The grant and funding programs Wisconsin communities actually use - what each one funds, what it pays, and what makes an application competitive. Free and open - no login, no forms.
Every year, Wisconsin awards hundreds of millions of dollars for local streets, bridges, water systems, stormwater, parks, and trails. Successful communities are often the ones with a scoped, estimated project ready when the application window opens. This directory covers the programs our municipal clients use most, in plain language: who administers each one, what it pays, and what a competitive application needs.
This directory is published in the open - no login, no gate - because working as an extension of village and town staff starts before the contract does. If a program below looks like a fit, bring us the project - the which-program-fits conversation is free, and we will tell you honestly whether it is fundable.
A note on accuracy: funding programs change - amounts, deadlines, and rules shift with state budgets and federal reauthorization. This directory describes each program's normal structure. Deadlines shown are from the most recent cycles as of our August 2026 review - agencies move them, and statutory next-business-day rules apply. Confirm the current cycle with the administering agency (each program links to its official page) or with us before you build a budget around any of it.
This is not theory - these are recent awards we helped southeastern Wisconsin communities land.
Sugden Road (CTH E to CTH I), Town of Mukwonago - one of just two TRID awards in southeastern Wisconsin that cycle
Section Road (CTH EE to CTH I), Town of Mukwonago - a supplemental award, the component that reimburses up to 90 percent
Zenda Road, Town of Linn - CTH B to Linton Road - $1,321,492 in design and construction funding
Three Town of Linn bridges - Hillside Road (P-64-101, over the former CMStP&P Railroad), Bissell Road (P-64-902, Nippersink Creek), and Lackey Lane (P-64-906, Lake Geneva tributary)
Honey Creek Nature Area, East Troy
East Troy multi-use trail extension - Mill Pond Park (STH 120) to Executive Drive on Honey Creek Road
| Your project | Programs to look at first | Typical local share |
|---|---|---|
| Street reconstruction or resurfacing | LRIP · STP Urban/Local · TID | 50% (LRIP) · 20% (STP) |
| Bridge or large culvert | Local Bridge Improvement Assistance · LRIP | 20% (bridge program) |
| Culvert or small structure (span 6 to 20 ft) | LSSIP · LRIP | 10% (current LSSIP program) |
| Road or rail access for a new or expanding employer | TEA · TID | 50% (TEA) |
| Sanitary sewer or treatment | Clean Water Fund · USDA RD · CDBG-PF | Subsidized loan; grants vary |
| Drinking water / watermain / lead services | Safe Drinking Water Loan Program · USDA RD · CDBG-PF | Subsidized loan; grants vary |
| Stormwater or flooding | Municipal Flood Control · Pre-Disaster Flood Resilience · Urban Nonpoint Source · Clean Water Fund | 50% (DNR) · 25% (WEM resilience) |
| Trail, sidewalk, or Safe Routes to School | TAP · Knowles-Nelson Stewardship · TID | 20% (TAP) · 50% (Stewardship) |
| Park or public land acquisition | Knowles-Nelson Stewardship · LWCF · CDBG-PF | 50% (Stewardship) |
| Boat launch or public waterfront | Recreational Boating Facilities · SFR Boat Access · Stewardship | 50% (state programs) |
| Lake or river water quality, invasive species | Surface Water Grants · TRM | varies by grant type |
Shares shown are each program's typical structure - actual terms depend on the cycle and the project.
