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Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Program (SDWA 1459E) is sponsored by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This program supports projects that help build the water workforce and connect individuals to career opportunities in the drinking water and wastewater utility sector, as well as expand public awareness about the opportunities in these utilities.
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Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Program | US EPA Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Program To accelerate career pipelines in the water utilities sector and provide access to water utility workforce opportunities, under the American Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, Congress authorized EPA to develop a grant program under Section 1459E of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The grant program will further the goal of ensuring a strong pipeline of skilled workers in the water utilities sector. 2025 Program Update (pdf) On July 11, 2024, EPA announced the selections for the Innovative Water Workforce Development Grant Program, which supports expanding career opportunities in the drinking water and wastewater utility sector and elevating public awareness about jobs in the water workforce.
EPA is providing over $10 million to 12 organizations across the nation. Project Area 1: Targeted internships apprenticeships for skilled water utility trades. National Rural Water Association (Oklahoma) The Water Tower Institute, Inc. (Georgia) Project Area 2: Education programs designed for elementary, secondary, and higher education students.
Board of Regents Nevada System of Higher Education (Nevada) University of New Mexico (New Mexico) Wichita State University (Kansas) Project Area 3: Regional industry and workforce development collaborations to hiring qualified candidates.
Baltimore City Department of Public Works (Maryland) Center for Watershed Protection, Inc. (Maryland) Grand Rapids Community College (Michigan) Project Area 4: Leadership development, occupational training, mentoring, or cross-training programs that support career advancement.
American Water Works Association (Colorado) Multiplier/WaterNow Alliance (California) Rural Community Assistance Partnership (District of Columbia) Project Area 5: Education and training programs designed for decentralized (septic) water workers to support public health for communities that rely on private wells for drinking water or septic systems.
Pacific International Center for High Technology Research (Hawaii) Frontline workers at water and wastewater treatment utilities across the country are central to public health, environmental, and economic well-being in all communities, big and small.
The water industry is facing wide-spread shortages of qualified workers due to expected retirements, new investments in the nation’s infrastructure, and new technical and scientific skill sets required to operate and maintain these systems.
This grant program supports collaboration among federal, state, and local governments and institutions of higher education, apprentice programs, labor organizations, high schools, and other community-based organizations to provide access to workforce opportunities and build career pipelines in the water sector. EPA News Release about selections from the 2023 funding opportunity . EPA News Release about the 2023 funding opportunity .
On October 15, 2021, EPA announced the selection of nine organizations to receive a total of $3. 8 million in funding under the Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Program.
These grants will build the nation’s water workforce and connect individuals to career opportunities in the drinking water and wastewater utility sector, as well as expand public awareness about the opportunities in the drinking water and wastewater utilities.
Information on the inaugural award announcement and recipients is below: EPA's October 15, 2023 Press Release on the water sector workforce grant program Inaugural Grant Request for Application (RFA) (pdf) FY 2020 and FY 2021 Inaugural Recipients: East Central University (Oklahoma) (pdf) Rowan University (New Jersey) (pdf) Wichita State University (Kansas) (pdf) Grand Rapids Community College (Michigan) (pdf) Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Government (Ohio) (pdf) Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust (Washington State) (pdf) Syracuse University (New York) (pdf) Rural Community Assistance Partnership (Washington, D.
C.) (pdf) American Water Works Association (Colorado) (pdf) Sustainable Water Infrastructure Contact Us About Effective Water Infrastructure Contact Us About Effective Water Infrastructure to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem. Last updated on April 13, 2026
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 institutio…. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Program (SDWA 1459E) is funded by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
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.
Brownfields Job Training Grants is sponsored by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA's Brownfields Job Training Program provides grants to eligible organizations, including nonprofits, to develop local workforces for the assessment, cleanup, or preparation of contaminated sites (brownfields) for reuse. The grants fund training programs that equip unemployed and underemployed residents with skills for full-time, sustainable employment in the environmental field, including sustainable remediation and chemical safety.
FY27 Brownfields Job Training (JT) Grants is sponsored by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This program provides grants to recruit and train unemployed and underemployed individuals with the skills needed to secure long-term employment in the environmental field, specifically related to the assessment, cleanup, or preparation of contaminated sites (brownfields) for re…
EPA's Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development competition closes October 5, 2026. The agency says up to 15 awards across four project areas, but Project Area 1 alone carries a $7.8 million ceiling against a $10.8 million pot. That tension is the single most important strategic fact in the NOFO — here is how to read it, which lane is least competed, and what a three-week runway means for your submission.
Read articleEPA announced $3.5 million in competitive Clean Water Act Section 319 funding for Tribes on September 10, 2026, with a $175,000 per-applicant cap and roughly 20 awards. Applications close November 9, 2026. But eligibility was frozen as of October 10, 2025, and every application must contain an on-the-ground BMP project traceable to an approved management program. Here is how the gates actually work.
Read articleThe FY2026 Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Grant (EPA-OW-OWM-26-03) closes October 5, 2026 with $10.8 million, up to 15 cooperative agreements, and a Project Area 1 ceiling of $7.8 million. One maximum award would consume 72 percent of the pool. Here is how the four project areas actually partition the money, why the grants.gov award floor field is wrong, and why September 14 is the date that matters more than October 5.
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