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WaterSMART Grants: Water and Energy Efficiency Grants (Select Areas) - FY 2024/2025

Agency: U.S. Department of Interior
CFDA: 15.507
Federal FON: R24AS00052
Office: Bureau of Reclamation Water Resources and Planning Office
Multipart Grant: No
Next Due: 11/13/2024 (Multiple)
Solicitation Date: 11/14/2023
   
Match Required: Yes
Match Type: Cash/In-Kind
Actual Funds: Unspecified
Summary:

The purpose of this program is to support projects that result in quantifiable and sustained water savings, implement renewable energy components, and support broader sustainability benefits. Projects should seek to conserve and use water more efficiently, increase the production of renewable energy, mitigate conflict risk in areas at a high risk of future water conflict, enable farmers to make additional on-farm improvements in the future, and accomplish other benefits that contribute to sustainability in the western United States.

Applicants may submit proposals under the following three funding groups:

  • Funding Group I: smaller on-the-ground projects
  • Funding Group II: larger on-the-ground projects
  • Funding Group III: larger on-the-ground projects

Applications may include any one of, or a combination of, the following types of projects:

  • Water conservation projects: projects that result in quantifiable and sustained water savings or improved water management, including:
    • Canal lining/piping
    • Municipal metering
    • Irrigation flow measurement
    • Supervisory control and data acquisition and automation (SCADA)
    • Landscape irrigation measures
    • High-efficiency indoor appliances and fixtures
    • Commercial cooling systems
  • Renewable energy projects: projects that increase the use of renewable energy sources in managing and delivering water, and/or projects that upgrade existing water management facilities resulting in quantifiable and sustained energy generation and/or savings, including:
    • Developing new hydropower capacity by installing a new hydropower facility or uprating the capacity of an existing hydropower facility
    • Bringing existing, mothballed hydropower capacity back online through facility investment
    • Installing solar-electric, wind energy, or geothermal power systems, including the replacing of fossil fuel-powered pumps with renewable energy-based pumps

Eligible costs include personnel costs, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual, construction, other direct costs, and indirect costs.

Optional webinars are scheduled for this program. In addition, optional inquiry calls are available for this program. Refer to the Application section for details.

For Category A applicants, eligibility is limited to those located in the western United States or U.S. territories, specifically Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, the Virgin Islands, Washington, and Wyoming. Category B applicants must be located in the United States or the aforementioned territories.

This program is a component of the funding agency's WaterSMART Grants Program, which also includes Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects, Water Marketing Strategy Grants, the Drought Response Program, and the Cooperative Watershed Management Program (CWMP) known in eCivis Grants Network as US16526, US16662, US15847, and US16568, respectively.

Last Updated: September 18, 2024

Eligibility Notes:

Eligible category A applicants are:

  • States
  • Indian tribes
  • Irrigation districts
  • Water districts
  • Any state, regional, or local authority whose members include one or more organizations with water or power delivery authority
  • Other organizations with water or power delivery authority

Eligible Category B applicants are nonprofit conservation organizations that are acting in partnership and with the agreement of an entity described in Category A. Category B applicants must include with their application a letter from the Category A partner, stating that they are acting in partnership with the applicant, agree to the submission and content of the application, and that they intend to participate in the project in some way, such as by providing input, feedback, or other support for the project.

Category A applicants must be located in the western United States or U.S. territories, specifically Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Washington, and Wyoming. Category B applicants must be located in the United States or the aforementioned territories.

Applicants may submit multiple applications. In general, if an applicant is seeking funding for multiple projects and the projects are interrelated or closely related, they should be combined in one application.

Ineligible entities include:

  • Federal governmental entities
  • Institutions of higher education

Previous award recipients include:

  • Town of Marana (Arizona)
  • Fresno Irrigation District (California)
  • Town of Cheraw (Colorado)
  • City of Norman (Oklahoma)
  • Deschutes River Conservancy (Oregon)

Refer to the Award file for additional information regarding previous award recipients.

Eligible Applicants:
Local Government
Consortia
Native American Tribe
Non Profits
Private Sector
State Government
Application Notes:

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

  • Round 1 applications: February 22, 2024
  • Round 2 applications: October 30, 2024

The due date for round 2 applications has been extended to November 13, 2024. Additional information is included in the DueDateExt file.

Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov, or mailed or delivered to the appropriate address provided in the Contact section. Online submissions are encouraged. Emailed or faxed applications will not be accepted. Applicants submitting a paper application must notify the funding agency using the information provided in the Contact section by 2:00 p.m. MT on the day of the submission deadline.

Applications must include:

  • Mandatory federal forms:
    • SF 424
    • SF 424C
    • SF 424D
    • SF LLL (if applicable)
  • Technical proposal (50 pages max):
    • Title page
    • Table of contents
    • Executive summary
    • Project location
    • Project description
    • Evaluation criteria
    • Performance measures
  • Budget narrative
  • Environmental and cultural resources compliance
  • Required permits or approvals
  • Overlap or duplication of effort statement
  • Conflict of interest disclosure statement
  • Applicability
  • Conflict of interest notification
  • Lobbying certifications and disclosures
  • Uniform audit reporting statement
  • Letters of support
  • Letter of partnership (if applicable)

The entire application, excluding letters of support and the official resolution, is limited to 125 pages, and must be formatted on standard-sized pages with one-inch margins using an easily readable 12-point font. Technical proposals must be formatted on consecutively numbered pages. Hard-copy applications may only be bound using a binder clip, and may not be stapled or bound in any other way.

The following are required in order to submit an application:

  • Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
  • SAM (System for Award Management) registration

Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam.

Optional webinars for this program are scheduled as follows:

December 12, 2023
11:00 a.m. - noon MT
URL: teams.microsoft.com

August 29, 2024
1:00 p.m. MT
URL: teams.microsoft.com

A recording of the webinar held on August 29, 2024, can be found online at teams.microsoft.com.

Optional 30-minute inquiry calls are also available for this program. Interested applicants may schedule an inquiry call online at outlook.office365.com.

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria: 

  • Quantifiable water savings (25 points)
  • Renewable energy (20 points)
  • Other project benefits (15 points)
  • Disadvantaged communities and tribal benefits (15 points)
  • Complementing on-farm irrigation improvements (8 points)
  • Readiness to proceed (8 points)
  • Collaboration (5 points)
  • Nexus to reclamation (4 points)

Refer to the NOFA file for additional application information.

Match Required: Yes
Match Type: Cash/In-Kind
Actual Funds: Unspecified
Match Notes:

Applicants must provide at least 50 percent of the total project costs via cash or third-party in-kind contributions.

Third-party in-kind contributions may be in the form of equipment, supplies, and other expendable property, as well as the value of services directly benefiting and specifically identifiable to the proposed project.

The program's matching requirements do not apply to American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands.

In general, other sources of federal funding may not be counted toward the required cost share, as detailed on page 22 of the NOFA file.

Applicants may not include as part of their cost share the 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:

An unspecified amount of funding is available to support approximately 40 to 50 grants or cooperative agreements through this program. Award amounts will vary according to funding group, as follows:

  • Funding Group I: awards of up to $500,000
  • Funding Group II: awards of up to $2 million
  • Funding Group III: awards of up to $5 million

Category A applicants, as described in the Eligibility section, are limited to a total of $5 million through this program per application period. Category B applicants may be considered for multiple awards up to a total of $15 million through this program per application period, if the Category A partners are different for each project selected.

Award notifications for application period 1 are expected to be provided in summer 2024. Award notifications for application period 2 are expected to be provided in spring 2025.

The anticipated award date for application period 1 is December 31, 2024. The anticipated award date for application period 2 is October 31, 2025.

Proposed projects for application period 1 should not have an estimated construction start date that is prior to December 31, 2024. Proposed projects for application period 2 should not have an estimated construction start date that is prior to October 31, 2025.

The anticipated project completion dates for application period 1 awards are as follows:

  • Funding Group I projects: December 31, 2026
  • Funding Group II projects: December 31, 2027
  • Funding Group III projects: December 31, 2027

The anticipated project completion dates for application period 2 awards are as follows:

  • Funding Group I projects: October 31, 2027
  • Funding Group II projects: October 31, 2028
  • Funding Group III projects: October 31, 2028

In general, Funding Group I projects should be completed within two years of award. Funding Group II and Funding Group III projects must be completed within three years of award. Applications for projects requiring more time will be considered for funding only under limited circumstances.

Funds may not be used for:

  • Projects considered normal operations, maintenance, and replacement (OM&R)
  • Water reclamation, reuse, and desalination projects
  • Injection wells and recharge projects primarily for agricultural or municipal benefits
  • Projects to construct surface water or groundwater storage
  • Projects to install distribution system meters associated with production and/or leakage quantification
  • Water purchases
  • Purchasing land, or for the primary purpose of securing a permanent easement
  • Building construction
  • Projects to conduct a pilot study to evaluate technical capability, economic feasibility, or viability for full-scale implementation or to test an unproven material or technology
  • Projects to conduct on-farm irrigation efficiency improvements

Refer to pages 26-29 of the NOFA file for additional ineligible costs.

