Wednesday, Gov. Kay Ivey awarded $10 million in COVID-19 pandemic recovery funds from the state’s portion of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to establish grants for emergency services providers.

According to the governor’s office, eligible applicants for the grant program are non-governmental volunteer rescue squads, E-911 Boards and emergency services providers.

In a statement, Ivey expressed state leadership’s support for emergency service providers and encouraged eligible entities to apply for the grants.

“Alabama’s emergency service providers greatly supported our communities throughout the pandemic, often times putting their own lives on the line to provide rapid care,” noted Ivey in a release. “Now, we are in a position to return the favor and help them in their recovery efforts. I appreciate the Alabama Legislature for their partnership in making this critical funding available to our emergency service providers, and I encourage them to apply and utilize these funds to further invest in public safety services.”

The state of Alabama will offer grants in an amount of up to $10,320 for providers that meet eligibility requirements. The application period for the Alabama Emergency Services Provider Grant Program will be open from April 27 through May 13, 2022.

The grant application may be found here.

Alabama has received ARPA funds totaling $2.1 billion. To date, the legislature has appropriated more than $136 million in COVID-19 pandemic relief funding to the Alabama State Fiscal Recovery Revenue Replacement Fund, $10 million of which is being utilized for the emergency service provider grants.

Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL