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A grant from DOI-BOR

WaterSMART Enhancing Water Resources Projects Grant

WaterSMART Enhancing Water Resources Projects is a potential fit for eligible water and power delivery entities in specified Western states and territories, qualifying watershed groups, and nonprofit conservation organizations working with a Category A entity. The opportunity supports implementation projects involving water conservation and efficiency, water infrastructure improvements, or river and watershed restoration. The program expressly prioritizes collaboratively developed projects that balance community interests and provide significant watershed benefits. Applicants must satisfy category-specific eligibility rules, provide required partnership documentation where applicable, and meet a cost-share requirement.

Start here · Eligibility

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1 source-confirmed criterion · No signupReview criteria

Potential award

$50,000–$3,000,000

Time remaining

381 days

Application load

High effort

Best next move

Take the eligibility quiz

Apply

Verified against the source on 8/21/2026

01

Start here

Confirm eligibility

Check your fit in about 60 seconds.

Eligibility requirementsQuestion 1 of 5
About 60 seconds totalInferred criterion

Does your proposed work directly align with Natural Resources, Community Development, Environment?

What does this mean?

Natural Resources, Community Development, Environment

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Does your proposed work directly align with Natural Resources, Community Development, Environment?
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This is an explainable self-assessment, not a win probability or legal determination. Hard eligibility conflicts are never averaged against softer program-fit signals. Always verify the official notice.

Optional Review source criteria and citations

Nonprofit status

Confirm nonprofit eligibility in the full notice.

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unclear

Geography

Nationwide availability is inferred from the catalog record; confirm the official notice.

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inferred

Organization size

No organization-size limit was captured.

Review source ↗
unclear

Program area

Natural Resources, Community Development, Environment

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inferred

Population served

No specific population was captured.

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unclear

Matching funds

Matching or cost-share funding is required.

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confirmed

Registrations

SAM.gov and Grants.gov registration may be required; confirm in the notice.

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inferred

Exclusions

Review the full notice for exclusions and prohibited uses.

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unclear
02

Grant-writer assessment

Understand the opportunity

Start with the practical interpretation. Open the complete source narrative when you need the underlying detail.

Plain-English explanation

Plain-English explanation

WaterSMART Enhancing Water Resources Projects is a potential fit for eligible water and power delivery entities in specified Western states and territories, qualifying watershed groups, and nonprofit conservation organizations working with a Category A entity. The opportunity supports implementation projects involving water conservation and efficiency, water infrastructure improvements, or river and watershed restoration. The program expressly prioritizes collaboratively developed projects that balance community interests and provide significant watershed benefits. Applicants must satisfy category-specific eligibility rules, provide required partnership documentation where applicable, and meet a cost-share requirement.

Editorial analysis

What the funder is trying to accomplish

DOI-BOR seeks implementation projects that benefit water-resource management for multiple uses, including water conservation and efficiency, water infrastructure improvements, and river and watershed restoration. The description expressly prioritizes projects that balance numerous community interests, were developed collaboratively, and provide significant watershed benefits.

Editorial analysis

Strong-fit project signals

The applicant is an eligible Category A entity: a state, Tribe, irrigation district, water district, qualifying state, regional, or local authority, or another organization with water or power delivery authority, and is located in a specified Western state or territory. The proposed work implements water conservation or efficiency, water infrastructure improvements, or river and watershed restoration. The project was developed collaboratively, balances numerous relevant community interests, and provides significant watershed benefits—attributes expressly prioritized by the program description. A Category B nonprofit has a Category A partner and documentation demonstrating the partner’s agreement; a Category C watershed group seeking 75-percent Federal funding has equivalent Category A partnership documentation.

Editorial analysis

What reviewers may prioritize

The packet does not provide formal review criteria or a scoring rubric. It does expressly state that projects balancing numerous community interests, developed collaboratively, and providing significant watershed benefits will be prioritized. These stated priorities should be treated as substantive positioning factors, but their scoring weight is not provided.

Source dossier Read the full official program description
Source-backed synopsis

What this grant funds

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).

Read the complete official description ↗
03

Decision economics

Size the opportunity

Use the source facts below to judge whether the likely return justifies the application effort.

Award range
$50,000–$3,000,000
Total program funding
$60,000,000
Expected awards
30
Geography
National
Cost share
Required
Assistance listing
Not specified

Mission alignment

Compare your program with Natural Resources, Community Development, Environment.

Geographic fit

National

04

Working plan

Build the application

The generated milestones are planning aids. Only the official notice establishes required dates.

