WaterSMART: Desalination Construction Projects
Funds planning, design, and/or construction of seawater or brackish-water desalination facilities for eligible state, tribal, and local water entities in specified western states.
RESTRICTED TO: STATE LOCAL GOV · TRIBAL ENTITIES
⚑ Institutions of higher education are ineligible. · Applicants must be located in AZ, CA, CO, ID, KS, MT, NE, NV, NM, ND, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, or WY. · Cooperative agreement or grant; planning/design/construction of desalination facilities. · Award ceiling $120 million.
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 30 weak | prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
| IPPRA | 15 none | university cannot apply directly (ineligible) |
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 15 none | university cannot apply directly (ineligible) |
Description
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
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: Bureau of Reclamation <bor-sha-fafoa@usbr.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · Federal (generic) conventions SEE A FEDERAL EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — Federal (generic)'s document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.