MassDEP details 2026 water grants, $10M+ in planned funding and upcoming RFPs

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Water Resources told applicants in a webinar that it expects multiple grant rounds in 2026 to support water-quality monitoring, watershed planning and on-the-ground projects.

"This is a state funded grant that supports volunteer water quality monitoring efforts," said Judy Rondeau, nonpoint source outreach coordinator, describing the Water Quality Monitoring Grant, which the bureau expects to run in fall 2026 with about $200,000 available and no local match required. Rondeau said the grant supports equipment, lab fees, data management and staffing costs to produce data for the statewide Integrated List of Waters (the section 303(d) process).

MassDEP also previewed federal Clean Water Act funding. Rondeau said the planning-focused 604(b) grant will be a priority for the upcoming cycle, with about $1.8 million expected for federal fiscal year 2026 and a likely RFP release in July with proposals due roughly six to eight weeks later. The 319 Nonpoint Source Implementation Grant, which funds projects included in MassDEP-accepted watershed-based plans, is expected to be released in early August and carry about $2.5 million in funding; MassDEP said it has internally identified match for this round and will waive the usual 40% non-federal match requirement.

Courtney Starling, who opened the webinar, described state programs and partnerships that complement those federal funds, including: the MS4 stormwater program (RFR anticipated in August; roughly $250,000 estimated availability and a new rule allowing municipalities to partner with a regional entity instead of requiring multi-town co-applicants), a Long Island Sound nitrogen reduction infrastructure grant with $6.5 million available for optimization/construction projects, and a Water Management Act grant (MassDEP estimated ~$1,000,000 with per-project limits of $25,000–$600,000).

Andrew Dresco of MassDEP’s drinking water program summarized grants aimed at small and disadvantaged community water systems, saying the ECSDC grant helps systems plan, design and construct long-term solutions for emerging contaminants such as PFAS and manganese; that program uses a needs-assessment intake and is noncompetitive with no match requirement.

Gufran Bridal, cybersecurity coordinator for the drinking water program, said MassDEP allocated $2 million to a Cybersecurity Improvement Grant, with eligible small systems (population under 10,000) able to request up to $50,000 per system; applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted.

MassDEP staff encouraged applicants to use statewide resources and to contact program coordinators early. "Every grant RFR is posted to COMMBUYS. It's a requirement," Starling said, adding that program staff also maintain mailing lists and that slides, contact lists and the recording will be posted after the webinar. The agency recommended prospective applicants attend pre-RFP informational sessions and contact named coordinators (for example, Megan Selby for 604(b) and Malcolm Harper for 319) to vet project ideas.

MassDEP said specific priorities and analyte lists will appear in each RFP; Bob Smith, a grants coordinator, noted that past request-for-proposal documents and the watershed consolidated assessment tools are good guides but that precise analyte priorities for the upcoming cycles are not yet finalized. Staff emphasized that 319 funds implementation only (watershed plans must be MassDEP-accepted) while 604(b) and the Water Quality Monitoring Grant can fund monitoring and plan development.

The webinar closed with an Applicant 101 primer on procurement steps, timelines, required contract documents and outreach best practices; MassDEP advised applicants to register in COMMBUYS, watch statewide contract solicitations (PRF 76/77) to become prequalified vendors, and to use the bureau’s templates to avoid eligibility or submission errors. The presentation and Q&A will be shared via email and posted on MassDEP’s website.