Requirements captured

Other requirements
Applicants eligible to receive an award under this funding opportunity are described below.Category A Applicants States, Tribes, irrigation districts, and water districts;State, regional, or local authorities, the members of which include one or more organizations with water or power delivery authority; andOther organizations with water or power delivery authority.Category A applicants must be located in the Western United States or Territories as identified in the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902, as amended and supplemented; specifically: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Category B Applicants: Nonprofit conservation organizations that are acting in partnership with, and with the agreement of an entity described in Category A. All Category B applicants must be located in the United States, or the specific Territories identified above under Category A Applicants. Applicants applying under this category should include a letter of support or other documentation demonstrating that they are acting in partnership with and with the agreement of the Category A entity. Reclamation may request additional information to verify that the applicant meets this requirement. Category C Applicants:Watershed groups as defined in the Cooperative Watershed Management Act, Section 6001(6). All Category C applicants must be located in the United States, or the specific Territories identified above under Category A Applicants. To be eligible, the watershed group must: Be a grassroots, non-regulatory entity that addresses water availability and quality issues within the relevant watershed;Capable of promoting the sustainable use of water resources in the watershed;Make decisions on a consensus basis; andRepresent a diverse group of stakeholders representing different water use sectors, including hydroelectric producers; livestock grazing; timber production; land development; recreation or tourism; irrigated agriculture; the environment; municipal water supplies; private property owners; Federal, state and local governments; Tribes; and disadvantaged communities.Applications submitted by watershed groups will be ranked separately from all other applications.A watershed group is eligible to apply for 50-percent cost-shared funding without a Category A partner but must have a Category A partner to be eligible for 75-percent Federal funding. Watershed groups requesting 75-percent Federal funding should include a letter of support or other documentation demonstrating that they are acting in partnership with and with the agreement of the Category A entity. Reclamation may request additional information regarding whether an applicant meets the definition of a watershed group during the application review process. Ineligible ApplicantsThose not eligible to apply to include, but are not limited to, the following:Federal Governmental entitiesIndividuals Institutes of higher education
Submission system
Grants.gov
Attachments
Foa_Content_of_R26AS00017 _Revised 7.06.26, Attachment A - Budget_Detail_and_Narrative.xlsx, Attachment B - Budget_Narrative_Guidance.pdf, NOFO Frequently Asked Questions.pdf
Contact
Bureau of Reclamation · bor-sha-fafoa@usbr.gov · tbd

Official deadline

September 8, 2027

High effort based on requirements currently captured.

  1. Confirm eligibility, registrations, partners, and internal approval.

  2. Finalize project design, outcomes, and supporting evidence.

  3. Draft the narrative and detailed budget.

  4. Complete compliance review and collect attachments.

  5. Submit early and preserve the confirmation receipt.

05Past behaviorCompare historical awardsHistorical patterns provide context, but do not predict or guarantee future funding decisions.
No licensed historical awards are currently linked to this opportunity.
06Audit trailVerify the evidenceSee where the facts came from, when they were checked, and what has materially changed.

Source record

Source verified means the official record was successfully checked. It does not mean every eligibility or application field has been extracted.

Verification
verified
Source
grants gov
Last checked
8/21/2026, 9:01:43 AM
Content updated
8/12/2026, 2:37:34 AM
Review
Automated normalization; not yet expert-reviewed
Open official source ↗

Material changes

  1. Updated categories.

Verify before applying. Official funder documents control. Derived analysis and preparation dates should not replace the notice.
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Quick answersFrequently asked questionsGet concise answers about WaterSMART Enhancing Water Resources Projects Grant.
Is WaterSMART Enhancing Water Resources Projects Grant currently open?

Yes, based on the latest source record. The deadline is September 8, 2027, with 381 days remaining. Because funders can amend or extend notices, confirm the date and submission instructions on the official application page. The source was last checked 8/21/2026.

How much funding does WaterSMART Enhancing Water Resources Projects Grant provide?

WaterSMART Enhancing Water Resources Projects Grant lists $50,000–$3,000,000 per award. The total program funding recorded is $60,000,000. DOI-BOR expects to make approximately 30 awards, although the final number may vary.

Who can apply to WaterSMART Enhancing Water Resources Projects Grant?

Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification) Applicants should still complete the eligibility quiz and verify every condition in the official notice; a general fit does not override exclusions or registration requirements.

Does WaterSMART Enhancing Water Resources Projects Grant require matching funds?

Yes. A cost-share or matching requirement is recorded for WaterSMART Enhancing Water Resources Projects Grant. Confirm the required percentage, eligible contribution types, documentation, and whether the commitment must be secured at submission—the current summary should not replace the official budget rules.

What should I prepare before applying to WaterSMART Enhancing Water Resources Projects Grant?

High effort is expected. The captured requirements include other requirements, submission system, attachments, contact. Start by confirming eligibility and registrations, then work backward from September 8, 2027 using the preparation plan above.

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