Sport Fish Restoration - Boat Access applications
Municipal Dam Grant applications (2025-27 biennium)
Recreational Trails Program applications (beginning 2026)
Urban Nonpoint Source - applicable solicitation · Targeted Runoff Management applications
Knowles-Nelson Stewardship · LWCF · LSSIP applications (2026-27 program)
CDBG Public Facilities annual applications
Safe Drinking Water Loan Program applications
Surface Water Grants pre-applications (final applications November 15)
Clean Water Fund Program applications
SFR Fishing Pier applications · Urban Forestry window closes
LRIP local applications to County Highway Commissioners (2026-27 cycle)
Wisconsin Coastal Management Program applications
Recreational Boating Facilities - historically Jun 1 · Sep 1 · Nov 1 · Feb 1 (confirm current dates)
Municipal Flood Control application periods
USDA Rural Development · State Trust Fund loans · WIFIA windows · Dam Removal grants · TEA (first come, first served)
WisDOT's workhorse for local streets, awarded on a biennial cycle and administered through the counties. Reimburses up to 50 percent of eligible costs for entitlement and discretionary projects - up to 90 percent for supplemental awards - through three components: TRIP for towns, MSIP for cities and villages, and CHIP for counties. LRIP rewards communities with a scoped, estimated project ready when the county's window opens. Client awards include Section Road (CTH EE to CTH I) in the Town of Mukwonago, a 2026-27 supplemental (TRIS) award - the component that reimburses up to 90 percent; and Sugden Road (CTH E to CTH I) in Mukwonago, one of just two 2024-25 discretionary (TRID) awards in all of southeastern Wisconsin.
Apply: biennial - for the 2026-27 cycle, local applications were due to County Highway Commissioners November 1, 2025, with county submissions to WisDOT due January 15, 2026
Federal-aid street and highway funding administered through WisDOT, typically covering about 80 percent of eligible costs. Projects are delivered under WisDOT's local-program requirements, including a State/Municipal Agreement with the sponsor and WisDOT oversight of design and construction. Our STP-Urban reconstruction of Goold Street in Racine - storm sewer, concrete pavement, ADA ramps - was delivered on time under exactly this structure. On the STP-Local side, the Town of Linn's Zenda Road (CTH B to Linton Road) carries $1,321,492 in design and construction funding.
Apply: programmed on WisDOT's biennial cycle through your WisDOT region or metropolitan planning organization
Not a grant - a local tool that turns development activity into public improvements, funding streets, utilities, and sidewalks from the increment the growth creates. The Main Street sidewalk in East Troy was built this way. Where a district exists or can be created, TID often moves faster than any application cycle.
Apply: no application cycle - districts are created and amended locally through the Joint Review Board process
Federal safety funding that goes directly to local governments - no state pass-through. Planning and demonstration grants pay for safety action plans; implementation grants build what those plans identify: crossings, corridors, and intersections. The program is authorized through federal fiscal year 2026, with roughly a billion dollars in the most recent round.
Apply: the FY 2026 round closed May 26, 2026 - confirm whether a further round is offered before planning on one
When a specific employer's move or expansion hinges on a transportation improvement - road, rail, harbor, or airport - TEA provides a 50 percent state match to the local government, with $3.4 million available each state fiscal year. The accountability is real: the jobs must materialize within three years and remain for four more, and the business cannot be speculative. The local half of the match can come from local, federal, or private funds, or in-kind services.
Apply: rolling - first come, first served as eligibility is confirmed; construction cannot begin until WisDOT's post-award approval
Wisconsin's program for rehabilitating and replacing eligible local bridges identified through WisDOT's Bridge Project Scope Eligibility List - eligibility rests on current inspection condition data and identified deficiencies, with counties prioritizing eligible structures for each solicitation. Federal and state funds typically cover 80 percent of eligible costs, with the community responsible for the balance. Local bridge projects are typically delivered through WisDOT's Local Program process, with the local sponsor, WisDOT, and the project consultant each having defined roles - a structure we know well from local bridge work like Mt. Tom Road, Spring Prairie Road, and Center Road. Three Town of Linn structures - Hillside Road, Bissell Road, and Lackey Lane - have been funded through the program with our support.
Apply: periodic statewide solicitations from the bridge eligibility list - the current program covers 2026-2031
The program that fills the gap below the Local Bridge threshold: deteriorated culverts and small crossings with spans greater than 6 feet and no more than 20 feet, funded at up to a 90 percent state cost share under the current 2026-27 program - a one-time appropriation, not yet a permanent recurring program. The existing structure generally needs a condition rating of 4 (poor) or lower from a certified bridge inspector, and storm-sewer-system culverts are not eligible. For a town with a failing culvert too small for the bridge program but too big for routine drainage work, this is the program a board should ask its engineer about.
