WaterSMART Grants: Water and Energy Efficiency Grants for Fiscal Year 2024 | R24AS00052

Opportunity Information: Apply for R24AS00052

The WaterSMART Grants: Water and Energy Efficiency Grants for Fiscal Year 2024 is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, focused on practical, on-the-ground projects in the Western United States that deliver measurable water savings and broader sustainability outcomes. The program is designed to help communities and water managers conserve water and use it more efficiently, while also encouraging projects that incorporate renewable energy components and strengthen long-term resilience. In addition to water conservation and efficiency, the NOFO highlights benefits such as increasing renewable energy production and reducing the risk of conflict in areas considered at high risk for future water-related disputes, signaling that the agency is prioritizing projects with both technical performance and wider regional stability impacts.

A central requirement of this funding opportunity is that proposed projects produce quantifiable water savings. That emphasis means applicants should be prepared to show, in a clear and defensible way, how much water will be saved as a result of the project and how those savings are calculated or verified. The opportunity also supports the integration of renewable energy elements where they make sense, reflecting an interest in solutions that reduce energy use tied to water delivery or treatment, improve operational efficiency, or add clean generation as part of water infrastructure improvements. Beyond the direct water and energy outcomes, the program frames these investments as contributing to sustainability in the West, which can include secondary benefits such as improved system reliability, operational cost reductions, and reduced stress on limited water supplies.

Eligible applicants are organized into two main categories. Category A includes entities with water or power delivery authority or that represent such entities. Specifically, eligible Category A applicants include states and federally recognized tribes, irrigation districts, and water districts. Category A eligibility also extends to state, regional, or local authorities whose membership includes one or more organizations that have water or power delivery authority, as well as other organizations that themselves have water or power delivery authority. In other words, the program is primarily aimed at the public and quasi-public organizations responsible for delivering water and, in some cases, power, and for implementing infrastructure or operational changes that create lasting efficiency gains.

Category B eligibility is available to nonprofit conservation organizations, but only when they are acting in partnership with, and with the agreement of, a Category A entity. Category B applicants are expected to demonstrate that the Category A partner is truly engaged, not merely listed. The application should include a letter from the Category A partner confirming three things: that the partner is acting in partnership with the nonprofit applicant, that the partner agrees with the submission and content of the application, and that the partner intends to participate in the project in some concrete way, such as providing input, feedback, coordination support, or other involvement. This structure allows conservation nonprofits to play a leading role when they have a committed implementing partner with the legal or operational authority to carry out water or power delivery improvements.

Several applicant types are explicitly not eligible. Federal governmental entities are ineligible, as are individuals. Institutes of higher education are also ineligible under this NOFO, meaning colleges and universities cannot apply as the primary applicant, even if they may sometimes collaborate in supporting roles depending on the project structure and applicant eligibility.

From the published opportunity details, the Funding Opportunity Number is R24AS00052 and the CFDA number associated with the program is 15.507, with the activity category identified as Natural Resources. The funding instrument is a grant, and the opportunity is administered by the Bureau of Reclamation. The listed award ceiling is up to $5,000,000 per award. The opportunity was created on November 14, 2023, and the original application closing date is November 13, 2024. Eligible applicant types reflected in the listing include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; federally recognized tribal governments; and eligible nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), provided they are not institutions of higher education), along with other eligible entities consistent with the Category A and Category B definitions in the NOFO.

Overall, this NOFO is best understood as a competitive funding opportunity for western water agencies, tribes, districts, and their nonprofit conservation partners to implement projects that can demonstrate real, measurable water savings, while also delivering energy and sustainability co-benefits that support long-term resilience in water-stressed regions.

• The Bureau of Reclamation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "WaterSMART Grants: Water and Energy Efficiency Grants for Fiscal Year 2024" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.507.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-11-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-11-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $5,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for R24AS00052

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