The National League of Cities is partnering with cybersecurity firm CyberAlliance to give local governments access to AI-powered security risk assessments and resilience planning, a program that arrives as municipal cyberattacks surge and federal support for an established threat-sharing resource has evaporated.
The program offers workshops, cyber benchmarking, and access to CyberAlliance's AI-powered intelligence platform, called Sally AI. It launched after the Trump administration last year cut federal funding for the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, a cybersecurity resource municipalities had used since 2003.
Why the program exists
Local government leaders have described the MS-ISAC program as "critical" to their cybersecurity operations and have advocated for restored federal funding. Cybersecurity incidents among municipalities surged 42% in 2025, and state CIOs say they're losing confidence in their ability to protect critical public-sector data amid rising threats.
High-profile incidents this summer crippled municipal operations in Minnesota, California and Washington, D.C. Experts attribute the surge partly to attackers' increased use of AI, and some have advocated for cities to deploy AI to prevent attacks - the approach CyberAlliance's platform takes.
For government IT teams facing these threats, an AI-powered assessment tool can help identify vulnerabilities before they're exploited. Training options for security staff range from foundational AI literacy to specialized programs like AI for Cybersecurity Analysts, which covers practical applications of AI in threat detection and response.
Push for federal funding
A coalition of local government organizations sent a letter to Congress in June urging lawmakers to allocate $300 million for the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program in fiscal 2027.
"As state and local governments continue to face persistent threats from nation-state actors, ransomware groups, and other cybercriminals, sustained federal investment remains essential to ensuring every community has access to baseline cybersecurity capabilities," the letter stated.
The NLC-CyberAlliance program does not replace federal funding, but it gives municipalities a free option for assessing their risk posture. Broader AI training resources for public-sector employees, such as AI for Government courses, can help agencies build internal expertise as they adopt these tools.
Why this matters for government professionals
For city IT directors, county CISOs and state technology officers, the program offers a concrete way to benchmark their security posture against peers without waiting on Congress. The 42% jump in incidents and the loss of MS-ISAC mean local governments can no longer rely on the federal safety net - they need tools they can deploy now, and AI-based risk assessment is one of the few options that scales to their budgets.
Your membership also unlocks:
