Bureau of Reclamation stresses agency-specific NOFOs, NEPA and WaterSMART funding pathways
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Summary
A Bureau of Reclamation representative explained how to use Grants.gov to find federal funding, the importance of agency NOFOs and environmental review requirements, and historical WaterSMART funding avenues.
David White of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation told funding-fair attendees that understanding agency priorities is critical to locating appropriate federal funding. White gave an overview of searching Grants.gov, reading NOFOs and complying with application instructions.
Why it matters: aligning a project with an agency's mission and following NOFO instructions increases the chance of competitive funding.
White described how Grants.gov contains posted, forecasted and archived NOFOs, and recommended searching by agency, by assistance-type and by domestic assistance number where available. He cautioned applicants that Grants.gov cannot be filtered by state or region, and that applicants should pay close attention to NOFO submission times and time zones.
White also advised applicants to begin early, prepare required standard forms and a detailed budget, and to follow any application formulas included in NOFOs. He noted that most federal awards will require NEPA (the National Environmental Policy Act) review unless the NOFO explicitly states otherwise, and urged applicants to budget time and resources for NEPA compliance.
On Reclamation-specific programs, White outlined historical funding through regional pools and the national WaterSMART program, which include planning, basin studies and construction funding. He said Reclamation posts NOFOs on Grants.gov and that eligibility, cost-share requirements and evaluation criteria are specified in each NOFO. White advised applicants to keep in contact with agency points of contact for clarifying questions and to monitor grants.gov and Reclamation’s WaterSMART pages for new postings.
White said that near-term NOFOs were uncertain while there was a federal lapse in appropriations and the agency awaited budget guidance.
