NSDA Weekly Grant Update: January 23, 2026
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 Agriculture
FY 2026 Water and Waste Facility Loans and Grants to Alleviate Health Risks on Tribal Lands and Colonias
- WHAT DOES IT FUND? The purpose of this program is to support low-income communities that face significant health risks resulting from the lack of access to, or the use of, adequate and affordable water or waste disposal services. Funding will support projects that will build basic drinking water and waste disposal systems, including systems to handle stormwater drainage. Click here for more information.
- WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible applicants are state and local governments that serve eligible areas, nonprofit organizations, and federally recognized tribes. All projects must serve rural areas and towns with populations of 10,000 or fewer in areas recognized as colonias before October 1, 1989, and are comprised of residents that face significant health risks resulting from the lack of access to, or the use of, adequate and affordable water or waste disposal services.
- TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? Unspecified
- WHEN IS IT DUE? Rolling
Department of the Interior
FY 2026 Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) Program
- WHAT DOES IT FUND? The purpose of this program is to support community-led natural resource conservation and outdoor recreation projects across the nation. Click here for more information.
- WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible applicants are community groups and nonprofit organizations, tribal governments, national parks, and local, state, and federal agencies.
- TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? Rather than providing monetary awards, this program will partner the funding agency's conservation and recreation planning professionals with award recipients to help local communities realize their conservation and outdoor recreation visions and goals by providing a broad range of services and skills.
- WHEN IS IT DUE? March 1, 2026
Department of Labor
FY 2026 Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program, Incarcerated Veterans’ Transition Program, and the Homeless Women Veterans and Homeless Veterans with Children Reintegration Grant Program
- WHAT DOES IT FUND? This program is an employment-focused program intended to enable veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness to reach their full employment potential and obtain high-quality career outcomes. Click here for more information.
- WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible applicants include state, local, and special district governments; institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments and organizations; housing authorities; nonprofits, for profit, and faith-based organizations; and other organizations and agencies.
- TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $23 million
- WHEN IS IT DUE? March 6, 2026
Department of Transportation
FY 2026 FAA Contract Tower Competitive Grant Program
- WHAT DOES IT FUND? The purpose of this program is to make annual grants available to eligible airports for airport-owned airport traffic control tower (ATCT) projects that address the aging infrastructure of the nation's airports. Click here for more information.
- WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible applicants include public agencies, private entities, state agencies, Indian Tribe, or Pueblo owning a public-use National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) airport, the Secretary of the Interior for Midway Island airport, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.
- TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $120 million
- WHEN IS IT DUE? February 17, 2026
Department of Transportation
FY 2026 Surplus Property and Military Base Conversions for Airport Purposes
- WHAT DOES IT FUND? The purpose of this program is to transfer surplus real and personal property to eligible airport sponsors for public airport purposes. Property transferred through this program may include military bases that are closed under the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC), and non-aeronautical-use property that generates revenue for airport operations, maintenance, and development. Click here for more information.
- WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible applicants are eligible airport sponsors, including states, political subdivisions of states, and tax-supported organizations.
- TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? Rather than providing monetary awards, this program provides transfers of surplus real and personal property by the federal government for public airport purposes.
- WHEN IS IT DUE? Rolling
Institute of Museum and Library Services
FY 2026 Museums Empowered
- WHAT DOES IT FUND? This program is a special initiative of the Museums for America grant program that supports projects that use professional development and training to generate change and growth within museums of all types and sizes. Click here for more information.
- WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible applicants are states, local governments, tribal governments, and private non-profit organizations that operate a museum.
- TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $4.299 million
- WHEN IS IT DUE? March 13, 2026
- Institute of Museum and Library Services
FY 2026 Museum Grants for African American History and Culture
- WHAT DOES IT FUND? This program is designed to build the capacity of African American museums and support the growth and development of museum professionals at African American museums. This program supports projects that nurture museum professionals, build institutional capacity, and increase access to museum and archival collections at African American museums and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HCBUs). Click here for more information.
- WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible applicants are states, local governments, tribal governments and private non-profit organizations. The applicant organization must qualify as a museum, a public or private nonprofit agency or an HCBU.
- TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $6 million
- WHEN IS IT DUE? March 13, 2026
Institute of Museum and Library Services
FY 2026 Museums Grants for American Latino History and Culture (ALHC)
- WHAT DOES IT FUND? The purpose of this program is to build the capacity of American Latino history and culture museums to serve their communities, and broadly advance the growth and development of a professional workforce in American Latino cultural institutions. Click here for more information.
- WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible applicants are states, local governments, tribal governments, and private non-profit organizations.
- TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $6 million
- WHEN IS IT DUE? March 13, 2026
Institute of Museum and Library Services
FY 2026 21st Century Museum Professionals Program
- WHAT DOES IT FUND? The program supports projects that build career pathways, strengthen professional networks, and identify and share effective workforce education and training practices in the museum field. Click here for more information.
- WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible applicants are states, local governments, tribal governments, and private non-profit organizations that have a tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code.
- TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $2 million
- WHEN IS IT DUE? March 13, 2026