WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program

The WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program is administered by the Bureau of Reclamation within the U.S. Department of the Interior. This program is designed to support collaborative, locally driven watershed management efforts that address water supply reliability, water quality, and ecosystem resilience. The initiative aligns with broader federal priorities related to water conservation, infrastructure planning, and interagency cooperation, and it emphasizes stakeholder-driven solutions to complex water management challenges across eligible regions. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to provide financial assistance for watershed group development, watershed restoration planning, and watershed management project planning and design. The program supports both newly forming watershed groups and established groups seeking to expand or refine their planning efforts. Through these activities, the program aims to reduce water-related conflicts, improve coordination among stakeholders, and promote sustainable use of limited water resources. Eligible activities include outreach and stakeholder engagement, development of governance structures, data collection and analysis, restoration planning, and technical design work for future implementation projects. Funding under this program is structured to support planning-phase activities rather than construction or implementation. Award amounts range from 50,000 to 300,000 dollars, with funding distributed over a period of up to three years, typically not exceeding 100,000 dollars per year. Administrative and coordination costs are capped at 20 percent of the total award, and certain activities such as land acquisition, regulatory compliance for construction, and general education programs are explicitly ineligible. While cost sharing is not required, voluntary contributions may strengthen an application during the evaluation process. Eligibility is limited to watershed groups or entities sponsoring the development of such groups within specified U.S. states and territories. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, tribal entities, special districts, interstate organizations, and institutions of higher education. Watershed groups must be grassroots, non-regulatory entities composed of diverse stakeholders and must demonstrate the ability to address water resource issues collaboratively. Federal agencies and individuals are not eligible to apply. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov and require completion of several standard federal forms, including the SF-424 and SF-424A, along with a project narrative, budget narrative, and project abstract. The project narrative must address specific merit review criteria, including stakeholder diversity, identification of watershed needs, readiness to proceed, alignment with federal priorities, and any voluntary cost share. Applications are evaluated through a structured merit review process, with scoring based on predefined criteria totaling 100 points. The application process includes multiple submission rounds with fixed deadlines. For this funding cycle, deadlines occur in October 2026, February 2027, September 2027, and February 2028. Awards are expected to begin as early as mid-2027 depending on the round, with project periods generally lasting three years. Successful applicants will be notified several months after each submission deadline. Program contacts are available via email through the Bureau of Reclamation for questions related to eligibility, application requirements, and submission procedures.

Emphasize diverse stakeholder engagement and clearly link watershed issues to proposed activities; provide strong data support for watershed needs; ensure detailed schedule and readiness to proceed; align project with federal priorities and demonstrate measurable benefits