WaterSMART: Desalination Construction Projects
Open Posted
- Opportunity number
- R26AS00034
- Agency
-
Bureau of Reclamation
Department of the Interior
- Applications due
- Award size
- $1,000 to $120,000,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Cooperative Agreement, Grant
- Category
-
- Natural Resources
- Eligible applicants
-
- Other
- Points of contact
-
- Christina Munoz cmunoz@usbr.gov
- Christina Munoz bor-sha-fafoa@usbr.gov
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Bureau of Reclamation is soliciting applications for planning, design, and construction of seawater or brackish water desalination facilities through WaterSMART: Desalination Construction Projects, with applications due August 26, 2027. Federal funding is capped at 25 percent of total project costs, requiring applicants to provide 75 percent non-federal cost share.
Eligible applicants include states, state departments, state subdivisions, public agencies organized under state law, tribes, municipalities, irrigation districts, water districts, and wastewater districts located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Federal governmental entities, foreign entities, individuals, and institutes of higher education are ineligible.
The program distributes an estimated $120 million across approximately 10 awards, with an award ceiling of $120 million and floor of $1,000. The anticipated project performance period runs from September 30, 2027, to September 30, 2029. Eligible costs are limited to work completed after Reclamation's feasibility review findings and within three years of the application deadline.
Merit review criteria total 100 points: increased water supply available (25 points), water management concerns and project benefits (15 points), economic analysis (20 points), alignment with Presidential and Department of Interior priorities (20 points), leveraging regional planning and state funding (5 points), construction priority (10 points), and cost share above statutory minimums (5 points). Applicants must submit completed feasibility studies meeting Reclamation Manual Directives WTR 11-01 (or WTR TRMR-128 for projects exceeding $500 million) by January 15, 2027, for the second submission period. Required application documents include SF-424, SF-424A, project narrative limited to 40 pages, budget narrative, and letters of support. All projects must comply with Buy America requirements, Davis-Bacon wage standards, and environmental and cultural resource compliance under NEPA, ESA, and NHPA before ground-disturbing activities.
The funding opportunity is listed under CFDA 15.591.
Synopsis
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: Desalination Construction Projects NOFO invites eligible applicants to submit proposals for the planning, design, and/or construction of facilities to desalinate seawater or brackish surface water or groundwater. By providing growing communities with new sources of local water supply, desalination projects diversify the water supply portfolio, increase water management flexibility during times of shortage, and make the water supply more reliable.
Eligibility
Applicants eligible to receive funding under this NOFO include States, departments of a State, subdivisions of a State, or public agencies organized pursuant to a State law, such as: States, Tribes, municipalities, irrigation districts, and water districts, or wastewater districtsAll applicants must be located in one of the following States: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Ineligible Applicants - Those not eligible include, but are not limited to, the following entities:Federal Governmental entitiesForeign entitiesIndividualsInstitutes of higher education
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Submission Instructions & Tips.pdf | ||
| NOFO Frequently Asked Questions.pdf | ||
| Attachment B - Budget_Narrative_Guidance.pdf | ||
| Attachment A - Budget_Detail_and_Narrative.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Foa_Content_of_R26AS00034_Revised.pdf | ||
| Foa_Content_of_R26AS00034 Final.pdf | ||
| PKG00292781.pdf |
On GovTribe
Work this opportunity
- Track it in your pipeline
- Find teaming partners
- Similar grant opportunities
- Ask GovTribe AI about this opportunity