Rural Utilities Service · Department of Agriculture
Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program
Key facts
- Deadline
- Due Dec 31, 2026 · 85 days left
- Award size
- Not specified — see notice
- Total available
- $35M · about 40 awards
- Cost share / match ?
- Not required · Work out your budget and match
- Who can apply
- Nonprofit with 501(c)(3)
- Where
- Anywhere in the U.S., including Tennessee
Before you apply: federal grants require an active SAM.gov registration (Unique Entity ID) and a Grants.gov account. Registration is free but can take weeks, so start now, not when the deadline is close. Grant-ready checklist
How this fits you
- Available in Tennessee (nationwide program)
- No cost share required
- Tennessee recipients since 2023: 10
Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.
More from Rural Utilities Service
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- Revolving Fund Program · Done for this year · next round expected Jun 1 – Jul 3, 2027
- Rural Decentralized Water System Grant Program · Done for this year · next round expected Jul 28 – Sep 30, 2027
- Affordable Rural Cooperative (ARC) Energy Program · Forecast — no date yet
Official notice: https://simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/671860ad-eac6-468f-838b-a119e7b5994b · Printed from grantme.click/grants/4ea81894-a074-4ea8-acdb-176e59ab4ad7
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About this grant
Funds may be used to pay expenses associated with providing technical assistance and/or training (TAT) to: Identify and evaluate solutions to water problems relating to source, storage, treatment, or distribution; identify and evaluate solutions to waste problems relating to collection, treatment, or disposal: assist applicants, that have filed a pre-application with RUS, in the preparation of water and/or waste loan and/or grant applications; and/or provide technical assistance and/or training to water/wastewater system personnel that will improve the management, operation and maintenance of water and waste disposal facilities. Grant funds may not be used to duplicate current services, such as those performed by an association’s consultant in developing a project; fund political or lobbying activities; pay for capital assets; purchase real estate or vehicles; improve or renovate office space, or repair and maintain privately owned property; pay the costs for construction, improvement, rehabilitation, modification or operation and maintenance of water, wastewater, and solid waste disposal facilities; and pay costs incurred prior to effective date of grant.
Eligibility (from the notice)
(a) Entities eligible for grants must be private nonprofit organizations with tax exempt status, designated by the Internal Revenue Service. A nonprofit organization is defined as any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that:(1) Is operated primarily for scientific, education, service, charitable, or similar purposes in the public interest.(2) Is not organized primarily for profit.(3) Uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve, and/or expand its operations.(b) Entities must be legally established and located within a state as defined in §1775.2.(c) Organizations must be incorporated by December 31 of the year the application period occurs to be eligible for funds.(d) Private businesses, Federal agencies, public bodies, and individuals are ineligible for these grants.(e) Applicants must also have the proven ability, background, experience (as evidenced by the organization's satisfactory completion of project(s) similar to those proposed), legal authority, and actual capacity to provide technical assistance and/or training on a regional basis to associations as provided in §1775.33. To meet the requirement of actual capacity, an applicant must either:(1) Have the necessary resources to provide technical assistance and/or training to associations in rural areas through its staff, or (2) Be assisted by an affiliate or member organization which has such background and experience, and which agrees, in writing, that it will provide the assistance, or (3) Contract with a nonaffiliated organization for not more than 49 percent of the grant to provide the proposed assistance. Eligible Projects. Grants may be made to organizations as defined in §1775.35 to enable such organizations to assist associations to: (a) Identify and evaluate solutions to water problems of associations in rural areas relating to source, storage, treatment, and/or distribution (b) Identify and evaluate solutions to waste problems of associations in rural areas relating to collection, treatment, and/or disposal (c ) Prepare water and/or waste disposal loan/grant applications (d) Provide technical assistance/training to association personnel that will improve the management, operation, and maintenance of water and waste facilities (e) Pay the expenses associated with providing the technical assistance and/or training authorized in paragraphs (a) through (d) of...
Should we apply? (2-minute check) Ask a partner for a letter
Your schedule, working back from the deadline
- Oct7
Check that your SAM.gov registration is active (or start it now)
Grants.gov: allow up to 10 business days for SAM registration, weeks or months if information isn't verified. It must be renewed every year. Grants.gov - Dec10
Ask partners for letters of support or commitment
Suggested: partners need time to write and sign letters. - Dec24
Finish a complete draft for a final review
University grant offices require final versions about 5 business days before the sponsor deadline. Emory Office of Sponsored Programs - Dec29
Submit
Grants.gov: submit at least 24–48 hours before the deadline: uploads fail, systems slow down, errors need fixing. Grants.gov blog - Dec31
Deadline
From the funder.
Save this grant to put these dates in your tracker and private calendar.
What the official notice requires
Pulled from the funding notice FY27_TAT_NOFO.pdf (17 pages) so you can see the requirements at a glance. Each item shows the notice's own words; open the page to read it in context. The notice itself always controls.
