11 Open Water & Utilities Grants (2026): $228.1M Available

Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting applications under the authority of the Clean Water Act (CWA) section 104(b)(8) to provide Technical Assistance and Training for Rural, Small and Tribal Municipalities and Wastewater Treatment Systems. The program supports small, rural, and Tribal communities efforts to identify water challenges, develop plans, build technical, financial, and managerial capacity, comply with CWA requirements, and access water infrastructure funding.Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity under the Clean Water Act, EPA will achieve greater protection of public health and the environment through an increase in trained water sector personnel, access to funding and financing for wastewater treatment facilities, and Clean Water Act compliance. This action advances the Administration s priorities, including to Make America Healthy Again, by improving water quality and reducing exposure risks, and enabling responsible economic growth for small, rural, and tribal communities through improved wastewater infrastructure. In partnership with States, Tribes, and local governments and grounded in sound science and the law, EPA will deliver cleaner water, stronger infrastructure, and long-term environmental stewardship for all Americans.The proposed activities support the Agency s Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative s Pillar 1: Clean Air, Land, and Water for Every American. Priority Areas identified in this opportunity are:(1) Technical assistance and training for rural, small, and Tribal municipalities for planning, developing and acquisition of financing/funding for eligible projects and activities. Technical assistance and training for rural, small, and Tribal publicly owned treatment works and decentralized wastewater systems to help improve water quality and to achieve and maintain compliance.(2) Technical assistance and training focused specifically on Tribes for planning, developing and acquisition of financing/funding, to help improve water quality and achieve and maintain compliance, and/or to support emerging contaminants project development.(3) Information dissemination, technical assistance and training focused specifically on decentralized wastewater treatment systems to support planning, development and acquisition of financing.Eligible entities for this grant program include nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education that can provide technical assistance and training to rural, small, and Tribal municipalities, publicly owned wastewater treatment works, and decentralized wastewater treatment systems. Assisting systems with their technical, managerial, and financial capacity to achieve long-term compliance is a key priority for the Agency. Infrastructure construction projects such as repairing water or sewer lines, adding new equipment, or upgrading, retrofitting, or rehabilitating existing equipment are not eligible for funding under this announcement.

National Rural Water Association

Water system operator training and capacity building for small rural systems

National Energy Technology Laboratory

Modification 000003: The purpose of this modification is to revise NOFO Part 1. Section I.A.1 is revised to correct the Topic Area 1b cost share to 20% and Section IV.C.2 is revised to delete the Environmental Considerations Summary and Environmental Impact Volume from the Summary of Application Requirements table. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will seek proposals for specific research and development (R&D) projects to improve recovery efficiency from unconventional oil and natural gas reservoirs and to advance technologies for the treatment of flowback and produced water from oil and natural gas production operations. Despite increasing energy for demand, recovery efficiency for oil and natural gas from unconventional reservoirs can average less than 10 percent. This NOFO will enable rapid field deployment of a variety of novel technologies and processes related to improving primary and enhanced recovery with the goal of significantly improving resource recovery and accelerating industry uptake. This NOFO will also support the field testing and validation of water treatment technologies of produced water from oil and natural gas production operations to avoid deep well injection and potential issues with induced seismicity and interaction with underground sources of drinking water.

Bureau of Reclamation

<p>The Bureau of Reclamation"s Desalination and Water Purification Research (DWPR) Program aims to increase water supplies by reducing the costs, energy requirements, and other barriers to adoption of treating impaired water for beneficial uses.This NOFO invites proposals from eligible applicants to conduct innovative laboratory and pilot-scale water treatment research. Strong applications will demonstrate widespread applicability and benefits of the proposed research and provide a pathway for technology commercialization. This initiative supports the Bureau of Reclamation's mission to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public by providing water managers with new and innovative technologies and approaches to develop additional water resources and increase water supply flexibility.The DWPR Program demonstrably advances Trump administration priorities, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 14154 (January 20, 2025): Unleashing American Energy (E.O. 14154) and Secretarial Order 3418, and aligns with other priorities and requirements, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 14332 (August 7, 2025): Improving Oversight in Federal Grantmaking (E.O. 14332).</p>

Bureau of Reclamation

The Bureau of Reclamation"s Desalination and Water Purification Research (DWPR) Program aims to increase water supplies by reducing the costs, energy requirements, and other barriers to adoption of treating impaired water for beneficial uses.This NOFO invites proposals from eligible applicants to conduct innovative laboratory and pilot-scale water treatment research. Strong applications will demonstrate widespread applicability and benefits of the proposed research and provide a pathway for technology commercialization. This initiative supports the Bureau of Reclamation's mission to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public by providing water managers with new and innovative technologies and approaches to develop additional water resources and increase water supply flexibility.The DWPR Program demonstrably advances Trump administration priorities, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 14154 (January 20, 2025): Unleashing American Energy (E.O. 14154) and Secretarial Order 3418, and aligns with other priorities and requirements, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 14332 (August 7, 2025): Improving Oversight in Federal Grantmaking (E.O. 14332).

