Open · RDRUS-26-DWS2 · CFDA 10.862 · Discretionary

Rural Decentralized Water System Grant Program

Federal grant opportunity posted by Rural Utilities Service, cataloged on Grants.gov.

Varies
Award range
Open
Status
51d
Days left
10
Expected awards

The verdict

Rural Decentralized Water System Grant Program is an open discretionary opportunity from Rural Utilities Service, offering Varies by applicant across 10 expected awards. Applications close in 51 days.

Varies
award range
Open
51 days left
10
expected awards
10.862
CFDA program

Opportunity snapshot. This Grants.gov announcement - Rural Decentralized Water System Grant Program - is cataloged under number RDRUS-26-DWS2 and tied to CFDA assistance listing 10.862, posted by Rural Utilities Service. Grants.gov currently shows the opportunity as open, first posted on July 28, 2026. The funding category is Discretionary, delivered as a grant.

Award economics. The award range on file is Varies by applicant. The agency has projected $11.0 million in total estimated funding for this announcement. It expects to issue 10 awards. If the agency funds the expected 10 awards from the $11.0 million estimated pool, the average award works out to roughly $1.1 million. Cost sharing or matching funds are required, meaning applicants must contribute a portion of the project budget from non-federal sources, factor this into your financial plan before drafting the proposal. Federal award ranges are often upper bounds; actual allocations reflect program appropriations, the strength of the applicant pool, and the evaluation committee's scoring.

Deadline and action path. Applications close on September 30, 2026 - roughly 51 days from today. Every Grants.gov submission requires an active SAM.gov registration and a Unique Entity ID. Review the Eligibility section below carefully, federal eligibility categories (nonprofit, state or local government, tribal, individual, educational institution, small business) have distinct registration and reporting requirements. Pre-application outreach to the listed agency contact is permitted and often welcomed, it helps clarify scope and scoring priorities. Before acting on the deadline or award figures above, verify them directly on the official Grants.gov listing, amendments can change dates and amounts after this page was last refreshed.

Award Range

Varies by applicant

Close Date

September 30, 2026

Posted

July 28, 2026

Est. Total Funding

$11,000,000

Expected Awards

10

Instrument

Grant

Cost Sharing

Required

Description

The DWS Grant Program has been established to help individuals with low to moderate incomes finance certain costs of household water wells and individually owned decentralized wastewater systems that they own or will own. Grants are made to eligible nonprofit organizations to establish and maintain a revolving fund to provide loans and sub-grants to eligible individuals for individually owned water well systems and/or individually owned wastewater systems. Loan and/or sub-grant funds may be used by the individual to construct, refurbish, rehabilitate, or replace decentralized water well or wastewater systems. For water well systems, funds may be used up to the point of entry to a home, which is the junction where water enters into a home water delivery system after being pumped from a well. For wastewater systems, in lieu of the point of entry, the point of exit is substituted. The point of exit is the junction where wastewater exits out of the home wastewater collection system into the septic tank and drain field. DWS grant funds may be used by the nonprofit recipient to pay administrative expenses associated with providing DWS loans and/or sub-grants.

Eligibility

Grants.gov lists this opportunity under eligibility category code 25. These codes correspond to applicant types (state/local government, tribal organization, nonprofit, educational institution, individual, small business, etc.) defined in Grants.gov's own eligibility reference. See the current Grants.gov eligibility categories or check the official listing below for this opportunity's exact eligibility statement.

Official Listing on Grants.gov

View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.

View on Grants.gov

Agency Contact

DWS Grant Manager

Key Dates

Posted July 28, 2026
Close Date September 30, 2026
Archive Date October 31, 2026
Last Updated July 28, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this grant opportunity?
This is a federal funding opportunity titled "Rural Decentralized Water System Grant Program", offered by Rural Utilities Service. It is associated with CFDA program 10.862. The DWS Grant Program has been established to help individuals with low to moderate incomes finance certain costs of household water wells and individually owned decentralized wastewater systems that ...
Is this opportunity still open?
Yes, this opportunity is currently open for applications. The closing date is September 30, 2026.
How much funding is available?
The award range for this opportunity is Varies by applicant. Total estimated funding: $11,000,000. Expected number of awards: 10.
How do I apply?
Applications for federal grant opportunities are typically submitted through Grants.gov. Visit the official listing at grants.gov for application instructions, required documents, and submission deadlines.

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.

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