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Last selections announced July 11, 2024. Check EPA page for future funding opportunities.
Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Program (SDWA 1459E) is sponsored by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY. To inform the public about the role of water and wastewater systems in their communities, increase awareness of career opportunities in the water utility sector, and provide exposure to water utility careers through various work-based opportunities.
Funding priorities include, but are not limited to: (1) increasing awareness of career opportunities, and providing exposure to water utilities to address the workforce needs of water utilities; and (2) providing hands-on contextualized learning opportunities to assist the development and utilization of innovative activities relating to workforce development and career opportunities in the water utility sector.
This listing is currently active. Program number: 66. 445.
Last updated on 2026-01-13.
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Or search similar grants →According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Eligible applicants are nonprofit professional or service organizations, nonprofit labor organizations, nonprofit community colleges, institutions of higher education, other nonprofit training and educational institutions, or public works departments and agencies. Nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible to apply. For-profit organizations and individuals are not eligible to apply. The EPA may ask applicants to demonstrate that they are eligible for funding. For certain competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing, the Agency may limit eligibility to compete to a number or subset of eligible applicants consistent with the Agency’s Assistance Agreement Competition Policy. Eligible applicant types include: Nonprofit Organization. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows $20 million total (13 awards in FY24). Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
This listing does not include a published deadline, but it is an annual program. Check the official notice for the current cycle's exact dates.
Yes — Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Program (SDWA 1459E) is offered by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY and this listing comes from SAM.gov, an official U.S. federal source. Federal applications generally require registrations (for example SAM.gov or an agency submission portal), so allow extra lead time.
Yes — this listing is flagged as national in scope, so applicants across the U.S. may apply, subject to the sponsor's other eligibility criteria.
Applications go through the funder's official portal — the Apply Now link on this page goes there directly.
Past winners and funding trends for this program
On June 29, 2026, EPA announced it will waive the $25,000 WIFIA application fee and the credit processing fee — averaging roughly $156,000 per loan — for communities of 25,000 or fewer residents in fiscal years 2026 and 2027. Combined, that removes nearly $200,000 in upfront cost from the single most affordable federal water-infrastructure financing program, which carries roughly $11 billion in available capacity and can cover up to 80% of eligible project costs at Treasury-rate pricing. For small towns, rural utilities, and the nonprofits and districts that serve them, this is a rare instance of the federal government lowering the barrier to a program that has historically been out of reach for exactly the communities that need it most. Here is what changed, who qualifies, and how to move on a letter of interest before the window closes.
Read articleFor FY2026 and FY2027, EPA is waiving the $25,000 WIFIA application fee and the ~$156,000 credit-processing fee for water systems serving 25,000 or fewer people — a near-$200,000 discount on access to an $11 billion pool of low-cost federal financing. The waiver removes the single barrier that kept small and rural utilities out of WIFIA for a decade. Here is how WIFIA actually works, who qualifies, why the letter of interest is the real gate, and how a town of 8,000 should think about a program built for billion-dollar projects.
Read articleFor FY2026 and FY2027, EPA is waiving the WIFIA application and credit-processing fees for communities of 25,000 or fewer — saving nearly $200,000 per loan — against roughly $11 billion in flexible financing that covers up to 80 percent of project costs. Here is why WIFIA has been underused by small systems, how the loan actually works, and how a rural utility should build a WIFIA strategy in 2026.
Read article