Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program
Rural Utilities Service grants fund technical assistance and training to address water and waste problems, help prepare loan and grant applications, and improve system management, operation, and maintenance.
Funder: Rural Utilities Service
Due Dates: December 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (Application)
Funding Amounts: Approximately $35 million total; one-year performance period, October 1, 2027–September 30, 2028
Summary: Supports private nonprofits providing free technical assistance and training to improve rural water and waste disposal systems.
Key Information: Applicants must be eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofits, excluding institutions of higher education, with demonstrated technical assistance capacity.
Description
USDA’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS), through Water and Environmental Programs, funds qualified private nonprofits to provide free technical assistance and training to rural water and wastewater organizations. Supported work includes evaluating solutions to water supply, storage, treatment and distribution problems; addressing waste collection, treatment and disposal; preparing financing applications; and improving system management, operation, maintenance and sustainability.
The FY 2027 program emphasizes assistance addressing lead and emerging contaminants such as PFAS, capital financing applications and project alternatives, and operational sustainability. Projects may support cybersecurity, disaster recovery, revenue improvements, partnerships, consolidation, regionalization or decentralized solutions. Proposals should maximize direct technical assistance while minimizing administrative costs. This program funds assistance and training, rather than construction or direct operation of utility facilities.
