This is your weekly grant opportunities update from The National Special Districts Association. Special districts are either eligible to apply directly, or able to partner with a qualifying entity to apply for any of the grants listed. 

New Grant Opportunities

Department of Transportation

FY 2026 Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant Program

• WHAT DOES IT FUND? The purpose of this program is to support surface transportation projects that will have a significant local or regional impact. The funding agency released preliminary information for the FY2026 solicitation and expects to amend the Notice of Funding Opportunity to provide more details concerning the availability of funds, application content and format, application review, award notices, and postaward requirements and reporting.
• WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible applicants are States and the District of Columbia; any territory or possession of the United States; a unit of local government; a public agency or publicly chartered authority established by one or more States; a special purpose district or public authority with a transportation function, including a port authority; a Federally recognized Indian Tribe or a consortium of such Indian Tribes; a transit agency; and a multi-State or multijurisdictional group of entities that are separately eligible.
• TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $1.5 billion
• WHEN IS IT DUE? February 24, 2026

Environmental Protection Agency

FY 2026 Brownfields Assessment Grants (Community-wide Assessment Grants)

• WHAT DOES IT FUND? This program provides funding for developing inventories of brownfield sites, prioritizing sites, conducting community involvement activities, conducting planning, conducting site assessments, developing site-specific cleanup plans, and developing reuse plans related to brownfield sites. 
• WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible applicants are local governments; land clearance authorities; government entities created by a state legislature; regional councils or groups of general-purpose units of local government; redevelopment agencies; states; Indian Tribes; Alaska Native Regional Corporation, Alaska Native Village Corporation, and Metlakatla Indian Community; nonprofit organizations; limited liability corporations; and qualified community development entities.
• TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $35 million
• WHEN IS IT DUE? January 28, 2026

Environmental Protection Agency

FY 2026 Brownfields Cleanup Grants

• WHAT DOES IT FUND? The purpose of this program is to provide funding to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites owned by the applicant.
• WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible applicants are local governments, land clearance authorities or another quasi-governmental entities, government entities created by a state legislature, regional councils or groups of general purpose units of local government, redevelopment agencies, states, Indian Tribes other than those located in Alaska, Alaska Native Regional Corporation, Alaska Native Village Corporation, and Metlakatla Indian Community, nonprofit organizations, limited liability corporations, and limited partnerships in which all partners are nonprofits, and qualified community development entities.  
• TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $107 million
• WHEN IS IT DUE? January 28, 2026

Environmental Protection Agency

FY 2026 Brownfield Coalition Assessment Grants

• WHAT DOES IT FUND? This program provides funding for developing inventories of brownfield sites, prioritizing sites, conducting community involvement activities, conducting planning, conducting site assessments, developing site-specific cleanup plans, and developing reuse plans related to brownfield sites.
• WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible lead and non-lead applicants are units of local government, land clearance authorities, regional councils and redevelopment agencies, states, community development organizations, nonprofit organizations, federally-recognized Tribes and Alaska Native Regional entities.
• TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $58.7 million
• WHEN IS IT DUE? January 28, 2026

Environmental Protection Agency

FY 2026 Brownfields Multipurpose (MP) Grants

• WHAT DOES IT FUND? This program provides funding to carry out a range of eligible assessment and cleanup activities, including planning and additional community engagement activities.
• WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible applicants are local governments, land clearance authorities or another quasi-governmental entities, government entities created by a state legislature, regional councils or groups of general purpose units of local government, redevelopment agencies, states, Indian Tribes other than those located in Alaska, Alaska Native Regional Corporation, Alaska Native Village Corporation, and Metlakatla Indian Community, nonprofit organizations, limited liability corporations, and limited partnerships in which all partners are nonprofits, and qualified community development entities.
• TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $20 million

WHEN IS IT DUE? January 28, 2026

Environmental Protection Agency

FY 2025 Credit Assistance under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program

• WHAT DOES IT FUND? The purpose of this program is to accelerate investment in the nation's water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost, supplemental credit assistance under customized terms to creditworthy water infrastructure projects of national and regional significance. 
• WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible applicants are local, state, tribal, and federal government entities, partnerships and joint ventures, corporations and trusts, and state infrastructure financing authorities.
• TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $6.5 billion
• WHEN IS IT DUE? Rolling

Latest Grant News

ACL Awards $2.63M in Elder Justice Innovation Grants

EPA Announces $3 Billion in New Funding for States to Reduce Lead in Drinking Water

U.S. Department of Energy Awards More Than $5 Million for University Nuclear Energy Infrastructure