U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)

The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program is a federal loan and guarantee program at EPA that provides long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects.  Funds are offered on an ongoing basis, which enables borrowers to request financing on their schedule. The WIFIA program has approximately $11 billion in flexible financing available to support water infrastructure projects across the country, including in small and rural communities.

EPA announced the WIFIA program will waive application and credit processing fees for some small communities with populations of 25,000 people or fewer. WIFIA currently charges small communities $25,000 to apply for a loan and a credit processing fee at loan closing ranging from $50,000 to $150,000, on average. The program will waive these fees while reserved administrative funds last for small communities that launch loans in Federal Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027. This offer will not apply retroactively and there will be no refunds for previous applicants.

In addition, WIFIA has other flexibilities available for small communities including a lower minimum project cost threshold of $5 million and the ability to finance up to 80 percent of project costs. With these features WIFIA is attempting to remove financing barriers for small communities and make its funds more accessible.

Learn more about the WIFIA program at this month’s Office Hours session. Prospective borrowers have the opportunity to meet WIFIA staff and ask questions about the program and the process for submitting a Letter of Interest. Click the registration link below to sign up and attend this insightful and beneficial session.

Eligible Entities: Public and private entities including corporations; partnerships; joint ventures; trusts; state or local government entities, agencies, or instrumentalities; tribal governments or consortiums of tribal governments; and state infrastructure financing authorities as defined by the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act