The Rural Utilities Services (RUS or the Agency), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), announces its Technical Assistance and Construction for Innovative Regional Wastewater Treatment Solutions (TAC–RWTS) Grant Pilot Program application window for 2023.
Donor Name: Rural Utilities Service
State: Selected States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 07/31/2023
Size of the Grant: $5,150,091
Details:
Purpose
Grants will be made to qualified regional consortiums to identify, evaluate, and construct economically feasible, regional wastewater systems for historically impoverished communities in areas which have had difficulty installing traditional wastewater treatment systems due to soil conditions. A successful applicant will be, or coordinate with, a regional university to solve untreated raw sewage issues with innovative technologies, while taking into consideration strategic management and regulatory models. Grants are for wastewater-related technical assistance, including such services as developing needs assessments, testing wastewater options, preliminary design assistance, developing regulatory guidance, and submitting applications for financial assistance. Additionally, the grant funds may be used to construct the identified solutions, including eligible associated costs.
The Technical Assistance and Construction for Innovative Regional Wastewater Treatment Solutions (TAC-RWTS) Grant Pilot Program will allow qualified regional consortia to identify, evaluate, and construct economically feasible, regional wastewater systems for historically impoverished communities in areas which have had difficulty installing traditional wastewater treatment systems due to soil conditions. The successful applicant(s) will be, or coordinate with, a regional university to solve untreated raw sewage issues with innovative technologies, while taking into consideration strategic management and regulatory models. Grants are for waste water related technical assistance, including such services as developing needs assessments, testing wastewater options, preliminary design assistance, developing regulatory guidance, and submitting applications for financial assistance. Additionally, the grant funds may be used to construct the identified solutions, including eligible associated costs.
Grants may be made to eligible entities for the study, design, or construction of regional wastewater systems for historically impoverished communities in areas that have had difficulty installing traditional wastewater treatment systems due to soil conditions. Solutions must be innovative and account for strategic management and regulatory models. Successful applications will be selected by the Agency for funding and subsequently awarded from available funds for the TAC–RWTS Grant Pilot Program.
Mid-South is a region of the United States consisting of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.
Funding Information
A minimum of $5,150,091 is made available to eligible applicants, to remain available until expended. RUS may at its discretion, increase the total level of funding available in this notice from any available source provided the awards meet the requirements of the statute which made the funding available to the Agency.
Eligibility Criteria
Grants under this funding opportunity will be made to qualified regional consortiums.
- An applicant is eligible to apply for the TAC–RWTS grant, on behalf of the consortium, if it:
- Represents an eligible consortium;
- Is legally established prior to the submission of the application and located within one of the following:
- A state within the United States;
- The District of Columbia;
- The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; or
- A U.S. territory or Federally Associated State;
- Has the legal capacity and authority to carry out the grant purpose;
- Demonstrates that it possesses the financial, technical, and managerial capability to comply with federal and state laws and requirements. For construction projects whereby ownership is retained by the applicant or consortium, the applicant must demonstrate within the application that the facility owner has the capacity to own, operate, and maintain the facility;
- Has no delinquent debt to the federal government or no outstanding judgments to repay a federal debt; and,
- Is not a corporation that has been convicted of a felony (or had an officer or agent acting on behalf of the corporation convicted of a felony) within the past 24 months. Any corporation that has any unpaid federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability is not eligible.
- Ownership Eligibility. Should the proposed project lead to the construction of a public wastewater facility that is owned, operated, and maintained by an entity that is not the TAC–RWTS applicant:
- The entity shall be:
- A public body, such as a municipality, county, district, authority, or other political subdivision of a state, territory or commonwealth;
- An organization operated on a not for-profit basis, such as an association, cooperative, or private corporation. The organization must be an association controlled by a local public body or bodies, or have a broadly based ownership by or membership of people of the local community; or
- Indian Tribes on Federal and State reservations and other federally recognized Indian Tribes.
- The entity must be a party to the consortium agreement or otherwise confirm their commitment in writing from an authorized representative. The letter must reference the appropriate votes, resolutions, or other actions taken by the entity’s leadership to participate and assume ownership of the constructed facility.
- The entity must be an active participant in the project and demonstrate the ability to own, operate, and maintain the facility, including compliance with state and Federal laws.
- The entity shall be:
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
