The Bureau of Reclamation will host an informational webinar on Thursday, August 31, 2023, from 1:00 – 3:00 pm MDT to discuss the Cooperative Watershed Management Program Phase I and the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Projects funding opportunities. Click here to join the live event or use the same link to watch a recording after the completion of the live event.
On August 7, 2023, the Bureau of Reclamation published a funding opportunity for Phase I of the WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program. The funding opportunity provides funding for collaborative, grassroots watershed groups to complete group development activities, watershed restoration planning, and watershed management project design. Reclamation will provide up to $300,000 in Federal funds to an applicant over a three-year period, with no more than $100,000 to be available per year. No non-Federal cost-share is required. Click here to access the CWMP Phase 1 funding opportunity on grants.gov. It is also accessible by searching grants.gov for funding opportunity number R23AS00362. There are two application submission periods under this funding opportunity. Applications for the first submission period are due by December 5, 2023, and applications for the second submission period are due by September 3, 2024.
On March 14th, 2023, Reclamation published a new funding opportunity, the WaterSMART Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program. Through the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program, Reclamation funds the study, design and construction of large-scale ecosystem restoration projects that are collaboratively developed, have widespread regional benefits, and result in the improvement of the health of fisheries, wildlife, and aquatic habitat. Study and design projects are eligible for between $500,000 and $2 million in Federal funding, and construction projects can receive between $3 million and $20 million. A non-federal cost share of at least 35% is required. Click here to access the AERP Funding Opportunity on grants.gov. Applications submitted by the close of the first funding period on June 1, 2023, are now under review. Applications for a second submission period to allocate FY24 funding are due January 24th, 2024. A total of $95 million will be distributed between the two funding cycles.
Learn more about this and other funding opportunities at Reclamation’s WaterSMART webpage. If you have questions regarding applicant and project eligibility or the evaluation criteria, click here and select the applicable funding opportunity to schedule a time to talk with the program coordinators.