Registrations you need first
Grants.gov · p. 2
“Make sure to have the most recent copy of Adobe Reader installed on your computer and that it is compatible with Grants.gov software.” Open page 2
Unique Entity ID (UEI) · p. 2
“Remember to input the correct UEI number on the SF-424 cover page.” Open page 2
SAM.gov · p. 8
“The items at 7 CFR §1775.10(c)(3), (4), and (5) are no longer required to be separately submitted as part of the application as they are covered under the USDA Terms & Conditions and the System for Award Management and Unique Entity Identifier.” Open page 8
New to these? SAM.gov registration can take weeks, so start early: grant-ready checklist.
What to submit
Form SF-424 · p. 2
“Remember to input the correct UEI number on the SF-424 cover page.” Open page 2
Timeline or schedule of completion · p. 5
“To be considered for administrative points, the applicant’s work plan must include a separate section titled, “Administrative Points” that provides information detailing how the project proposal will support the key priorities. 1.2 PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM The…” Open page 5
Audit or financial statements · p. 15
“Further, all grantees must submit an audit or financial information covering the defined period of performance as outlined in 7 CFR § 1775.21, Audit or financial statements, and the Grant Agreement. 7.0 FEDERAL AWARD AGENCY CONTACTS For general questions…” Open page 15
Length limits
50 pages max · p. 7
“The total application package, including all addendums except financial audits, must be no more than 50 pages.” Open page 7
Proposals: 20 pages max · p. 8
“Proposals must be no more than 20 pages as further defined in the FY 2027 TAT Application Processing Guide, and clearly identify language that supports priority scoring elements.” Open page 8
Cost share or match
Cost share / match · p. 12
“(15 points max) Demonstrated commitment of non-federal resources of 25% or more of total budget. 15 points Demonstrated commitment of non-federal resources between 10% and 24.99% of total budget. 10 points Between 1% and 9.99% of non-federal resources. 5…” Open page 12
Dates in the notice
October 1, 2026 · p. 1
“October 1, 2026 Application Due Date:” Open page 1
December 31, 2026 · p. 9
“Applications and supporting information must be submitted electronically and be received by http://www.grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m., ET, on December 31, 2026, to be eligible for FY 2027 funding.” Open page 9
Mistakes that get applications rejected
Could get your application rejected · p. 2
“Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.” Open page 2
Could get your application rejected · p. 7
“If any authorizing or organizational documents are missing, the application will NOT be considered for funding.” Open page 7
Could get your application rejected · p. 8
“Proposals with any ineligible components will not be considered for funding.” Open page 8
Could get your application rejected · p. 8
“Late or incomplete applications will not be considered for funding. 4.3 SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT AND UNIQUE EN TITY IDENTIFIER (a) Prior to application submission, each applicant must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) in…” Open page 8
Could get your application rejected · p. 9
“Late, incomplete, or ineligible applications will not be considered for funding.” Open page 9
Could get your application rejected · p. 14
“(a) Incomplete or ineligible applications as of the deadline for submission will not be considered.” Open page 14
Tennessee groups that got this money through a state agency or another grantee
This federal money also reaches local groups as subawards. 10 subawards on file. Largest shown:
| Recipient | Where | Through | Amount | FY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Association Of Utility Districts | Murfreesboro, Rutherford County | National Rural Water Association | $139K | 2025 |
| Tennessee Association Of Utility Districts | Murfreesboro, Rutherford County | National Rural Water Association | $138K | 2025 |
| Tennessee Association Of Utility Districts | Murfreesboro, Rutherford County | National Rural Water Association | $138K | 2024 |
| Tennessee Association Of Utility Districts | Murfreesboro, Rutherford County | National Rural Water Association | $129K | 2025 |
| Tennessee Association Of Utility Districts | Murfreesboro, Rutherford County | National Rural Water Association | $129K | 2024 |
| Tennessee Association Of Utility Districts | Murfreesboro, Rutherford County | National Rural Water Association | $120K | 2025 |
| Tennessee Association Of Utility Districts | Murfreesboro, Rutherford County | National Rural Water Association | $120K | 2024 |
| University Of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | West Virginia University Research Corporation | $70K | 2024 |
| University Of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | West Virginia University Research Corporation | $68K | 2025 |
| University Of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | West Virginia Univ Research Corp. | $65K | 2026 |
Source: USAspending.gov subaward reports (prime recipients report subawards of $30,000 or more).
About the program (10.761)
Water and Waste Technical Assistance and Training Grants — Water & Waste Disposal TAT Grants
How applications are judged
Assistance will be directed to those applicants who: (1) have demonstrated ability to provide technical assistance and/or training to rural associations; (2) propose to serve multi-state, regional, or nationwide areas; (3) maximize use of grant funds for direct staffing of activities that are delivered to the associations; and (4) the population of the associations served have low income.
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula.
Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2025: Training and hands on technical assistance to small water system operators in rural communities. Provide Geographic Information System (GIS) services to rural communities for effective operations, asset management, and emergency response. Help rural communities prepare applications for water and waste disposal loan and grants.