Rural Decentralized Water System Grant Program

Overview

• Type

  Grant

• Title

  Rural Decentralized Water System Grant Program

• Source

  United States Department of Agriculture - Rural Development

• Federal or State

  Federal

• Total Amount

  $11,000,000

• Number of Awards

  10

• Award Range

• Cost Share

  Yes

• Status

  Active

Topics

Buildings & Infrastructure

Home & Vehicle Upgrades

Land & Water Management

Resilience

Eligibility

• Audience

  Nonprofits

• Sector

  Buildings & Infrastructure, Home & Vehicle Upgrades, Land & Water Management, Resilience

• Activity

  Equipment Purchase, Financial Help, Program Management

• Eligibility

  Eligible Entities

  Private nonprofit organizations with legal authority and experience administering loans for decentralized water systems.

  Eligible Activities

  Through the DWS program, private non-profit organizations will receive grant funds to establish lending programs that will provide household water well, and wastewater system loans and sub-grants to individuals. The individuals, as loan or grant recipients, may use the funds to construct, refurbish, and service their household water well or decentralized wastewater systems up to the point of entry to the residence. In certain circumstances where ground well water contamination is documented, funding may be used to complete work beyond the point of entry to the residence.

  A loan may not exceed $15,000 and will have a term up to 20 years at a 1% annual interest rate. Where necessary, up to 50% of the funds awarded may be used for sub-grant. Sub-grants can be used to help reduce the cost to construct, refurbish, rehabilitate or replace individually owned decentralized water well and wastewater systems.

• Location

  National

Application Process

• Application Link

  Apply Now

• Pre-Application?

  No

• Requirements

  No minimum or maximum award amount. However, this program is anticipated to have approximately $11,000,000 available through this funding announcement. Of that amount, $1,000,000 will be available for applications directly supporting individually owned household decentralized wastewater system subgrants.

  At least 10% cost share. Applications with cost-shares will receive more points and be more competitive. Cost share requirements only apply to revolving funds and not to sub-grant awards.

• Disbursement Method

  Unspecified

Important Dates

• Application Close Date

  Sep 30, 2026

• Open Date

  Jul 24, 2026

• Period of Performance Start

  Jan 1, 2027

• Period of Performance End

  Dec 31, 2027

• Publish Date

  Jul 24, 2026

Resources & Contacts

• Contact

  Sandra Alarcón, Community Programs Specialist, Water and Environmental Programs, RUS, USDA, by email at Water-RD@usda.gov, or by phone at (202) 568-1119.

• Resources

  Grants.gov Opportunity
  Rural Decentralized Water Systems Grant Program in Georgia | Rural Development