Small Town Grants (formerly Small Community Matching Grants)

Small Town Grants (formerly Small Community Matching Grants)

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
Last Updated: February 14, 2026

Summary

The Small Town Grants program, part of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, provides matching grants to municipalities with populations of 10,000 or less. With over $10.1 million allocated since July 2020, the program aims to subsidize costly wastewater treatment and sewer projects. Eligibility requires completion of a Needs Survey and a median household income below the state average, ensuring support for communities facing financial hardship.

Overview

Small Town Grants (for wastewater treatment facilities and sanitary sewer collection systems) A subprogram of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, the Small Town Grant Program provides matching grants to municipalities with population of 10,000 or less. As of July 1, 2020, this program has provided $10.1 million in grant funding for projects in conjunction with a Clean Water State Revolving loan. Many small municipalities find that needed projects are too costly without the additional grant subsidy provided concurrent with the CWSRF loan. Grant funding comes from the CWSRF’s Construction Administration Fund. During FY2008, legislation was passed providing the department with authority to allocate up to 65% of prior-year revenue from fees collected on CWSRF loans. This legislation also increased the population level for eligible communities to 10,000 or less (previous to the legislation, it was limited to communities of 5,000 or less).

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Who is eligible?NDEE considers those communities with populations of 10,000 or less that have completed a Needs Survey and have been placed on the Intended Use Plan.To ensure that grants will be awarded to communities with severe financial hardship, only those communities with a median household income below the state median household income will be considered.