WaterNow Alliance is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for a national round of Project Accelerator. Offering 250 hours of pro-bono assistance to support innovative water management projects, the Accelerator is open to cities, towns, or special districts responsible for drinking water, wastewater, and/or stormwater services.
Depending on your community’s goals, the Accelerator can provide a range of technical support and capacity including program design and management, policy and legal analysis, community stakeholder outreach, communications strategy, data analysis, and sustainability expertise, and more. The Accelerator focuses on jumpstarting approaches that are part of a “distributed” model of water infrastructure, that address water management throughout an entire community, supplementing and extending the life of more conventional centralized water systems. These strategies – which include water conservation, reuse, green stormwater infrastructure, and other consumer-focused initiatives – help secure water supplies, protect local environments, and keep water costs affordable. They can also create additional benefits, such as job creation, neighborhood greening, local economic development, and public health enhancements.
Past projects have developed roadmaps for implementing green stormwater infrastructure and incentivizing more efficient outdoor water use. Participating communities have created outreach and engagement strategies to increase participation in well and septic repair programs or water use efficiency programs. Each project is unique, but all share a goal of advancing innovative, community-driven water management solutions.
The Accelerator is also open to projects that foster trust and collaboration between water providers and their communities. Water service providers are welcome, though not required, to apply in partnership with a local community organization. This application cycle will also give particular consideration to projects that serve as practical leadership and professional development opportunities for utility staff as part of WaterNow’s emerging leader program. Prioritizing work that lets our partners build skills such as developing and managing projects, developing strategy, and communicating with different audiences is a focus of our efforts through the Emerging Leader Network and the Transformative Water Leadership Academy, and we are excited to continue this focus in Project Accelerator as well.
To see additional examples of past projects, view responses to frequently asked questions, or to apply, visit WaterNow’s website. Applications will close Friday, April 25, 2025.