For FY 2024, nearly $105 million was distributed via 67 awards through this program. For FY 2023, a total of $140 million was distributed via 84 awards through this program. For FY 2022, a total of $17.3 million was distributed via 22 awards ranging from $199,500 to $2 million. Refer to the Award file for details.

Contacts:

Primary Contact:

Josh German
WaterSMART Grants Program Coordinator
(303) 445-2839
jgerman@usbr.gov

Financial Assistance Contact:

Christina Munoz
(720) 614-2192
bor-sha-fafoa@usbr.gov

Mailing or USPS Overnight Services Address
Bureau of Reclamation
Financial Assistance Operations Section
Attn: NOFO Team
P.O. Box 25007, MS 84-27133
Denver, CO 80225

Express Delivery and Courier Services Address
Bureau of Reclamation Mail Services
Attn: NOFO Team
Denver Federal Center
Bldg. 67, Rm. 152
6th Avenue and Kipling Street
Denver, CO 80225

Contact Notes:

Questions should be directed to the appropriate program contact. The subject line of emailed questions must include the funding opportunity number.

Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov, or mailed or delivered to the appropriate address provided. Online submissions are encouraged.

Files:
NOFA File: US9080_NOFA_FY2024-25.pdf (1.9 Mb)
Other Pre-Award File: US9080_Budget_FY2024-25.zip (295.7 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US9080_FAQ_FY2024-25.pdf (104.6 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US9080_Webinar&InquiryCall_FY2024-25.pdf (110.3 Kb)
Award File: US9080_Award_FY2024-25.pdf (2.3 Mb)
Other Pre-Award File: US9080_DueDateExt_FY2024-25.pdf (43.1 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US9080_Webinar2_FY2024-25.pdf (103.7 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US9080_WebinarPresentation_FY2024-25.pdf (8.1 Mb)
Other Pre-Award File: US9080_WebinarPresentation2_FY2024-25.pdf (6.5 Mb)
Federal Forms:
SF 424 (144.4 Kb)
SF 424C (1.7 Mb)
SF 424D (64.9 Kb)
SF LLL (98.7 Kb)
File Notes:

The NOFA file contains the full solicitation for this program. The Budget folder contains the recommended budget template for the application, as well as detailed budget instructions. The FAQ file contains a list of answers to frequently asked questions regarding this program. The Webinar&InquiryCall file contains information regarding the optional webinar that is scheduled for this program, as well as information regarding optional inquiry calls that are available for this program. The DueDateExt file contains the updated due date for round 2 applications. The Webinar2 file contains information regarding an optional webinar scheduled for this program. The WebinarPresentation and WebinarPresentation2 files contain the presentation slides from webinars held for this program. The Award file contains information on previous award recipients. The attached federal forms may be used if submitting a hard-copy application.

September 18, 2024
The presentation slides from a webinar held for this program have been released and attached as the WebinarPresentation2 file. In addition, a recording of the webinar has been released, and a link to the presentation is available in the Application section.

August 19, 2024
Information regarding an optional webinar scheduled for this program has been released and attached as the Webinar2 file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.

August 13, 2024
An announcement concerning the changing of the due date for round 2 applications has been released and attached as the DueDateExt file. In addition, information regarding awards through this program has been released and appended to the Award file. All relevant sections have been updated accordingly.

December 21, 2023
The slides presentation of a webinar held for this program have been released and attached as the WebinarPresentation file.

December 1, 2023
Additional information regarding the optional webinar that is scheduled for this program, as well as information regarding optional inquiry calls that are available for this program have been released and attached as the Webinar&InquiryCall file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.

Project: City of Goodyear Initial Vadose Zone Recharge (5.2 Mb)
Applicant: City of Goodyear, Environmental Services, Water Resources
Summary:

The purpose of this program is to support the nation's water needs through sustainable practices, supporting groundwater conservation and energy efficiency. The City of Goodyear, Arizona requested and received $300,000 to fund the construction of five vadose zone wells to recharge the water reclaimed in the center of the city. The City of Goodyear provided a matching contribution of $1,863,350.

 
Grant Keywords
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Grant Categories
Agriculture
Community Development
Energy
Environment/Natural Resources
Water Supply/Quality