
• Applicants may request an exception to this requirement if extenuating circumstances exist which will prevent full compliance; exception requests shall include a statement of justification and will be subject to review and approval by OEC. Exception requests must be received prior to returning signed grant award documents.
• Programming of WISCOM can only be done by programmers who have been issued an advanced system key by the Office of Emergency Communications.

4.4 Reporting Requirements:

If awarded a grant, your agency will be responsible for completing a progress report on a quarterly basis as listed in the award package. A progress report form will be provided with the award package.

4.5. Reimbursement:

One-time reimbursement will occur when you submit your closeout materials. Reimbursements will be paid in a paper check unless electronic means are requested specifically by the agency prior to the payment. Additional forms to enable ACH electronic payment will need to be completed. Exceptions may be made in the event of extreme financial hardship.

4.6. Recordkeeping Requirement:

Grant financial and administrative records shall be maintained by grantees for a period of no less than four (4) years following the date of the closure/audit of the grant award. Equipment records shall be maintained for a period of four (4) years following the final disposition, replacement, or transfer of the equipment. Grantees shall record all match earned by its agency, including all supporting documentation. Grantees shall keep records of different state fiscal periods separately, identified, and maintained so that backup documentation may be readily located. Grantees are also obligated to protect records adequately against fire or other damage. When records are stored away from the grantee’s principal office, a written index of the location of records stored should be on hand and available.

Contact Information:

For general questions related to the FY2026 Interoperable Radio Grant Program, please send an email to grant.grywalsky@widma.gov. If you experience difficulties with the email address above, please call (608) 888-5501.