WaterSMART: Desalination Construction Projects
Status: Forecasted
Posted date: May 14, 2026
Archive date: September 30, 2029
Close date: August 26, 2027
Opportunity ID: 362395
Opportunity number: R26AS00034
Opportunity category: Discretionary
Agency name: Bureau of Reclamation
Agency code: DOI-BOR
Award floor: $1,000
Award ceiling: $120,000,000
Cost sharing required: Yes
Funding Instrument Types
- Cooperative Agreement
- Grant
Category of Funding Activity
- Natural Resources
Eligible Applicants
- Others
Categories (use these for quoted searches)
- agency_code:doi_bor
- category_of_funding_activity:natural_resources
- cost_sharing_or_matching_requirement:true
- eligible_applicants:others
- funding_instrument_type:cooperative_agreement
- funding_instrument_type:grant
- opportunity_category:discretionary
- status:forecasted
Through WaterSMART, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) leverages Federal and non-Federal funding to work cooperatively with States, Tribes, and other entities as they plan for and implement actions to increase water supply and hydropower reliability. The WaterSMART Program demonstrably advances Trump administration priorities, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 14154 (January 20, 2025): Unleashing American Energy (E.O.14154) and Secretarial Order 3418, and aligns with other priorities and requirements, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 14332 (August 7, 2025): Improving Oversight in Federal Grantmaking (E.O. 14332). The WaterSMART: Desalination Construction Projects NOFO invites eligible applicants to submit proposals for the planning, design, and/or construction of facilities to desalinate seawater or brackish surface water or groundwater. By providing growing communities with new sources of local water supply, desalination projects diversify the water supply portfolio, increase water management flexibility during times of shortage, and make the water supply more reliable.