Grants / Department of the Interior / Bureau of Reclamation

R21AS00278: WaterSMART Grants: Water Marketing Strategy Grants for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021

Closed Closed April 7, 2021 Opportunity R21AS00278 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: WaterSMART Enhancing Water Resources Projects (R26AS00017). Status: Closes September 8, 2027 (305 days left). It is in our archive of Bureau of Reclamation notices from 2021.

• Award ceiling$400,000
• Total funding$3.0 million
• Cost sharingRequired
• Funding typeCooperative Agreement, Grant

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to nonprofits, state and local governments and tribes.

Category A: States, Indian Tribes, irrigation districts, water districts; state, regional, or local authorities whose members include one or more organizations with water or power delivery authority; and, other organizations with water or power delivery authority. Category B: Nonprofit conservation organizations that are acting in partnership and with the agreement of an entity described in Category A. All applicants must be located in the Western United States or United States Territories, including 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 Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. To be eligible, applicants must also be located in one of the following States or Territories: 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 Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Those not eligible include, but are not limited to, the following entities: Federal governmental entities Institutions of higher education Individuals 501(c)4 organizations 501(c)6 organizations

More grants for nonprofits, state and local governments, tribes.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow) awards averaged $626,058; this notice allows up to $400,000 per award.
• Most of the program's money (75% over five years) went to state and local governments.
• The notice requires cost sharing or matching funds, so you must contribute part of the project cost.

What the grant funds

Through WaterSMART Water Marketing Strategy Grants, Reclamation provides cost-shared financial assistance to States, Indian tribes, and local governments to develop water marketing strategies to establish or expand water markets or water marketing activities between willing participants, in compliance with state and Federal laws. Water Marketing Strategy Grants are a component of Reclamation’s WaterSMART Grants Program, which also includes Water and Energy Efficiency Grants and Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects. For further information on the WaterSMART Grants Program, please see www.usbr.gov/watersmart/index.html. The objective of this NOFO is to invite States, Indian tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, and other organizations with water or power delivery authority to leverage their money and resources by cost sharing with Reclamation to develop a water marketing strategy to increase water supply reliability. Applicants under this NOFO may request funding to develop a water marketing strategy (project) to establish or expand water markets or water marketing activities. A “water marketing strategy” is a framework for implementation of water marketing activities. Development of a water marketing strategy must include: (1) Outreach and partnership building; (2) Scoping and planning activities (e.g., hydrologic, economic, legal and other types of analysis); and (3) Development of a water marketing strategy document describing how water marketing activities will be implemented. For the purposes of this NOFO, “water marketing” refers to water rights transactions (e.g., the voluntary lease, sale, or exchange of water or water rights), or voluntary agreements governing water rights, water use, or water management (e.g., non-diversion agreements, dry-year options, and agreements governing groundwater recharge and storage), undertaken in accordance with State and Federal laws, between willing participants.

Category: Natural Resources.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, R26AS00017, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.