Apply: the 2026-27 solicitation opened February 3, 2026, with applications due May 1, 2026, and awards announced in July - confirm whether the Legislature renews the program before counting on a future round
Bridge funding starts with inspection data: WisDOT uses current inspection deficiencies and projected condition to determine which structures appear on the Bridge Project Scope Eligibility List. If a structure is deteriorating, the practical first step is confirming whether it appears on the list and what the condition trend looks like - we review both as part of a bridge project's front-end scoping.
WDNR's revolving fund for wastewater treatment, collection systems, and water-quality-related stormwater work - subsidized loans below market rate, with principal forgiveness available for communities that qualify. Demand has been running ahead of capacity in recent cycles, which makes the priority-scoring side of the application worth real attention.
Apply: Intent to Apply due October 31 for the following state fiscal year; financial assistance applications due September 30 when competing for principal forgiveness
The drinking-water counterpart: subsidized loans for treatment, storage, wells, and watermain, administered by WDNR. If your community still has lead service lines, the dedicated replacement program below deserves its own look.
Apply: Intent to Apply due October 31; financial assistance applications due June 30 when competing for principal forgiveness
Dedicated federal infrastructure-law funding for getting lead services out of the ground, run through the SDWLP framework - and the part every board should hear twice: replacements on the private side of the service are funded as 100 percent principal forgiveness - no debt to the municipality for that portion - subject to current funding availability and program capacity. Residential properties, schools, and daycares qualify, and the municipality runs the program that gets it done.
Apply: integrated with the SDWLP application calendar - Intent to Apply by October 31, applications by June 30. Demand has run ahead of funding in some cycles, so confirm current availability before building a program around it
Long-term, low-interest loans with grant funds available for water and wastewater projects in rural communities - generally those with populations of 10,000 or fewer. For small systems facing a big project, USDA terms often make the difference between fundable and impossible.
Apply: rolling - applications accepted year-round
Federal block grant dollars, administered by the state, for infrastructure in smaller communities - most often for projects primarily benefiting low- to moderate-income residents, though other HUD national-objective pathways are also available. Applications run on an annual cycle, typically due in spring, and the income-qualification work is as important as the engineering - start both early.
Apply: annual spring cycle - the 2026 applications were due May 14
WDNR grants covering up to 50 percent of eligible costs for flood mitigation - acquisitions, floodproofing, stormwater structures. Open to cities, villages, towns, and metropolitan sewerage districts. Pairs naturally with the drainage studies that identify where the water actually goes.
Apply: application periods typically open in even-numbered years, as funding allows
Wisconsin Emergency Management's program for getting ahead of the next flood, at a 75 percent state share - the most generous flood cost-share on this page. Assessment grants (up to $300,000) fund vulnerability studies, culvert inventories, and hydrologic modeling; implementation grants (up to $250,000) fund design and construction of hydrologic restoration that reconnects streams and floodplains. Eligibility requires either a declared flood disaster in the past ten years or a hazard mitigation plan identifying flood risk - and a funded culvert inventory is exactly the shelf-ready groundwork that feeds later bridge and small-structure applications.
Apply: periodic application windows - check WEM's available-grants page for open periods
WDNR's competitive 50/50 cost-share for planning and construction that controls polluted urban runoff - detention, infiltration, streambank work, storm sewer quality retrofits. A good fit when a stormwater project has a water-quality story to tell, and a common companion to permit-driven work.
Apply: applications are generally due April 15, with planning and construction solicitations alternating by year
WDNR's competitive cost-share for runoff control in targeted areas with documented surface water or groundwater quality concerns - agricultural and urban practices alike. For urban projects, TRM is most relevant where runoff controls implement an EPA-approved TMDL or address a documented water-quality impairment - a sharper tool than the broader Urban Nonpoint program, and not a fit for ordinary neighborhood drainage.
