Midsize and Large Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through its Office of Water and specifically the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, has released the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) EPA-OW-OGWDW-25-01 under the Midsize and Large Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program. This funding opportunity, authorized by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Section 1459F, is designed to support public water systems serving populations of 10,000 or more in enhancing their resilience to natural hazards, extreme weather events, and cybersecurity threats. The funding program seeks to ensure that water utilities can better withstand and recover from such events while also integrating modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, to strengthen operational safety and security. This grant targets public water systems in midsize (10,000–99,999 population) and large (100,000+ population) communities. Eligible projects must focus on increasing system resilience through planning, design, construction, implementation, operation, or maintenance efforts. Specific examples of funded activities include the conservation of water, infrastructure hardening against floods, drought response programs, cybersecurity enhancements, emergency planning and response, and public education initiatives. The program emphasizes activities that directly mitigate the impact of natural and digital threats to the water supply infrastructure and services. Projects must be located in eligible communities and substantiate their proposed resilience focus with risk documentation from government sources. The total available funding for this NOFO is $9,500,000, with anticipated awards ranging from $1,187,500 to $2,375,000 depending on the National Priority Area selected. Applicants must choose to apply under either National Priority Area 1, which supports resilience in midsize communities, or National Priority Area 2, which supports large communities. A maximum of six awards is expected, with four in National Priority Area 1 and two in National Priority Area 2. Awards will support project periods of one to four years. Importantly, each application must demonstrate a minimum 10% cost share of total project costs and must not exceed the federal funding cap for its chosen Priority Area. Applications must comply with all submission requirements and are due through Grants.gov by 11:59 PM ET on October 6, 2025. Questions regarding this opportunity must be submitted via email by September 5, 2025. Applicants are advised to review all documentation requirements, including project narratives, budget narratives, milestones, past performance records, and government documentation supporting the natural hazard or cybersecurity risk being addressed. All applications must include a 15-page project narrative, with optional attachments for supporting documentation, staff bios, and indirect cost agreements. Applications will be reviewed based on several weighted criteria totaling 100 points. These include the project's alignment with the designated National Priority Area, readiness to proceed, environmental results and metrics, milestone schedules and budgets, organizational capability and experience, and past performance on similar projects. Only eligible applicants that meet all threshold criteria will be considered for evaluation and award. Preference may also be given to achieve geographic distribution among awarded projects. The technical point of contact for this funding opportunity is Claudette Ojo, who may be reached at Resiliencygrant@epa.gov. Awards are anticipated to be announced in March 2026, with final grants issued by May 2026. While the program is not rolling, it is anticipated to recur annually, meaning prospective applicants may also prepare for future rounds. The agency has noted that all project data may be subject to public sharing and reporting and that Build America, Buy America provisions apply, mandating use of domestically manufactured materials for U.S.-based infrastructure projects.

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