WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program Phase I for Fiscal Year 2023
Agency: Bureau of Reclamation
Posted: 2023-08-07 | Closing date: 2024-09-03
First application period: Tuesday, December 5, 2023, 4:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. Second application period: Tuesday, September 3, 2024,4:00 p.m., Mountain Daylight Time. Electronic applications must be submitted no later than 4:00 p.m., MDT, on the listed application due date.
Award ceiling: 300000
Award floor: 10000
Cost sharing or matching requirement: No

The objective of this NOFO is to invite states, Indian Tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, local governmental entities, non-profit organizations, Existing Watershed Groups, and local and special districts (e.g., irrigation and water districts, conservation districts, natural resource districts) to submit proposals for Phase I activities to develop a watershed group, complete watershed restoration planning activities, and design watershed management projects. See Section C.4. Eligible Projects for a more comprehensive description of eligible activities.A “watershed group,” as defined in Section 6001(6) of the Cooperative Watershed Management Act (see Section A.1. Authority for full citation) is a grassroots, non-regulatory entity that addresses water availability and quality issues within the relevant watershed, is capable of promoting the sustainable use of water resources in the watershed, makes decisions on a consensus basis, and represents a diverse group of stakeholders, including hydroelectric producers, livestock grazing, timber production, land development, recreation or tourism, irrigated agriculture, the environment, municipal water supplies, private property owners, Federal, state and local governments, Tribes, and disadvantaged communities. 

Eligibility: New Watershed Groups Applicants eligible to receive an award as a New Watershed Group include states, Indian Tribes, local and special districts (e.g., irrigation, water districts, water conservation districts), local governmental entities, interstate organizations, and non-profit organizations. To be eligible, applicants must also (1) be sponsoring the development of a New Watershed Group, (2) significantly affect or be affected by the quality or quantity of water in a watershed, and (3) be capable of promoting the sustainable use of water resources. Existing Watershed Groups Applicants eligible to receive an award as an Existing Watershed Group include states, Indian Tribes, local and special districts (e.g., irrigation, water districts, water conservation districts), local governmental entities, interstate organizations, and non-profit organizations. To be eligible, applicants must also Be an Existing Watershed Group, which meets the definition of a watershed group as described above in Section A.3. Notice of Funding Opportunity Objectives and is legally incorporated as a non-profit entity; be a participating entity in an Existing Watershed Group; or be a fiscal sponsor of an Existing Watershed Group.   Applicants (except non-profits organizations) must also be located in one of the following states or territories: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.   Non-profit organizations must be located in the United States or one of the territories identified above and must be sponsoring the establishment or development of a watershed group located in one of the following states or territories: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, or Puerto Rico.