Apply: annual - applications due April 15 of the calendar year before the grant start year
WDNR's umbrella for lake and river work: education and planning, ecological assessments, restoration implementation, and aquatic invasive species prevention and control - the program family behind Clean Boats Clean Waters and Healthy Lakes & Rivers. Counties, municipalities, lake districts, and sanitary districts are automatically eligible; lake associations and nonprofits need an eligibility review by May 1. For the lake communities we serve, this is the water-quality counterpart to the boating-access programs.
Apply: pre-applications due September 15, final applications November 15; Healthy Lakes & Rivers and AIS early-detection grants are accepted year-round
Two borrowing tools worth knowing: federal WIFIA loans for very large water projects, and Wisconsin's State Trust Fund Loan Program - fast, straightforward municipal borrowing for projects that cannot wait for a grant cycle or need local-share financing alongside one.
Apply: WIFIA runs periodic letter-of-interest windows; State Trust Fund loans are rolling, year-round
For the communities that own dams - cities, villages, towns, counties, tribes, and lake districts - WDNR cost-shares eligible engineering and construction: 50 percent of the first $1 million for repair, reconstruction, or modification, 25 percent of the next $2 million, and 100 percent of the first $1 million for abandonment and removal, to a $1 million maximum award. The current biennium carries $4 million in program funding.
Apply: the FY 2025-27 program's applications were due February 27, 2026 - watch the next state budget for the following round
The companion program for taking a dam out: 100 percent reimbursement of eligible planning, removal, and impoundment-restoration costs, up to $50,000, awarded first come, first served while funds remain. We know this path well - the East Troy dam removal and Honey Creek restoration ran from grant administration through construction oversight as one engagement.
Apply: continuous - applications accepted year-round while funds remain
The state's signature program for parks, trails, and public land - 50 percent cost share, applications accepted once a year. Stewardship money built much of the trail network southeastern Wisconsin enjoys today, and it remains the first stop for park acquisition and development projects. Client awards include East Troy's Honey Creek Nature Area.
Apply: annual - applications due May 1 (next business day when it falls on a weekend or holiday)
The federal companion to Stewardship, administered by WDNR: up to 50 percent of eligible costs for acquiring or developing outdoor recreation areas and facilities. Municipal and tribal governments, school districts, and other political subdivisions are eligible, and it is competitive - requests typically exceed available funds. Because LWCF rides the same May 1 local-government cycle as Stewardship, a well-scoped park or trail project can often be positioned for both in a single application season.
Apply: annual - applications due May 1, the same date as Stewardship local assistance
Federal trail dollars administered by WDNR for trail development, rehabilitation, and maintenance - motorized and non-motorized alike. For a trail project, RTP is the natural companion application alongside Stewardship, and towns, villages, cities, counties, and school districts are all eligible.
Apply: annual - applications due March 1 beginning in 2026, moved up from the former May 1 date
Federal 80/20 reimbursement for bicycle and pedestrian projects - trails, sidewalks, crossings, and Safe Routes to School. Minimum project sizes vary by project type and community population - confirm the current solicitation's thresholds before scoping an application. The solicitation runs roughly every two years, so this is the definition of a program that rewards having the project scoped and waiting. Client awards include the East Troy multi-use trail extension, running from Mill Pond Park (STH 120) to Executive Drive along Honey Creek Road.
Apply: solicitations roughly every two years, typically opening in summer of odd-numbered years with applications due late October
Up to 50 percent cost sharing for public boating access: launch ramps, boarding docks, launch-area dredging, parking, signage, navigational aids, and facility rehabilitation. Counties, towns, cities, villages, sanitary districts, lake districts, and qualified lake associations are all eligible - for the lake communities we serve around Geneva Lake and across southeastern Wisconsin, this is the waterfront program to know.
