# Water Desalination Research and Development  (15.506)

Source: https://welltoldgrants.com/programs/15-506-water-desalination-research-and-development/  
Publisher: Well Told Grants. Data: USAspending.gov and Grants.gov, updated November 7, 2026.

Water Desalination Research and Development  is run by Department of the Interior. From fiscal 2021 to 2025 it awarded $19.4 million in 71 grants, about $273,376 per award.

## Objectives

Desalination and Water Purification Research (DWPR) Program aims to increase water supplies by reducing the costs, energy requirements, and other barriers to adoption of treating impaired water for beneficial uses. The DWPR Program works with Reclamation researchers and partners to develop innovative, cost-effective, and technologically efficient ways to desalinate and treat water. DWPR funding plays a critical role in iterating an idea from the lab to a real-world demonstration, yielding products that serve the water treatment community and attract commercialization interest. Of particular interest is research that has a national significance—where the issues are of large-scale concern and the benefits accrue to a large sector of the public.

## Funding by fiscal year

| Year | Amount | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $7.2 million | 31 |
| 2022 | $6.7 million | 17 |
| 2023 | $1.9 million | 9 |
| 2024 | $3.3 million | 13 |
| 2025 | $300,460 | 2 |

## Largest recipients

| Recipient | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Regents of the University of Colorado | Colorado | $1.3 million |
| Trustees of the Colorado School of Mines | Colorado | $1.1 million |
| University of Alabama | Alabama | $896,581 |
| Carollo Engineers Inc | California | $817,543 |
| Encina Wastewater Authority | California | $800,000 |
| Silicon Valley Clean Water | California | $799,908 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts | $799,175 |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | New Jersey | $741,147 |
| Project 7 Water Authority | Colorado | $612,059 |
| Purdue University | Indiana | $500,000 |
| Texas State University | Texas | $500,000 |
| William Marsh Rice University | Texas | $497,949 |
| Regents of the University of Minnesota | Minnesota | $494,342 |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University | Virginia | $482,079 |
| New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | New Mexico | $423,266 |
| Surplus Management Inc | Illinois | $391,077 |
| Harmony Desalination Corporation | Massachusetts | $366,778 |
| The Regents of the University of California | California | $350,000 |
| City of Westminster | Maryland | $347,500 |
| New Mexico State University | New Mexico | $334,450 |