RCD Grant Awards 2025

Current as of: November 28, 2025

Grant Recipient	States or Areas Served	Award Amount
Communities Unlimited, Inc.	AL, AR, LA, MS, OK, TN, TX	$1,378,767
Environmental Policy Innovation Center	Nationwide	$1,378,767
Great Lakes Community Action Partnership	IL, IN, KY, MI, OH, WI, WV	$1,378,767
Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc.	Tribal nations located in EPA regions 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10	$1,378,767
Midwest Assistance Program, Inc.	IA, KS, MN, MO, MT, NE, ND, SD, WY	$1,378,767
Painted Desert Demonstration Projects, Inc.	Tribal nations in AZ, CO, NM, and UT	$200,000
RCAP Solutions, Inc.	CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, PR, RI, USVI, VT	$1,378,767
Rural Community Assistance Corporation	AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA	$1,378,767
Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, Inc.	DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA	$1,378,767
Total		$11,230,136

Communities Unlimited, Inc.

Project Overview

Communities Unlimited, Inc. (CU) serves rural communities facing persistent poverty by supporting sustainability, water infrastructure, entrepreneurship, and access to healthy food. CU will use RCD funds to continue its Technical Assistance and Training program to help rural low-income communities in the rural South meet their drinking water and wastewater needs. CU will use RCD funds to provide intensive technical assistance to help households plan, finance, and develop infrastructure, along with training to build local capacity for safe water delivery and wastewater treatment. The program will support at least 160 communities with populations under 2,500, train 450 local officials and utility staff, leverage $40 million for construction projects, and provide $3 million in loans for water and wastewater improvements.

Environmental Policy Innovation Center

Project Overview

Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) partners with agencies, communities, companies and organizations to disentangle and improve complicated policy hurdles on the path to improving environmental outcomes. EPIC will use RCD funds to provide Training and Technical Assistance through the Funding Navigator Initiative (FNI), unlocking over $15 million in financing for water and wastewater projects in rural communities. These investments will improve public and environmental health, enhance economic opportunity, and support long-term wellbeing in underserved areas across the country.

Great Lakes Community Action Partnership

Project Overview

Great Lakes Community Action Partnership (GLCAP) is dedicated to enhancing the lives of residents in the Great Lakes area. GLCAP supports small communities and businesses with infrastructure development, financial counseling housing assistance, senior services, childcare, and entrepreneurship. GLCAP will use RCD funds to continue its technical assistance program to support water and wastewater infrastructure in rural low-income communities across Great Lakes region. The project will provide onsite technical assistance and both virtual and in-person training to help small communities build and sustain water and wastewater systems. Services will focus on improving technical, managerial, and financial capacity, especially in areas facing economic hardship and geographic isolation.

Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc.

Project Overview

Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc. (ITCA) provides Tribes with program planning and development, research and data collection, resource development, management, and evaluation. ITCA helps Tribal leaders advance health, environmental, educational, and cultural initiatives, while improving water and wastewater compliance through technical assistance. ITCA will use RCD funds to expand its program to empower Tribal water and wastewater operators in EPA regions 5-10. ITCA will strengthen utility management through professional credentialing, enhance financial and regulatory capacity, and improve technical operations and maintenance. The program will target the 836 public water systems serving 2,500 people or fewer, equipping personnel with the skills needed to ensure safe drinking water and sanitation services.

Midwest Assistance Program, Inc.

Project Overview

Midwest Assistance Program, Inc. (MAP) helps rural communities and Tribal nations improve their environment and quality of life and achieve self-sustainability. MAP helps build the capacity of water, wastewater, and solid waste utility providers, especially in rural and indigenous communities with fewer than 3,300 residents. MAP will use RCD funds to strengthen the technical, managerial, and financial capacity of rural and Tribal water and wastewater systems within a nine-state service area within the Midwest. Over the grant period, MAP will assist more than 250 communities and deliver training to over 1,000 individuals. To overcome the financial and capacity-related barriers faced by rural and Tribal communities, MAP will expand access to resources and information through tailored local training, the MAP website, and its annual publication, The Source.

Painted Desert Demonstration Projects, Inc.

Project Overview

Painted Desert Demonstration Projects, Inc. (PDDP) improves access to drinking water and wastewater systems, alleviating persistent health, environmental, and economic challenges in Tribal communities across the Navajo Nation and other rural Tribal lands throughout the Southwest. Through culturally grounded programming, PDDP strengthens treatment systems, expands access to water, builds capacity, and enhances coordination with federal, state, and local agencies to sustain infrastructure improvements. PDDP will use RCD funds to identify infrastructure deficiencies, contamination risks, and compliance gaps, and address them through training, technical assistance, engineering support, and certified operator development. PDDP will serve 10-15 new Tribal communities, develop 5-10 full project concepts, certify 10-15 water and wastewater operators, and implement technical solutions to improve water and wastewater services.

RCAP Solutions, Inc.

Project Overview

RCAP Solutions, Inc. (RSOL) promotes community-wide well-being by providing services related to water and wastewater infrastructure, economic development, education and training, and housing. RSOL serves individuals, communities, and businesses through services ranging from housing counseling to GIS utility mapping. RSOL will use RCD funds to implement 300 projects and conduct 45 trainings and seminars reaching over 50,000 individuals with low incomes across rural areas within the Northeast, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. RSOL will collaborate with communities, policymakers, and stakeholders to identify and address through tailored projects key technical assistance and training needs to improve environmental and public health and improve economic conditions.

Rural Community Assistance Corporation

Project Overview

Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) partners with rural and indigenous communities to improve the standard by supporting communities through training, financial resources, and advocacy focused on affordable housing, environmental infrastructure, and community economic development. RCAC will use RCD funds to provide technical assistance and training to rural water and wastewater systems serving residents with low incomes in 11 Western states. Each year of the grant, RCAC will assist at least 70 communities and deliver 10 workshops. Activities will include water and wastewater system operator training for certification and compliance, managerial training for decision-makers, on-site support to address safety and security issues, and capacity building for small systems.

Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, Inc.

Project Overview

Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, Inc. (SERCAP) is dedicated to ensuring that all residents within the southeastern U.S. have access to clean drinking water, sanitary water disposal, and structurally sound housing. SERCAP supports individuals, governments, and community groups through home repair assistance, training, grants, loans, and small business development. SERCAP will use RCD funds to provide both long- and short-term technical assistance to rural communities within seven states in the Southeast. Planned initiatives include rural leadership development programs, public/private partnership support, technical assistance provider training, and guidance on securing funding for water and wastewater facilities. Additional services will cover project management, operations troubleshooting, board member training, and continued financial assistance through SERCAP’s loan fund program.