WaterSMART: Applied Science Grants
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- R25AS00280
- Agency
-
Bureau of Reclamation
Department of the Interior
- Applications due
- Award size
- Up to $400,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
-
- 15.557 Applied Science Grants
- Funding instrument
- Cooperative Agreement, Grant
- Category
-
- Natural Resources
- Eligible applicants
-
- Other
- Points of contact
-
- Matt Stonebridge matthew_stonebridge@ios.doi.gov
- Matt Stonebridge nmoeller@usbr.gov
- Matt Stonebridge mstonebridge@usbr.gov (303) 445-2029
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Bureau of Reclamation is soliciting applications for WaterSMART Applied Science Grants to fund projects that improve access to hydrologic data, develop water management tools, and enhance hydrologic modeling and forecasting capabilities, with an application deadline of July 8, 2026, at 5:00 PM MDT. A mandatory 50 percent non-Federal cost share is required at award.
Eligible applicants fall into two categories: Category A includes States, Indian Tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, and organizations with water or power delivery authority; Category B includes universities, nonprofit research institutions, and federally-funded research and development centers partnering with Category A entities. Federal governmental entities, individuals, commercial organizations, and private entities are ineligible.
The program makes up to $6,000,000 available across two fiscal years ($3,000,000 in FY 2024 and $3,000,000 in FY 2025) with approximately 20 anticipated awards ranging from $0 to $400,000 each. Projects must be based on mature technologies and support water management objectives including increasing water yield, ensuring water supply reliability, improving water deliveries, managing droughts, and enhancing forecasting skill. Examples include improving operational models for irrigation and reservoir operations, leveraging snow monitoring technologies to enhance water supply forecasts, and developing hydrologic databases.
Merit review criteria total 100 points: water management challenges (20 points), project benefits (25 points), project implementation (20 points), dissemination of results (10 points), alignment with Presidential and Department of Interior priorities (20 points), and cost-share amounts exceeding the minimum (5 points). Projects have anticipated completion dates of July 2029 (first cohort) and April 2030 (second cohort, due April 13, 2027).
Assistance Listing 15.557. Applicants must register with SAM.gov, obtain a Unique Entity Identifier, and submit through Grants.gov.
Synopsis
Through WaterSMART, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) leverages Federal and non-Federal funding to work cooperatively with States, Tribes, and local entities as they plan 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 goal of the WaterSMART Applied Science Grants (ASG) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to invite eligible entities to apply for funding to improve access to and use of hydrologic data, develop and improve water management tools, and improve hydrologic modeling and forecasting capabilities.Water managers and reservoir operators rely on hydrologic data, modeling, and water supply forecasts to make decisions to meet future water demands. Water supply forecasts are estimates of current and future water supplies based on measured basin conditions (e.g., such as the quantity of upstream mountain snowpack). Results from these projects will be used by water managers to increase water supply reliability to meet water delivery requirements (e.g., compacts, decrees, etc.), provide flexibility in water operations to be more resilient during droughts, and enhance water supply forecasts to better predict floods and optimize limited water supplies. Example projects include improving operational models for irrigation water deliveries or reservoir operations, improving the use of snow monitoring technologies to enhance the skill of water supply forecasts, and improving data acquisition, data analysis, and data delivery, including the development of hydrologic databases.The ASG NOFO will build on and complement projects funded under the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Funding Opportunity by providing funding for applicants to improve the integration of innovative snow measurement data into water supply forecasts.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Submission Instructions & Tips.pdf | ||
| General NOFO FAQ.pdf | ||
| Attachment B - Budget_Narrative_Guidance_v2025_March.docx | DOCX document | |
| Attachment A - Budget_Detail_and_Narrative_template_v2025_March.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Foa_Content_of_R25AS00280_3.2.26 v2.FINAL.pdf |
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