Water and Waste Facility Loans and Grants to Alleviate Health Risks for Colonias and Tribal Lands (10.770)
Water and Waste Facility Loans and Grants to Alleviate Health Risks for Colonias and Tribal Lands (Assistance Listing 10.770) is run by the Rural Utilities Service, part of the Department of Agriculture. It awarded $233 million in 89 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $2.6 million per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $2.0 million. Half of the 89 awards fell between $1.2 million and $3.6 million, and they ranged from $88,000 to $9.5 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$233 million
- Grant awards89
- Typical award$2.0 million
- Awarded in FY 2025$40.1 million
- Size rank574 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceProject grants, direct loans
Key findings
- Annual funding fell from $43.2 million in fiscal 2021 to $40.1 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 574th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 74% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 13 states and territories.
What the program funds
This program helps get safe reliable drinking water and waste disposal services to low-income rural areas whose residents are experiencing a significant health risk due to the fact that a significant proportion of the community's residents do not have access to, or are not served by, adequate affordable water supply systems or waste disposal facilities.
Open opportunities
No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.
Rules from the program listing
Who can apply
Local level governments, Indian Tribes on Federal and State reservations, and other federally recognized Indian Tribes, U.S. Territories and possessions, and nonprofit associations can receive assistance under this program. Except for rural areas known as "Colonia" along the U.S./Mexico border, the projects funded under this program must primarily provide water and/or waste disposal services to residents of a county where the per capita income of the residents is not more than 70 percent of the most recent national average per capita income, as determined by the U.S. Department of Commerce, and unemployment rate of the residents is not less than 125 percent of the most recent national average unemployment rate, as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Also the residents must face significant health risks due to not having access to an affordable community water and/or waste disposal system.
What the money can and cannot pay for
Funds may be used for up to 100 percent of costs to: (1) construct, enlarge, extend, or otherwise improve a community water or waste system, including extending service lines to and/or connecting individual residences to a system; (2) allow applicant to make grants directly to individuals to extend service lines and/or connect residences plumbing to the applicant's system; (3) improve an individual's residence to allow use of water and/or waste disposal system; (4) pay reasonable charges and fees for connecting to system, installation of plumbing and related fixtures; (5) construction in dwelling for a bathroom; and, (6) pay costs for closing abandoned septic tanks and water wells.
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Deadlines
Deadlines do not apply
Award range and average, in the agency's words
$88,000 to $9,500,000. Average: $2,933,662.
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2025: Used funding to construct two well houses and a pump station. The wells supply water to the existing distribution system and power grid which address the issues with the drinking water source. Project used funding to upgrade the existing waste management system. Upgrading the system is essential to meet current and future wastewater treatment demands, comply with environmental regulations, and ensure the long-term community sustainability.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Water and Waste Facility Loans and Grants to Alleviate Health Risks for Colonias and Tribal Lands (10.770) awarded $233 million across 89 grant awards, an average of $2.6 million per award.
Who usually wins
State and local governments received 40% of the money, tribes 17% and nonprofits 13%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| State and local governments | 32 | $92.3 million | 40% |
| Other | 33 | $69.8 million | 30% |
| Tribal governments and organizations | 13 | $40.5 million | 17% |
| Nonprofits | 11 | $30.0 million | 13% |
By state
12 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 21 | $54.8 million |
| New Mexico | 11 | $40.4 million |
| North Dakota | 16 | $31.9 million |
| Texas | 9 | $31.3 million |
| Oklahoma | 6 | $18.9 million |
| Mississippi | 3 | $16.2 million |
| California | 8 | $13.1 million |
| Montana | 3 | $8.5 million |
| South Dakota | 5 | $8.3 million |
| Colorado | 2 | $5.1 million |
| Wyoming | 2 | $1.9 million |
| Maine | 2 | $1.5 million |
| Nevada | 1 | $772,000 |