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 (Application, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time)
Funding Amounts: $35 million estimated total funding; 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 wastewater systems.
Key Information: Applicants must demonstrate service capacity; nonaffiliated contracting cannot exceed 49% of the grant.
Description
USDA Rural Utilities Service’s Water and Environmental Programs administers this program to help qualified private nonprofits provide free technical assistance and training to rural water and wastewater organizations. Grants support identifying and evaluating water and waste disposal solutions, preparing financing applications, and improving system management, operation, maintenance, and sustainability.
FY 2027 priorities include addressing lead and emerging contaminants such as PFAS, supporting capital financing applications and project alternatives, and strengthening financial and operational sustainability. Assistance may address cybersecurity, disaster recovery, revenue improvements, regionalization, consolidation, or cost-effective decentralized solutions. Eligible service areas include rural communities and towns with populations of 10,000 or fewer, and tribal lands in rural areas. Funding supports assistance and training—not construction or direct facility operation.
