# WaterSMART: Applied Science Grants

Source: https://welltoldgrants.com/grants/r25as00280-watersmart-applied-science-grants/  
Official notice: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/361417

> Bureau of Reclamation offered grants of up to $400,000 to the applicants described in the notice. It expected to make about 20 awards worth $6.0 million in total. Applications closed on August 3, 2026.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Opportunity number | R25AS00280 |
| Agency | Bureau of Reclamation |
| Status | Forecast |
| Deadline | August 3, 2026 |
| Award ceiling | $400,000 |
| Award floor | not stated |
| Expected awards | 20 |
| Total funding | $6.0 million |
| Cost sharing | required |
| Assistance Listings | 15.557 |

## Who can apply

- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Category A Applicants: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. All Category A 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. Category B Applicants:Universities, nonprofit research institutions, nonprofit organizations, and Federally-funded research and development centers that are acting in partnership with the agreement of an entity described in Category A. All Category B applicants must be in the United States or the specific Territories identified above. Ineligible Applicants:Those not eligible include the following entities:Federal Governmental EntitiesIndividualsCommercial/industrial organizationsPrivate entities

## What the grant funds

Through WaterSMART, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) leverages Federal and non-Federal funding to work cooperatively with States, Tribes, and local entities as they plan 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 goal of the WaterSMART Applied Science Grants (ASG) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to invite eligible entities to apply for funding to improve access to and use of hydrologic data, develop and improve water management tools, and improve hydrologic modeling and forecasting capabilities. Water managers and reservoir operators rely on hydrologic data, modeling, and water supply forecasts to make decisions to meet future water demands. Water supply forecasts are estimates of current and future water supplies based on measured basin conditions (e.g., such as the quantity of upstream mountain snowpack). Results from these projects will be used by water managers to increase water supply reliability to meet water delivery requirements (e.g., compacts, decrees, etc.), provide flexibility in water operations to be more resilient during droughts, and enhance water supply forecasts to better predict floods and optimize limited water supplies. Example projects include improving operational models for irrigation water deliveries or reservoir operations, improving the use of snow monitoring technologies to enhance the skill of water supply forecasts, and improving data acquisition, data analysis, and data delivery, including the development of hydrologic databases. The ASG NOFO will build on and complement projects funded under the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Funding Opportunity by providing funding for applicants to improve the integration of innovative snow measurement data into water supply forecasts.

## Questions people ask

### Is R25AS00280 still open?

No. It closed on August 3, 2026.

### Who can apply for WaterSMART: Applied Science Grants?

Bureau of Reclamation accepted applications from the applicants described in the notice. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.

### What is the deadline for WaterSMART: Applied Science Grants?

Closed August 3, 2026. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

### How much funding is available?

Awards of up to $400,000 each. About $6.0 million in total across about 20 awards.

### Who has won Applied Science Grants grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were University of Texas at Arlington, Southern Nevada Water Authority, Washington State University. The program made 86 awards worth $19.1 million in that time.