Water Desalination Research and Development (15.506)
Water Desalination Research and Development (Assistance Listing 15.506) is run by the Bureau of Reclamation, part of the Department of the Interior. It awarded $19.4 million in 71 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $273,376 per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $249,999. Half of the 71 awards fell between $244,587 and $250,000, and they ranged from $10,782 to $800,000.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$19.4 million
- Grant awards71
- Typical award$249,999
- Awarded in FY 2025$300,460
- Size rank1,324 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceCooperative agreements
Key findings
- Annual funding fell from $7.2 million in fiscal 2021 to $300,460 in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 1324th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 64% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 24 states and territories.
What the program funds
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.
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
Any responsible source, to include individuals, State and local entities, public nonprofit institutions/organizations, other public institutions/organizations, Federally recognized Indian Tribal Governments, small businesses, profit organizations, private nonprofit institutions/organizations, quasi-public nonprofit institutions/organizations, and other private institutions/organizations may submit a proposal which will be considered by Reclamation. Foreign entities are not eligible for funding. Federal agencies are not eligible to apply.
What the money can and cannot pay for
To be used to support research and studies, demonstration and development projects and related activities, and operation and maintenance at Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility (BGNDRF) as described in the Water Desalination Act and amendments. Costs of operation, maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation of facilities funded shall be nonfederal responsibilities with the exception of the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility (BGNDRF).;
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.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
Funded projects have ranged from $112,000 - $593,000 and average $271,000.
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2025: FY 2025 selections include laboratory-scale research projects on the topics of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances detection and corrosion control in water reuse applications.Fiscal Year2026: Anticipated FY 2026 selections include laboratory and pilot-scale research projects on topics such as high salinity desalination, brackish groundwater desalination, the separation and destruction of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, innovative desalination processes, resource recovery, and improved monitoring of water treatment processes
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Water Desalination Research and Development (15.506) awarded $19.4 million across 71 grant awards, an average of $273,376 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Regents of the University of Colorado | Colorado | 4 | $1.3 million |
| Trustees of the Colorado School of Mines | Colorado | 3 | $1.1 million |
| University of Alabama | Alabama | 4 | $896,581 |
| Carollo Engineers Inc | California | 2 | $817,543 |
| Encina Wastewater Authority | California | 1 | $800,000 |
| Silicon Valley Clean Water | California | 1 | $799,908 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts | 1 | $799,175 |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | New Jersey | 3 | $741,147 |
| Project 7 Water Authority | Colorado | 1 | $612,059 |
| Purdue University | Indiana | 2 | $500,000 |
| Texas State University | Texas | 2 | $500,000 |
| William Marsh Rice University | Texas | 2 | $497,949 |
| Regents of the University of Minnesota | Minnesota | 2 | $494,342 |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University | Virginia | 1 | $482,079 |
| New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | New Mexico | 3 | $423,266 |
| Surplus Management Inc | Illinois | 1 | $391,077 |
| Harmony Desalination Corporation | Massachusetts | 1 | $366,778 |
| The Regents of the University of California | California | 2 | $350,000 |
| City of Westminster | Maryland | 1 | $347,500 |
| New Mexico State University | New Mexico | 2 | $334,450 |
Who usually wins
Colleges and universities received 66% of the money, state and local governments 13% and businesses 9.9%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colleges and universities | 50 | $12.8 million | 66% |
| State and local governments | 4 | $2.6 million | 13% |
| Businesses | 7 | $1.9 million | 9.9% |
| Small businesses | 8 | $1.6 million | 8.2% |
| Other | 2 | $486,719 | 2.5% |
By state
4 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards. They are California, Colorado, Texas and Massachusetts.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| California | 11 | $3.8 million |
| Colorado | 11 | $3.3 million |
| Texas | 10 | $2.4 million |
| Massachusetts | 3 | $1.4 million |
| New Jersey | 4 | $991,146 |
| Alabama | 4 | $896,581 |
| New Mexico | 5 | $757,716 |
| Virginia | 2 | $732,008 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | $646,871 |
| Indiana | 2 | $500,000 |
| New York | 2 | $499,993 |
| Minnesota | 2 | $494,342 |
| Illinois | 1 | $389,712 |
| Maryland | 1 | $347,500 |
| Michigan | 1 | $250,000 |
| Missouri | 1 | $250,000 |
| Utah | 1 | $249,989 |
| Ohio | 1 | $248,872 |
| Tennessee | 1 | $247,466 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | $246,919 |
| Connecticut | 1 | $241,843 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | $226,145 |
| Arizona | 1 | $204,454 |
| Washington | 1 | $175,000 |