Choose Your Own Adventure: A Pathway for Finding Grant Funding

APPLICABILITY Recent years have brought historic levels of grant and low-interest loan funding to the water sector to address issues of aging infrastructure, water availability, environmental impact and climate change. Legislation such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and Inflation Reduction Act have created dozens of specific funding mechanisms with ever changing deadlines and, unfortunately, many water system professionals do not have the experience with grant seeking to efficiently evaluate grant funding opportunities. While successfully applying for federal and state grants can require a lot of advance planning and is highly competitive, finding applicable grant opportunities should not be the stumbling block that prevents a project from moving forward. The EPA's CWSRF and DWSRF are the largest source of federal funding for water, but grants are available from several other agencies as well. By identifying a few key elements of the project — such as community demographics, location, project impact and purpose — grant seekers can find alternative funding programs. This presentation will give water professionals a clear pathway to use for searching for grants and low-interest loans for any type of water project. DEMONSTRATED RESULTS AND OUTCOMES Methodology SRF represents the largest source of federal funding for water infrastructure, but the program falls short of the need for funding for the nation's water infrastructure. While there are many grant opportunities to investigate with new ones opening every day, water professionals can ask themselves a few simple questions about their project and their community to help guide them in the direction of possible funding agencies or programs. Is the community small and rural? USDA's Water & Waste Disposal Loan & Grant Program would be a good program to explore. For larger communities, HUD's Community Block Grant Program would be an option. If your state has had a Presidentially Declared Disaster in the past year, your resiliency project is eligible to apply for FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. If your community has not experienced a disaster but you can show the need to make your community more resilient against a future one, FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities or Flood Mitigation Assistance grants are possibilities. Does the project assist in driving economic growth and boosting employment? If so, the U.S. Economic Development Administration's Public Works grants may be available. Recycled water projects in Western states can find funding under the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Title XVI program while other regions should consider the USACE's Environmental Infrastructure planning. By following a series of questions, community water system professionals can identify grant opportunities for almost any type of project. The funding process of Industrial Wastewater Treatment Facility Improvements Project for the City of Salinas, California is an example of this methodology. Salinas is known as the 'Salad Bowl of the World' for its production of lettuce, broccoli and other crops. The City needed to make improvements to its industrial wastewater treatment system to address capacity and efficiency issues. The project was not eligible for SRF funding under the state's guidelines for recycled water, so Carollo's grants team used its funding strategy of identifying key elements of the project to find other opportunities. The project was more than just a wastewater plant upgrade; it provided economic advantages to the community's industrial sector and created jobs. Because of the economic and infrastructure benefits that the project creates, it was eligible for an IBank Infrastructure State Revolving Fund Program low-interest loan. Carollo is in the final stages of helping the City complete its application. The City is also in talks with the EDA for funding through its Public Works grant program, which focuses on helping communities improve their economic futures. Outcomes Thinking about a necessary water project in concrete, two-dimensional terms — replacing old canal lining or installing a new sewer main due to capacity issues — can limit an organization's ability to identify grant funding. Most projects have multiple drivers and impacts. By identifying the forces driving the project and addressing what water funding agencies are looking for when selecting grantees, community water system staff can unlock additional grant funding to support infrastructure projects and lessen impacts on ratepayers. RELEVANCE TO AUDIENCE There are more opportunities than ever for water systems to secure grants to assist with projects, but programs are scattered across different agencies with varying priorities and deadlines. It is easy to feel overwhelmed when beginning to search for opportunities. It is possible, however, to take an engineering and analytical approach to finding grants that most water professionals will appreciate. By understanding what types of projects funding agencies are currently looking to support and recognizing the benefits of their projects to communities and the environment, water system professionals can zero in on opportunities that may assist with financing their work. This session will help water professionals find the federal and state funding available to assist in completing their vital projects to improve water quality and protect public health while lessening the impact on the ratepayers.