About National Rural Water Association
The National Rural Water Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to training, supporting, and promoting the water and wastewater professionals that serve small communities across the United States. The mission of NRWA is to strengthen State Associations.
Focus Areas
Drinking waterWastewaterTechnical assistanceTraining and workforce developmentInfrastructure financing and loansDisaster recoveryCybersecurityEnergy efficiencySourcewater protectionPFAS and emerging contaminantsLegislative advocacy
Who They Fund
state-level associations
About National Rural Water Association
The National Rural Water Association directs large sub-awards to state rural water groups, with 2025 grants of $1,684,419 to Texas Rural Water Assoc and $1,552,371 to Kentucky Rural Water Assoc among the top listed awards. That pattern fits its core mission: strengthening state associations that support water and wastewater professionals serving small communities across the United States. The recent record shows a networked grantmaker rather than a direct service funder, using its resources to reinforce association capacity, professional support, and technical assistance at the state level. The grant list is built around state associations and utilities organizations, including recurring awards to Missouri Rural Water Assoc, Minnesota Rural Water Assoc, California Rural Water Assoc, and others. This points to a funder working through an established national structure, where the flow of resources is intended to sustain member services, training, advocacy, and organizational development across the rural water field. Its scope is national, and the recipient roster reflects a broad spread of state-based intermediaries rather than a single local or regional program. The foundation’s leadership is tied to Brian Churchman.
What National Rural Water Association Funds
A central theme in the grant record is state association strengthening. The National Rural Water Association gave $1,522,782 to Missouri Rural Water Assoc in 2025 and $1,474,203 in 2023, showing repeated support for the same state-level intermediary. Training and workforce development also appear in the record through sub-awards to association partners such as Kansas Rural Water Assoc, which received $1,491,089 in 2025 and $1,435,117 in 2023. Those awards fit a broader model of funding the organizations that train and support rural water professionals. The foundation also supports member-services infrastructure through awards to Illinois Rural Water Assoc, including $1,428,900 in 2025 and $1,428,175 in 2023, and to Florida Rural Water Assoc, which received $1,325,445 in 2023 and $1,322,316 in 2025. The recurring pattern suggests sustained backing for associations that serve their members directly.
How National Rural Water Association Gives
Typical awards are large: the p25 is $900,271, the median is $1,110,676, and the p75 is $1,357,696. The recent grant list shows a sub-award model, with awards flowing to state rural water associations and related utilities groups. Several recipients appear in both 2023 and 2025, including Missouri Rural Water Assoc, Minnesota Rural Water Assoc, Texas Rural Water Assoc, California Rural Water Assoc, and Florida Rural Water Assoc, indicating recurring support rather than one-time gifts. The foundation is classified as a regular funder, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$60.9M
Total Assets
$89.1M
Total Revenue
$81.8M
Total Expenses
$74.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $900K and $1.4M, with a median of $1.1M.
25th Percentile
$900K
Median
$1.1M
75th Percentile
$1.4M
Geographic Reach
National51 states funded
About 2% of grants go to recipients in AK.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
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