Open · R26AS00016 · CFDA 15.514 · Discretionary

WaterSMART Drought Response Program

Federal grant opportunity posted by Bureau of Reclamation, cataloged on Grants.gov.

$25K-$1.5M
Award range
Open
Status
-
Close date
20
Expected awards

The verdict

WaterSMART Drought Response Program is an open discretionary opportunity from Bureau of Reclamation, offering $25,000 -- $1,500,000 across 20 expected awards. PlainGrants indexes 870 other opportunities from Bureau of Reclamation.

$25K-$1.5M
award range
Open
application status
20
expected awards
15.514
CFDA program

Open without a parsed close date

WaterSMART Drought Response Program shows as open in Grants.gov but PlainGrants could not parse a close date from the feed. First posted March 5, 2026. Award band $25,000 -- $1,500,000. If the agency funds the expected 20 awards from the $13.5 million estimated pool, the average award works out to roughly $675,000. Confirm deadline and eligibility on Grants.gov before preparing a package.

According to Grants.gov (extract vintage 2026-08-10), this record reflects the officially published listing. See methodology.

Deadline tracker

Open, no fixed deadline

Posted March 5, 2026 · check Grants.gov for amendments

Posted Mar 5 Open-ended

Est. Total Funding

$13,500,000

Expected Awards

20

Instrument

Grant

Cost Sharing

Required

Description

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 Drought Response Program NOFO invites eligible applicants to submit proposals for projects designed to improve drought resilience by developing effective water management strategies and drought contingency plans. Funding under the Drought Response Program supports a range of initiatives including infrastructure improvements for increased water storage and distribution capabilities, water source diversification, decision-making tools for water management, and comprehensive planning to prepare for and respond to drought conditions. WaterSMART Drought Response 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).

Catch-all / unrestricted eligibility mark · R26AS00016

Grants.gov marks WaterSMART Drought Response Program with a catch-all / unrestricted eligibility code (Others (see official listing text)). Read the official announcement text for the real applicant filter — the code alone is not a door list. Applicant cost-sharing is required on the Grants.gov extract. Instrument: Grant. Funding-activity code maps to Natural Resources (NR). 269 other Bureau of Reclamation listings share this eligibility-code string (31% of 871).

Code 25
Others (see official listing text)

Codes are Grants.gov eligibility category values from the extract vintage 2026-08-10. Confirm the full eligibility statement on the official listing or the Grants.gov eligibility reference.

Official Listing on Grants.gov

View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.

View on Grants.gov

Agency Contact

Alisha James bor-sha-fafoa@usbr.gov

More from Bureau of Reclamation

Closed Closed September 29, 2026

Desalination and Water Purification Research Program: Research Projects

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Open Closes February 15, 2028

WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program

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Closed Closed September 28, 2026

Native American Affairs: Fiscal Year 2025 Colorado River Basin Tribal Drought Resiliency Program

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Open Closes August 26, 2027

Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Projects

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Open Closes August 26, 2027

WaterSMART: Desalination Construction Projects

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What to do next

WaterSMART Drought Response Program is open with $25,000 -- $1,500,000 awards.

  • Submit through Grants.gov (R26AS00016) - verify SAM.gov registration and the current NOFO before drafting. Official listing
  • Look up CFDA 15.514 across all indexed listings before you commit to this opportunity alone. Eligibility finder
  • Compare award ranges across federal categories before you pick a single CFDA. All categories

Opportunity deadlines and eligibility change on Grants.gov; PlainGrants mirrors the extract and is not the submission system.

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from Grants.gov and SAM.gov and is for informational purposes only. Opportunity details, deadlines, and eligibility requirements change frequently. Always verify current information directly on Grants.gov before applying. PlainGrants is not affiliated with any federal agency.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from the SAM.gov Assistance Listings and Grants.gov. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainGrants