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 and program status are as of our September 21, 2026 review - agencies move them, and statutory next-business-day rules apply. Two changes stand out this fall: the state's Knowles-Nelson Stewardship funding expired June 30, 2026, and the federal programs behind STP, TAP, SS4A, and federal bridge aid are awaiting reauthorization in Congress. 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) |
| Weight-restricted road serving farms or forestry | ARIP · LRIP | 10% (ARIP) · 50% (LRIP) |
| Bridge or large culvert | Local Bridge Improvement Assistance · LRIP | 20% (bridge program) |
| Culvert or small structure (span 6 to 20 ft) | LRIP · ARIP (farm or forestry access) · LSSIP (2026-27 round awarded) | 50% (LRIP) · 10% (ARIP) |
| 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 · Recreational Trails Program · TID | 20% (TAP) |
| Park or public land acquisition | LWCF · CDBG-PF · Knowles-Nelson Stewardship (funding expired June 30, 2026) | 50% (LWCF) |
| Boat launch or public waterfront | SFR Boat Access · Recreational Boating Facilities (Great Lakes projects only for now) · Coastal Management (Lake Michigan and Superior counties) | 50% (RBF) |
| 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
Recreational Trails Program applications (beginning 2026)
Urban Nonpoint Source - applicable solicitation · Targeted Runoff Management applications
LWCF applications · Knowles-Nelson Stewardship closed - state funding expired June 30, 2026
CDBG Public Facilities annual applications
Safe Drinking Water Loan Program & lead service line applications
Surface Water Grants pre-applications - required before the November application
Clean Water Fund Program applications seeking principal forgiveness
SFR Fishing Pier applications · Urban Forestry regular and startup applications
CWFP, SDWLP & lead service line Intent to Apply · TAP deadline in solicitation years
LRIP local applications to County Highway Commissioners - the 2026-27 cycle's were due November 1, 2025
Wisconsin Coastal Management Program applications - the 2027-28 round is due November 3, 2026
Surface Water Grants final applications - November 16 in 2026, since the 15th falls on a Sunday
Recreational Boating Facilities - Great Lakes projects only for now; inland-lake applications are paused
Municipal Flood Control application periods - 2026 is closed; next expected 2028 if funded
Municipal Dam Grant FY 2027-29 application period opens
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
LRIP's sibling for the local roads that hold back farm and forestry traffic. ARIP reimburses up to 90 percent of eligible costs to improve weight-restricted or Class B local roads and minor collectors - and the culverts and bridges on them - that serve at least one agricultural or forestry producer, with $120 million available for 2026-27. The test is the result: when the work is done, the weight restriction has to come off, so adding gravel alone does not qualify and an asphalt-only purchase is unlikely to. New construction is not eligible, bridge work must include associated pavement work, and every reimbursement request needs an engineer's attestation. For a town with posted roads its farms depend on, that 90 percent share goes far beyond LRIP's 50.
Apply: both 2026-27 rounds are closed - Round 1 ($50 million) has been awarded, and Round 2 ($70 million) closed June 29, 2026, with awards anticipated in late October 2026. Any future round depends on funding in the next state budget
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 - applications for the 2026-2031 cycle closed October 31, 2025, and that cycle caps federal participation at $10 million per project
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 in its 2026-27 round - a one-time $30 million appropriation, not a permanent 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 one-time 2026-27 round is complete - applications closed May 1, 2026, and WisDOT has posted the awards. A future round depends on the Legislature funding the program again; ARIP can also fund culverts on posted roads that serve farms or forestry
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. DNR has proposed changes to these deadlines and submittal requirements for future cycles - public comments are due October 7, 2026
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. DNR's proposed deadline changes (comments due October 7, 2026) cover this program too
Dedicated federal infrastructure-law funding for getting lead services out of the ground - public and private side alike - run through the SDWLP framework. The part every board should hear clearly: principal forgiveness, the money that never has to be repaid, can only go to municipalities that meet the state's disadvantaged-community criteria or to projects targeting replacements in a disadvantaged census tract. Everyone else is eligible for loan funding only, at a 0.25 percent rate reserved for lead service line projects. Even among qualifying applicants, DNR says few will receive 100 percent forgiveness on private-side replacements, so plan to carry part of that cost as a loan. Residential, commercial, and business properties, schools, and licensed daycares all qualify; lead service line work must be submitted as its own project, separate from any watermain job; and the municipality runs the program that gets it done.
Apply: integrated with the SDWLP calendar - Intent to Apply by October 31, and applications by June 30 to compete for principal forgiveness. DNR did not accept supplemental lead service line applications for the SFY 2026 cycle and does not expect supplemental loan funding, so treat June 30 as the real deadline
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: the 2026 application period is closed; periods open in even-numbered years when funding is available, so the next would be 2028
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: annual - pre-applications are required by September 15 (closed for 2026), and final applications are due November 15 - November 16 in 2026, since the 15th falls on a Sunday. 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 round closed February 27, 2026; DNR says the FY 2027-29 application period will open in fall 2027
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
For 37 years, the state's signature program for parks, trails, and public land: a 50 percent cost share with one application round a year. Stewardship money built much of the trail network southeastern Wisconsin enjoys today, and client awards include East Troy's Honey Creek Nature Area. Its state funding expired June 30, 2026 without reauthorization, so for now park and trail projects lean on the federal programs below.
Apply: closed - DNR lists the local assistance program as closed to new applications as of May 1, 2026, and new grants depend on the Legislature reauthorizing the program. LWCF and RTP remain open
The federal counterpart to Stewardship, administered by WDNR: up to 50 percent of eligible costs for acquiring or developing outdoor recreation areas and facilities - including active facilities like ballfields and splash pads. Towns, villages, cities, counties, tribal governments, and school districts are eligible, and it is competitive - requests typically exceed available funds. With Stewardship funding expired, LWCF is now the main open cost-share for local park acquisition and development, and competition for it is likely to tighten.
Apply: annual - applications due May 1
Federal trail dollars administered by WDNR for trail development, rehabilitation, and maintenance - motorized and non-motorized alike. For a trail project, RTP is now the natural companion to a TAP application, and towns, villages, cities, counties, tribes, school districts, and incorporated trail organizations 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: the 2026-2030 cycle is closed and awarded - applications were due October 31, 2025, and awards were announced May-June 2026. Solicitations typically open in summer of odd-numbered years with applications due late October; the next depends on federal reauthorization
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, tribes, sanitary districts, lake districts, and qualified lake associations are all eligible - for the inland lakes we serve around Geneva Lake and across southeastern Wisconsin, it is the waterfront program to watch for when it reopens.
Apply: DNR is not currently accepting new applications for inland-lake projects; Great Lakes projects are still accepted until funds are expended. When open, applications are reviewed at quarterly Waterways Commission deadlines
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 with that program paused for inland lakes, this is the boat-access program still open to them.
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 boat-access request - two 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: open now - about $1.2 million is available in the 2027-2028 round, with applications due November 3, 2026
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. Its Vibrant Spaces grants - $25,000 to $50,000 for new or improved public gathering places - carry a 1-to-1 match, or 25 percent for economically distressed communities and those under 5,000 people.
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 - this year's are due October 1, 2026; 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.
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