Rural Community Assistance Partnership

Technical assistance for rural water and wastewater system improvements

Bureau of Reclamation

Through WaterSMART, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) leverages Federal and non- Federal funding to work cooperatively with States, Tribes, and other entities as they plan for and implement actions to increase water supply and hydropower reliability. The WaterSMART Program demonstrably advances Trump administration priorities, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 14154 (January 20, 2025): Unleashing American Energy (E.O. 14154) and Secretarial Order 3418, and aligns with other priorities and requirements, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 14332 (August 7, 2025): Improving Oversight in Federal Grantmaking (E.O. 14332). The WaterSMART Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Projects NOFO invites eligible applicants to submit proposals for the planning, design, and/or construction of water reclamation and reuse projects. Title XVI projects develop and supplement urban and irrigation water supplies through water reuse, which provides growing communities with new sources of clean water, increases water management flexibility during times of shortage, and makes the water supply more reliable.

Bureau of Reclamation

The objective of the WaterSMART Enhancing Water Resources Projects funding opportunity is to invite eligible entities to apply for funding to implement projects per the authorizing language referenced above that benefit water resource management for multiple uses, including water conservation and efficiency projects, water infrastructure improvements, and river and watershed restoration. Projects that balance numerous community interests (agriculture, recreation, fisheries, power, etc.), were developed collaboratively, and provide significant watershed benefits will be prioritized under this funding opportunity. This program demonstrably advances Trump administration priorities, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 14154 (January 20, 2025): Unleashing American Energy (E.O. 14154) and Secretarial Order 3418, and aligns with other priorities and requirements, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 14332 (August 7, 2025): Improving Oversight in Federal Grantmaking (E.O. 14332).

Bureau of Reclamation

The WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program funding opportunity invites eligible entities to apply for funding to develop local solutions to address their water management needs. This opportunity provides funding for watershed group development, restoration planning, and watershed management project planning and design. By providing this funding, Reclamation promotes water reliability and cooperation between stakeholders to reduce conflict, facilitate solutions to complex water issues, and stretch limited water supplies.The WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program demonstrably advances Trump administration priorities, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 14154 (January 20, 2025): Unleashing American Energy (E.O. 14154) and Secretarial Order 3418, and aligns with other priorities and requirements, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 14332 (August 7, 2025): Improving Oversight in Federal Grantmaking (E.O. 14332).

State Water Resources Control Board

Eligible Applicants: Local public agencies, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations qualified to do business in California, Public Utilities, Federally and non-federally recognized Native American tribes on the Native American Heritage Commission’s list, and Mutual water companies. Eligible Uses: Eligible projects include recycled water treatment; recycled water storage, distribution, and pumping; groundwater recharge; indirect potable reuse; surface water augmentation; and large scale recycled water projects. Ineligible Uses: Operation and maintenance costs.  Eligible Costs:  Construction Grant Funding - Construction costs only Construction Grant Funding - Large Scale Recycled Water Projects - Planning, Design, and Construction. Eligible Communities: All community types are eligible for funding.  This includes small and large communities, non-disadvantaged, disadvantaged, and severely disadvantaged communities. For more information, please review the Water Recycling Funding Program (WRFP) Guidelines:  https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/grants_loans/docs/wrfp_guidelines.pdf  

State Water Resources Control Board

Eligible Applicants: Local public agencies, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations qualified to do business in California, Public Utilities, Federally and non-federally recognized Native American tribes on the Native American Heritage Commission’s list, and Mutual water companies. Eligible Uses: Eligible projects include recycled water treatment; recycled water storage, distribution, and pumping; groundwater recharge; indirect potable reuse; surface water augmentation; and large scale recycled water projects. Ineligible Uses: Operation and maintenance costs.  Eligible Costs:  Construction Grant Funding - Construction costs only Construction Grant Funding - Large Scale Recycled Water Projects - Planning, Design, and Construction. Eligible Communities: All community types are eligible for funding.  This includes small and large communities, non-disadvantaged, disadvantaged, and severely disadvantaged communities. For more information, please review the Water Recycling Funding Program (WRFP) Guidelines:  https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/grants_loans/docs/wrfp_guidelines.pdf