Application Notes:

Prior to submitting an application, applicants requesting technical assistance must contact the appropriate program coordinator, using the information provided in the Contact section, to discuss the request.

Applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. MT on one of the following dates:

• FY 2023: October 17, 2023
• FY 2024: April 2, 2024

The due date for the application for FY 2024 has been extended to 4:00 p.m. MT on May 21, 2024. Additional information is included in the NOFA file.

The due date for the application for FY 2024 has been extended to 4:00 p.m. MT on May 23, 2024. Additional information is included in the NOFA file.

Prior to submitting an application, applicants that are tribes or located in the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands are encouraged to contact the appropriate program coordinator using the information provided in the Contact section.

Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov, or mailed or delivered to the address provided in the Contact section; however, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit applications online. Applicants submitting applications via mail or delivery must contact Karen Shubert for approval via email at the appropriate address provided in the Contact section by 2:00 p.m. MT on the appropriate application due date. Applications submitted via email, fax, or any other method will not be accepted.

Applications must include:

• SF 424
• SF 424A
• SF 424B
• SF LLL (if applicable)
• Grants.gov lobbying form (if applicable)
• Technical proposal (20 pages max)
• Budget narrative
• Environmental and cultural resources compliance (if applicable)
• Required permits and approvals
• Overlap or duplication of effort statement
• Conflict of interest disclosure statement
• Uniform audit reporting statement
• Letters of support
• Letter of partnership (if applicable)

The application is limited to a total of 125 pages. Applications must be formatted on standard-sized pages with standard one-inch margins using at least a 12-point easily readable font. The technical proposal must be formatted on consecutively numbered pages. For hard-copy submission, applications must be bound using a binder clip. Hard-copy applications may not be stapled or bound through other means.

The following are required in order to submit an application:

• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
• SAM (System for Award Management) registration
• SPOC (state Single Point of Contact) notification

Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam. Applicants in states participating in the SPOC program must contact the relevant SPOC listed in the SPOC file before applying.

An optional webinar for this program is scheduled as follows:

August 24, 2023
11:30 a.m. MT
URL: teams.microsoft.com

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Project benefits (35 points)
• Inclusion of stakeholders, stakeholder support, and previous planning efforts (25 points)
• Ability to meet program requirements (20 points)
• Presidential and Department of the Interior priorities (15 points)
• Nexus to Bureau of Reclamation (5 points)

Refer to pages 53-56 of the NOFA file for additional information regarding the application evaluation process, including additional application evaluation criteria.

Refer to the NOFA and BudgetNarrativeGuide files for additional application information.

Match Notes:

Match requirements will vary according to project and applicant type, as follows:

• Applicants for water strategy and project design projects with ecological benefits must provide at least 25 percent of total project costs via cash and/or in-kind contributions, as detailed on pages 26 of the NOFA file
• Matching funds are not required for water strategy and project design projects that provide domestic water supplies to disadvantaged communities, as detailed on page 25-26 of the NOFA file
• Matching funds are not required for applicants located in the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, or the U.S. Virgin Islands
• Applicants for all other projects must provide at least 50 percent of total project costs via cash and/or in-kind contributions

Matching funds from sources outside the applicant’s organization must be secured and available to the applicant prior to award.

The following may not be used as a match:

• Other sources of federal funding, unless authorized by federal statute
• Cost or value of third-party in-kind contributions that have been, or will be relied on, to satisfy a cost-sharing or matching requirement for another federal financial assistance agreement, a federal procurement contract, or any other award of federal funds

Funding Notes:

Approximately $35 million is available to support approximately 60 to 70 awards through this program and the funding agency's WaterSMART Planning and Project Design Grants: Drought Contingency Planning program, known in eCivis Grants Network as US15848. Awards under this program are expected to range from $100,000 to $400,000 for water strategy projects and project design projects. Awards under this program will be made as grants or cooperative agreements, as applicable to each project.

In general, applicants may receive no more than a cumulative total of $1.2 million per fiscal year under this program and the funding agency's WaterSMART Planning and Project Design Grants: Drought Contingency Planning program; however, applicants for project design projects may receive up to a cumulative total of $2 million if each project includes a different partner.

In addition to providing monetary awards, this program may provide technical assistance to award recipients. Applicants planning to receive technical assistance must account for these costs in the budget. Applicants requesting technical assistance must contact the appropriate program coordinator, using the information provided in the Contact section, to discuss the request prior to submitting an application.

For FY 2023, award notifications are expected to be made in March 2024, and awards are anticipated to be made on July 1, 2024. Projects must be completed by June 30, 2027.

For FY 2024, award notifications are expected to be made in in October 2024, and awards are anticipated to be made on April 1, 2025. Projects must be completed by March 31, 2028.

For water strategy projects, award recipients must submit their draft strategy to the funding agency for review and feedback within 120 days prior to the end of the project period.

Project design projects must involve the final design of medium- and large-scale on-the-ground water supply construction, water management construction, and restoration projects. For the purposes of this program, medium- and large-scale water management construction and restoration projects are defined as projects with construction/restoration costs of at least $250,000 and above.

Pre-award costs may be allowable, as detailed on page 44 of the NOFA file.

For water strategy projects, activities that would be considered development or modification of decision support tools to support the overall strategy development may be allowable if such activities are integral to the strategy and such costs are limited to 30 percent of the total project cost.

For water strategy projects, the costs of legal analysis activities are limited to 30 percent of the total project costs. Funds may not be used for costs of legal analysis for the preparation of a specific water court case.

For water strategy projects, activities that would
be considered measurements, monitoring, or field work that are necessary to complete technical analyses may be eligible for funding so long as such costs are limited to 30 percent of the total project cost and the applicant includes funding in the budget for related environmental and cultural resources compliance costs.

Funds may not be used for:

• Developing appraisal investigations, system optimization reviews, feasibility studies, special studies, basin studies, and water management and conservation projects for planning and project design that are eligible for funding under the funding agency’s Water Conservation and Field Studies Program or Rural Water Program
• Design of projects considered normal operations, maintenance, and replacement (OM&R), as detailed on page 30 of the NOFA file
• Conducting a pilot study to evaluate technical capability, economic feasibility, or viability for full-scale implementation, or to test an unproven material or technology, except for pilot projects that are a component of a water strategy project
• Design of on-farm improvements
• Completing on-the-ground construction
• Projects or activities that are funded under another federal financial assistance agreement
• Lobbying activities
• Application preparation and submission costs

May 14, 2024
A revised solicitation containing an updated due date for the application for FY 2024 has been released and attached as the NOFA file. The Application and Financial sections have been updated accordingly.

February 2, 2024
A revised solicitation containing an updated due date for the application for FY 2024 has been released and attached as the NOFA file. The Application and Financial sections have been updated accordingly.

August 17, 2023
Information regarding an optional webinar scheduled for this program has been released and attached as the Webinar file. Refer to the Application section for details.