WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow) (15.507)
WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow) (Assistance Listing 15.507) is run by the Bureau of Reclamation, part of the Department of the Interior. It awarded $421 million in 673 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $626,058 per award on average. 1 funding opportunity is open or forecast now.
The typical award was $175,810. Half of the 673 awards fell between $75,000 and $634,595, and they ranged from $550 to $5.0 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$421 million
- Grant awards673
- Typical award$175,810
- Awarded in FY 2025$99.9 million
- Size rank410 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceCooperative agreements
Key findings
- Annual funding rose from $25.5 million in fiscal 2021 to $99.9 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 410th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 30% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 23 states and territories.
What the program funds
The objective of the WaterSMART Grants program is to leverage money and resources by cost sharing with Reclamation for water management improvement projects, including: 1) water and energy efficiency grants that result in quantifiable water savings, increase water supply reliability, and implement hydropower; and 2) small-scale water efficiency projects that have been identified through previous planning efforts.
Open opportunities
Rules from the program listing
Who can apply
Applicants must be located in the Western United States or United States Territories specifically: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming (the “17 Western States”), Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, or Puerto Rico. Category C Applicants: Nonprofit conservation organizations submitting an application for a project to improve the condition of a natural feature without a category A partner must demonstrate that entities described in Category A in the applicable service area have been notified of the project and do not object. Category A and B applicants are eligible under all funding opportunities under WaterSMART Grants. Category C applicants are only eligible under the Environmental Water Resources Projects funding opportunity. Applicants must be located in the Western United States or United States Territories specifically: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming (the “17 Western States”), Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, or Puerto Rico.
What the money can and cannot pay for
Under WaterSMART Grants, Reclamation provides cost-shared financial assistance through a set of competitive funding opportunities including: the Water and Energy Efficiency Grants, Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects, Planning and Project Design grants, and Environmental Water Resources Projects. Reclamation may also provide financial assistance for these types of water conservation projects under this Assistance Listing using this statutory authority, either competitively or non-competitively, for other projects when another Reclamation Assistance Listing is not available. For further information please contact the regional office. Each Notice of Funding Opportunity offered through WaterSMART Grants includes specific information about ineligible activities.;
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula. The Federal share of the cost of a project or activity carried out under this Program shall not exceed 50% of the total cost of the project or activity. Note: this cost-sharing requirement may not be applicable to American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Virgin Islands. Please review individual funding opportunities for specific information.MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
Range: $50,000-$5,000,000 Average: $500,000
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2025: Reclamation’s Water and Energy Efficiency Grants provided funding to a water district in partnership with a ditch company and an irrigation district to replace 11 existing outdated manual headgates along two canals that divert irrigation water from the river with automated turnout gates coupled with a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system. The project also includes installation of two additional automated turnout gates to better control flow. The project is expected to result in annual water savings of 5,140 acre-feet, currently lost to leakage and over-delivery at the canal gates due to operational inefficiencies such as manual gate operation. Conserved water will remain in the river for recreational use, water supply, and other beneficial uses. Reclamation’s Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects provided funding to a city to install 390 Advanced Metering Infrastructure meters, enabling the city to quickly identify and respond to water leaks and usage spikes; customers will have access to their water usage through an online portal. These improvements will help the city better manage its water supplies more efficiently and enhance the quality of its services. The project aligns with the goals of the state water development plan.Fiscal Year2026: Reclamation’s Water and Energy Efficiency Grants provided funding to an irrigation district to improve existing irrigation infrastructure at nine sites across the district.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow) (15.507) awarded $421 million across 673 grant awards, an average of $626,058 per award.
Who usually wins
State and local governments received 75% of the money, nonprofits 18% and tribes 2.3%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| State and local governments | 463 | $314 million | 75% |
| Nonprofits | 111 | $75.8 million | 18% |
| Other | 62 | $18.3 million | 4.3% |
| Tribal governments and organizations | 20 | $9.7 million | 2.3% |
| Small businesses | 13 | $2.8 million | 0.7% |
| Businesses | 3 | $422,570 | 0.1% |
| Colleges and universities | 1 | $5,299 | 0% |
By state
18 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| California | 198 | $136 million |
| Utah | 86 | $43.3 million |
| Idaho | 65 | $36.0 million |
| Texas | 38 | $35.2 million |
| Washington | 39 | $26.4 million |
| Colorado | 51 | $26.1 million |
| Nebraska | 18 | $18.5 million |
| Virginia | 11 | $15.0 million |
| Oregon | 27 | $14.5 million |
| Wyoming | 15 | $14.0 million |
| Arizona | 38 | $11.3 million |
| Montana | 21 | $11.1 million |
| Nevada | 17 | $8.8 million |
| Oklahoma | 8 | $7.5 million |
| New Mexico | 12 | $7.5 million |
| Hawaii | 5 | $4.6 million |
| Kansas | 7 | $1.8 million |
| District of Columbia | 1 | $1.2 million |
| North Dakota | 8 | $750,000 |
| South Dakota | 5 | $558,463 |
| Puerto Rico | 1 | $509,694 |
| Guam | 1 | $400,000 |
| Alaska | 1 | $164,471 |