Rural Decentralized Water System Grant Program | RDRUS 22 01 DWS

Opportunity Information: Apply for RDRUS 22 01 DWS

The Rural Decentralized Water System (DWS) Grant Program is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Rural Utilities Service, designed to improve basic household water and wastewater infrastructure in rural areas by helping low- to moderate-income individuals afford essential systems they own or will own. Instead of providing direct assistance straight to every household from the federal government, the program funds organizations to set up and operate a revolving fund. That revolving fund is then used to offer loans and sub-grants to eligible households so they can pay for needed work on privately owned water wells and decentralized wastewater systems, such as septic systems.

A key point of the program is what the money can be used for at the household level. Through the loans and/or sub-grants issued from the revolving fund, an individual household may construct a new system or refurbish, rehabilitate, or replace an existing one. For a well system, the eligible scope runs up to the "point of entry," meaning the junction where water enters the home water delivery system after being pumped from the well. For wastewater systems, the program uses an equivalent boundary called the "point of exit," meaning the junction where wastewater leaves the home collection plumbing and flows into the septic tank and drain field. In practical terms, the program focuses on the well and septic components serving the home rather than broader community-wide distribution or treatment facilities.

The grant funds awarded under this opportunity must be used to establish and maintain the revolving fund itself, and they may also cover administrative expenses tied to making and servicing the DWS loans and sub-grants. That administrative flexibility matters because it supports the real work of running the program: underwriting, documenting eligibility, processing assistance, tracking repayments (for loans), and managing compliance and reporting responsibilities connected to the revolving fund model.

From the source listing, the opportunity is titled "Rural Decentralized Water System Grant Program" with Funding Opportunity Number RDRUS 22 01 DWS and CFDA (Assistance Listing) number 10.862. The activity categories include agriculture, community development, environment, and health, reflecting the program's role in public health protection and rural quality of life. The agency is USDA Rural Utilities Service. The posting shows an expected 10 awards, an original closing date of July 31, 2022, and an award ceiling listed as 0, which typically indicates the maximum award amount was not specified in that field of the summary. Eligibility is labeled as "Others," with details intended to be clarified in the opportunity's additional eligibility information section.

• The Department of Agriculture, Rural Utilities Service in the agriculture, community development, environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Rural Decentralized Water System Grant Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.862.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 21, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 31, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for RDRUS 22 01 DWS

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