Town Of New Shoreham

Town Of New Shoreham, a U.S. local government municipality on Block Island, Rhode Island, is a federal grant recipient focused on water infrastructure, emergency community assistance, and environmental resilience projects administered by the Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service and state agencies. The town operates as a prime recipient on direct federal grants (63% of recent awards) and as a sub-recipient on pass-through awards from Rhode Island state entities and federal intermediaries (37% of recent awards).

The town's federal funding footprint concentrates overwhelmingly on water and sanitation infrastructure. The Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service accounts for 12 of 17 tracked awards (89% of awards, based on the top-customer coverage metric), anchored by a $2.509 million Project Grant awarded May 25, 2023 under the Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities program (CFDA 10.760) to support domestic water delivery. The town also received an Emergency Community Water Assistance Grant in February 2023 and a Water and Waste Disposal Systems direct loan-grant award in August 2025 with ultimate completion through August 2027. Smaller federal participation includes Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 awards (2 grants), and single awards from NOAA, the Fish and Wildlife Service Region 5, and the Treasury Departmental Offices.

As a sub-recipient, the town draws funding through Rhode Island state pass-through mechanisms and federal intermediaries. Recent sub-awards include an April 2026 environmental infrastructure grant from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management for replacement of pumpout vessel and stationary pumps at the Great Salt Pond facility on Block Island; a June 2026 sub-grant from the State of Rhode Island for elevator replacement at the Island Free Library; two April 2026 sub-awards from the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank for West Beach Road infrastructure; a December 2023 sub-grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for nature-based coastal resilience solutions protecting Corn Neck Road and habitat in the Block Island National Wildlife Refuge; and sub-awards for community transportation programming and extended school-year learning.

Activity is episodic but sustained, with one or two awards annually prior to 2023, then four awards in 2023, two in 2025, and four in 2026. Combined dollars obligated across all 19 tracked awards total $8 million. One award faces ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months. The town's federal engagement centers narrowly on rural water infrastructure resilience, disaster recovery, and community amenities rather than contracting or commercial service delivery.