WaterSMART Drought Response Program:Drought Contingency Planning Grants for Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021 | BOR DO 20 F003

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR DO 20 F003

The WaterSMART Drought Response Program: Drought Contingency Planning Grants for Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021 (Funding Opportunity Number BOR DO 20 F003) is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation. It is designed to help communities and water management entities strengthen their readiness for drought by supporting the development of practical drought contingency plans before drought conditions turn into an emergency. The program emphasizes improving drought resilience through proactive planning rather than reacting during a crisis, and it does this by requiring applicants to share project costs and leverage their own resources alongside federal support.

This opportunity uses a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument, which typically means the Bureau of Reclamation may have an active role during the project period compared to a standard grant. The activity area is categorized under Natural Resources and is listed under CFDA number 15.514. The core purpose is straightforward: help eligible organizations either create a brand-new drought contingency plan or update and strengthen an existing plan so it better reflects current risks, infrastructure realities, operational constraints, and water supply conditions.

Eligibility is aimed at entities that have authority connected to water or power delivery. While the eligible applicants field is broadly labeled as "Others," the program description clarifies the main intended applicants as states, tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, and other organizations that deliver water or power (or otherwise have delivery authority). In practice, this targets the organizations that are responsible for planning, operating, and coordinating water supplies and related infrastructure, especially those that need formal, actionable strategies to manage shortages, prioritize limited supplies, and coordinate communications and responses during drought.

Funding is provided on a cost-sharing basis, meaning the applicant is expected to contribute money and/or resources rather than relying entirely on federal funds. The maximum federal award amount is $200,000 per project, and the opportunity anticipated around 10 total awards. Because it is a planning-focused program, the funded work is centered on producing or improving drought planning documents and the supporting analysis, coordination, and preparedness steps that make a plan usable. The emphasis is on building resilience in advance, which usually implies activities like assessing vulnerabilities, defining drought triggers and stages, identifying response actions, improving monitoring and decision processes, clarifying roles and responsibilities among partners, and setting out feasible measures to reduce impacts when supplies tighten.

The announcement was created on November 7, 2019, and initially included two application submission periods tied to FY 2020 and FY 2021 funding. For the FY 2020 cycle, the application deadline was Wednesday, February 5, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. The Bureau of Reclamation indicated the funding opportunity announcement would be updated later to provide a second deadline for FY 2021. Importantly, funding across both submission periods was contingent on future appropriations, and the agency noted that any changes to evaluation criteria, priorities, or eligibility for the second cycle would be finalized at least 60 days before that later deadline.

Overall, this grant opportunity is best understood as a federal partnership invitation for water- and power-delivery organizations to invest in serious drought preparedness. By sharing costs and coordinating with Reclamation, recipients are expected to produce stronger, more current, and more actionable drought contingency plans that reduce risk, support continuity of service, and improve the ability to manage drought impacts systematically rather than under emergency pressure.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "WaterSMART Drought Response Program:Drought Contingency Planning Grants for Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.514.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 07, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 05, 2020 This FOA covers two application submission periods. Application due date for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 funding Wednesday February 5, 2020, at 400 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. This FOA will be updated to provide a second application deadline for FY 2021 funding. Funding available for projects submitted under both submission periods is contingent on available appropriations. Any amendment to evaluation criteria, priorities, or eligibility would be finalized at least 60 days prior to the second application deadline.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
• 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 BOR DO 20 F003

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