Open RFPs
Multiple Funding Options
The Water Research Foundation’s comprehensive One Water research approach includes five research programs designed to provide flexible funding and partnership opportunities. Learn more about these programs.
Respond to an RFP
Each Request for Proposal (RFP) outlines specific application requirements; submit your proposal following the guidance included in the RFP. Be sure to note deadlines as proposals submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.
Note: you will receive a confirmation email after you submit your proposal. Check your spam folder if it is not received. Retain that confirmation email as it contains a link back to your proposal.
Respond to a Call for Pre-proposals
Two of our research programs follow a two-stage process beginning with a call for pre-proposals.
The Tailored Collaboration Program call for pre-proposals is now open for submission.
The next Unsolicited Research Program call for pre-proposals will open in 2026.
5295
Balancing Human and Natural Assets into a Holistic Water Resource Management Framework
Deadline
Mountain
Project Objectives
- Review and develop watershed condition metrics and assessment protocols for both human and natural asset structures and functions that best describe holistic approach watershed health and benefits in a social-ecological system context.
- Evaluate landscape conservation, recovery, and mitigation management strategies to assess their effectiveness in maintaining and improving watershed conditions and achieving aquatic ecosystem health targets along a disturbance gradient.
- Build an Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) and Natural and Nature-Based (NNB) decision-support framework to set watershed and ecosystem health goals that support desired social-ecological outcomes. Ensure the framework is adaptable and can be applied to multiple ecosystems and landscapes beyond the initial watershed.
5301
Integrating Requirements, Drivers, and Technologies for Enhanced Distribution System Water Quality Monitoring
Deadline
Mountain
Project Objectives
- Evaluate existing distribution system water quality monitoring programs designed for different purposes to identify opportunities for integration for future improvements in efficiency and effectiveness.
- Develop comprehensive guidance for designing, implementing, maintaining and using advanced and optimized approaches to manage and monitor water quality in distribution systems.
- Provide actionable recommendations for water utilities and regulators to enhance distribution system water quality monitoring programs and practices in a more integrated manner.
5303
Integrating Equitable Outcomes into Water Reuse Projects
Deadline
Mountain
Project Objectives
- Equip utilities and decision-makers to holistically assess an alternative water system's potential benefit and/or impact.
- Quantify or operationalize equitable impacts from alternative/diversifying water systems.
- Identify metrics to assess and inform decision-making processes for equitable implementation of diversifying water systems.
5348
Reducing Nitrification Risks Through Collaboration Between Drinking Water Wholesalers and Consecutive Systems
Deadline
Mountain
Project Objectives
The objective of this research project is to improve nitrification risk management in consecutive drinking water distribution systems. The specific objectives are:
- To catalog the roles and responsibilities of wholesale and consecutive systems—including regulatory requirements, water quality, and operations—and to develop best practices for roles and responsibilities of wholesale and consecutive systems.
- To identify and share strategies that promote communications and collaborations between drinking water wholesale and consecutive systems.
- To develop best practices for effective collaboration between wholesale and consecutive systems in managing nitrification risks.
- To provide guidance to consecutive utilities on preventing, detecting, and responding to nitrification events, including low-level nitrification events.
5296
Smart and Connected Energy Management
Deadline
Mountain
Project Objectives
- Develop a comprehensive understanding of the current state of smart and connected energy management in water and wastewater utilities.
- Recommend tools and guidance for implementing smart water networks to reduce waste and improve overall energy efficiency.
5302
Understanding the Practices, Policies, and Impacts of System Development Fees and Upgrade Requirements
Deadline
Mountain
Project Objectives
- Gather a representative sample of system development fees under different utility ownership and governance structures (i.e., municipal utility vs. private utility, water vs. sanitary vs. storm) across North America.
- Outline which states have state-enabling legislation that dictates what they can do with system development fees.
- Investigate the different system development fee methodologies utilities utilize and their impact on their existing ratepayers and new customer base.
- Evaluate the pros/cons of different methods of collecting funds from developers.
- Evaluate the differences in pay-as-you-go approaches vs. depreciation accounting and ratemaking practices (terminology differences, tax implications, etc.) and how this impacts the magnitude of development fees collected and practices used in the community to validate that the funds collected are used for growth related assets.
5335
Per Capita Water Use Calculation
Deadline
Mountain
Project Objectives
- Understand how per capita water use is calculated and measured throughout North America and how it is used as a metric for comparison and water resource planning.
- Evaluate the risks and benefits associated with different methodologies for per capita water calculations and the risks and benefits of standardizing the calculation.
- Develop a framework, definitions, and standard methodology for calculating per capita water use that can be used universally, allowing for effective comparisons and planning.
- Apply this framework and methodology to a set of water providers.