Apply: historically reviewed at quarterly Waterways Commission deadlines (June, September, November, February); the next round is expected September 1, and timing can shift with Stewardship reauthorization - confirm current dates on the DNR page
Federal dollars - excise taxes on fishing equipment and a share of the federal gas tax - for boat ramp construction and renovation, plus the pieces around the ramp: parking, accessible paths, lighting, restrooms, and eligible channel dredging. The same broad eligibility as the state boating program, from counties down to qualified lake associations, and a natural companion application alongside it.
Apply: annual - applications due February 1
The companion federal program for fishing pier construction and renovation, including the access facilities and amenities around a pier. For a waterfront park plan, a pier application can ride alongside the boating and Stewardship requests - three programs, one shoreline vision.
Apply: annual - applications due October 1
DOA-administered federal grants for communities in counties adjacent to Lake Michigan or Lake Superior - Racine, Kenosha, and Milwaukee counties among them. Funds coastal wetland protection, nonpoint pollution control, coastal resource and community planning, and public access projects. If your community touches the lake, this program belongs on your list.
Apply: annual fall cycle - the most recent round's applications were due November 3, 2025
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation's grant for downtown and community redevelopment - the program behind many main-street building rehabilitations, mixed-use projects, and community anchors. Match requirements reward the communities that need it most: generally a 3-to-1 match, reduced to 1-to-1 for rural communities, designated Main Street districts, and economically distressed areas.
Apply: offered through WEDC's fiscal-year program cycles - confirm current guidelines and availability with WEDC before scoping an application
WDNR grants for building and sustaining community tree programs: regular grants to $25,000 and startup grants to $5,000 on a competitive cost-share, plus a no-match federal track for larger projects and catastrophic storm grants for tree repair and removal after declared storm events. Cities, villages, towns, counties, tribes, and nonprofits are all eligible.
Apply: regular and startup applications accepted July 1 through October 1; storm grants open after qualifying events
Some projects fund the unglamorous way: special assessments, the levy, and phasing. The Town of Linn's drainage program advances a budget at a time and never stalls. Our municipal engineering page covers how we phase work to fit real budgets - and prepare the assessment exhibits that come with it.
Program by program, strong applications look remarkably similar. Before the window opens, a community needs:
Defined limits, a concept-level design, and a defensible engineer's cost estimate - not a wish.
Board resolutions, maps and exhibits, inspection or condition data, and - for income-based programs - the qualification documentation.
Nearly every program is a match or a reimbursement - the budget for your share, and the cash flow to front costs, belongs in the plan from day one.
Procurement rules, reimbursement requests, reporting, closeout. The East Troy dam removal advanced because the grant administration held up its end.
This is the shelf we help communities keep stocked: projects scoped, estimated, and matched to the programs they fit - so when a cycle opens, the application is an update, not a scramble.
Yes - several programs are built for them. LRIP entitlement funding flows to every town, village, and city on a formula, USDA Rural Development targets communities under 10,000 people, and CDBG Public Facilities is reserved for smaller communities that meet income criteria. The pattern among winners is not size; it is readiness - a scoped project with a real cost estimate, ready when the application window opens. Our clients' recent awards back that up: TRID and supplemental TRIS wins in the Town of Mukwonago, bridge-program and STP-Local awards in the Town of Linn, and Stewardship and TAP awards in East Troy.
Everything after the award letter: executing the agreement, following the program's procurement and documentation rules, submitting reimbursement requests with the required backup, reporting progress, and closing the grant out cleanly. We administer grants alongside the engineering - the East Troy dam removal advanced because the grant administration held up its end.
A budget cycle before the project, ideally. Most Wisconsin programs run on annual or biennial cycles and reward applications backed by a scoped, estimated project - so the practical move is to have the project defined before the window opens. We help communities keep a shelf of application-ready projects matched to the programs they fit.
The first conversation - which programs fit your project and whether it is realistically fundable - is free. Application support, engineering exhibits, and grant administration are scoped work: send the project and we will send a written scope and fee, no obligation.
More for communities: Municipal engineering in Wisconsin · Municipal services · Construction management & monitoring · WisDOT consulting · Burlington office · New Berlin office