Reminder: Submit Your Letter of Interest for $10 Million in ARPA Grants for Tribal Matching Program

The Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) announced the availability of an additional $10 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Grant funds for our Tribal Matching Program on July 3, 2024.

This one-time grant funding provides an opportunity for all tribes in Oklahoma to receive additional support for eligible water and wastewater projects in their communities.

To be considered for funding, a Letter of Interest (LOI) must be submitted to the OWRB by August 2, 2024.

Find more information about the grant review process and the LOI requirements below.

1. Prepare Letter of Interest (LOI): List all desired projects you would like considered for grant funding on official tribal letterhead.

2. Submit Letter: Send the completed LOI and required documents to jordan.johnson@owrb.ok.gov.

3. Project Ranking: OWRB staff will review and rank all projects based on the grant ranking point structure.

4. Approval: Ranked projects will be presented to the Secretary of Energy and  Environment for approval.

5. Notification: Tribes with projects that rank high enough to receive funding will be notified, and an invitation to apply will be sent to the entities.

To learn more about the grants and loans offered by OWRB, visit our website. 

To ensure your projects are considered for funding, please submit a Letter of Interest by August 2, 2024.

Your letter must include:

1. Name of the system(s) for consideration
2. Description and cost estimate of the project(s)
   • A list of eligible wastewater projects can be found here.
   • A list of eligible drinking water projects can be found here.
3. Estimated project completion date
   • Ensure it is before December 31, 2026.
4. Permit to construct, bid documents, and bid tabulation
   • If available, including these documents is recommended as they impact project ranking.
   • Note if a permit to construct or bids are not yet available.
5. Certification or commitment to matching the OWRB ARPA Grant funds dollar for dollar and any other funding sources.

Note: Projects selected to receive funding will be required to provide an attorney letter certifying that the engineer for their project was hired using the federal procurement process.

For additional questions or concerns regarding OWRB ARPA Grants for the Tribal Matching Program, please contact:

Jordan Johnson
Federal Grants Administrator
(405) 530-8820
jordan.johnson@owrb.ok.gov