American Water and the American Water Charitable Foundation (AWCF) are thrilled to announce the 2024 Water and Environment Grant Program.

Important: If your organization historically applied to both American Water and the American Water Charitable Foundation environmental grant programs, please note only one environmental-focused grant program will be offered in 2024. The American Water Environmental Grant Program has been discontinued and blended into the Foundation’s Water and Environment Grant Program.

Applications will be accepted in the following states served by American Water, in addition to its Military Service locations: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

Grants will be awarded to help fund innovative, community-based projects that:

  • improve, restore or protect the watersheds, surface water and/or groundwater supplies
  • promote water conservation
  • improve equitable access to water-based recreation in underserved communities

To qualify:

  • Applicants must be classified as a 501(c)(3) public charity by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or K-12 public school, college or university.
  • Projects must be completed within 12 months of the grant being awarded
  • Projects must be located within and benefit American Water’s service areas

Deadline:
Applications must be received online between February 5 – March 15, 2024. Grant decisions will be announced by April 30. To apply online, please visit amwater.com/awcfgrants or click the image below. Paper applications will not be accepted.

American Water Environmental Grant Program

The three recipients of Iowa American Water’s 2023 Environmental Grant Program were:

  • Keep Scott County Beautiful/XStream Cleanup will be awarded a $4,500 grant to equip their volunteers with the “Tools for Success” -- Every year since 2004, Xstream cleanup (XC) has engaged and enabled volunteers from around the Quad Cities to help improve local watersheds. For volunteers to do such important work, Xstream Cleanup provides garbage bags, tongs, safety vests, gloves, and incentives to the groups and individuals making our community a better place. Xstream Cleanup requested funds to purchase these supplies and continue to equip over 1,000 volunteers this cleanup season.

  • Nahant Marsh will be awarded a $4,000 grant for its Reforestation Project Phase II -- In 2022, Nahant Marsh worked with volunteers to plant over 1,500 trees. As part of the second phase of this project, an additional 500 trees and shrubs will be planted this year. This project is to replace trees that were lost by the 2019 floods, 2020 derecho, and emerald ash borer and create a more diverse forest. Volunteers will also help remove trash in the one replanting area.

  • River Action, Inc. will be awarded a $3,500 grant for its QC Flood Resiliency Through Public Education Program -- River Action is creating a FEMA advised multi-jurisdictional program for Public Information (PPI) for the QC Flood Resiliency Alliance. The organization has completed 15 first floor elevation surveys in Scott County. We propose working with Davenport, Bettendorf, Moline, East Moline, Rock Island, Scott County and Rock Island County to advise citizens about flood hazards, insurance protection, and/or beneficial functions of floodplains in a PPI. As cities use the document, they will receive credits from FEMA they can pass on to policy holders.

Since the Iowa state environmental grant program began in Iowa in 2006, over $132,000 in grants have been awarded to local projects that improve, restore, and protect area watersheds.