Browse Ambrook’s collection of funding programs by Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment

Apply through a partnering Nebraska lending institution. The program is active and accepts applications on an ongoing basis.

Nebraska DWEE — Dollar and Energy Saving Loans

The Dollar and Energy Saving Loans Program provides **low-interest loans** to finance energy-efficiency improvements, administered by the Nebraska DWEE State Energy Office through partnering Nebraska lending institutions. Eligible improvements include HVAC, insulation and weatherization, lighting, renewable energy (wind, solar, fuel cell), and efficient appliances.


Farm and ranch borrowers are eligible for loans up to $500,000.



The Dollar and Energy Saving Loans Program provides low-interest loans to finance energy-efficiency improvements, administered by the Nebraska DWEE State Energy Office through partnering Nebraska lending institutions. Eligible improvements include HVAC, insulation and weatherization, lighting, renewable energy (wind, solar, fuel cell), and efficient appliances.

Farm and ranch borrowers are eligible for loans up to $500,000.

- Borrowers located anywhere in Nebraska; loans are offered statewide through participating Nebraska lenders.
- Farm and ranch operations are an eligible borrower class alongside homeowners, businesses, manufacturers, institutions, non-profits, agricultural buildings, local governments and school districts.
- Farm and ranch borrowers must produce at least $1,000 of agricultural products in a calendar year.
- Individual and sole-proprietor applicants must submit a United States Citizenship Attestation (Form A).
- Applicants must meet the credit requirements of a participating Nebraska bank, savings institution or credit union, which originates the loan.
- Projects must not have started or been contractually committed before DWEE commits funds; doing so forfeits eligibility.
- Projects must be pre-qualified energy improvements listed on the program forms, or non-listed projects must be shown to pay for themselves within the program payback limits.

A payment that must be returned to the provider following specified terms of repayment and interest rate.

Loan

Biofuel

Hydro Power

Solar Power

Wind Energy

Equipment

Infrastructure

Low-interest loans with rates of 1.5% / 3% / 3.5% and terms up to 15 years. Farm and ranch operations may borrow up to $500,000.

Complete the attached form below and email: NDEE.PrivateWellRORebate@nebraska.gov. 

Or print and mail to:
Nebraska Reverse Osmosis Rebate Program 
Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy 
P.O. Box 98922 
Lincoln NE 68509-8922 

Steve McNulty

Private well reverse osmosis system rebates are available to property owners of private wells with drinking water test levels above 10 parts per million (ppm) of nitrate. Applicants will be eligible for up to $4,000 in rebates per small treatment installation that is effective in the removal of nitrate to a level below 10 ppm. Testing costs, purchase price of the system, and installation costs are eligible expenses that can be included in a rebate application.



- Property owners of private wells in Nebraska.
- The well's drinking water must test above 10 parts per million of nitrate.
- The well must be registered with the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources.
- Applicants must submit State laboratory water-quality test results dated no earlier than January 1, 2022.
- The proposed reverse osmosis treatment device must be certified by the American National Standards Institute.
- The installation cost estimate must come from a licensed plumber or an installer with at least five successful prior program installations.
- Installation may not begin before DWEE pre-approval and a signed rebate agreement.

A lump sum of money for a specific purpose that does not need to be paid back.

Grant

- Private Well ARPA Guidance.pdf
- Private Well ARPA Rebate Form.pdf
- Private Well ARPA Agreement.pdf

Irrigation

Water Quality

Waterway Protection

Wetland Conservation

Water Management

A post-installation rebate, capped per installation: "Applicants will be eligible for up to $4,000 in rebates per small treatment installation that is effective in the removal of nitrate to a level below 10 ppm." Eligible expenses are "Testing costs, purchase price of the system, and installation costs." No match or cost-share percentage is published.

Conditions that decide whether you actually get paid:
- Get approved before you start. "Participation in the rebate program still requires pre-approval from DWEE. The installation of any reverse osmosis small water treatment system cannot begin until a rebate agreement is signed between the private well owner and DWEE."
- Your application must carry "a cost estimate for the installation of a reverse osmosis treatment device certified by the American National Standards Institute," and "That cost estimate must come from a licensed plumber or an entity that has performed at least five successful Private Well Reverse Osmosis Small Water Treatment installations."
- Payment comes after the work and after proof it worked: "DWEE will disperse approved rebates following successful installation and demonstration of effective removal of nitrate to a level below 10 ppm. Follow-up testing will need to be submitted to the department."

Money and timing: the pool is "$1.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which is part of a larger $4 million ARPA initiative," and intake is rolling while it lasts — "Applications will now be accepted and reviewed for consideration on a month-to-month basis. Submitted applications will be given equal consideration as long as funding for the program remains available in the month in which the application is submitted." As of the initial close, "DWEE received 92 applications requesting $211,071 of the $1.2 million allocated to the program, so funding remains available."

One caveat worth a phone call: this release also states "Installations and follow-up testing need to be completed by September 30, 2024" — a date now well past, so confirm the current completion deadline with DWEE before buying equipment.

Contact the Nebraska Nonpoint Source Pollution Management Program (DWEE.NonPointSource@nebraska.gov). Small Project Assistance Grants (up to $15,000, one-year projects) are accepted on an ongoing basis; larger Watershed-Based Projects (typically up to $300,000, up to three years) are solicited through an annual Request for Proposals. All grants require a 40% non-federal match, of which at least 10% must be sponsor cash.

Nebraska Nonpoint Source Pollution Management Program

Nebraska's Section 319 Nonpoint Source (NPS) grants pass through federal Clean Water Act §319 funds as competitive sub-grants for projects that reduce nonpoint-source water pollution, including agricultural runoff. Administered by the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment (DWEE).



Institutional applicants: local government entities, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations. Individual farmers are not eligible to apply directly but may participate through funded watershed projects.

Air Quality

Carbon Capture

Certification

High Tunnel

Landscape

Regenerative

Soil Health

Wildlife & Pollinator Habitat

Certified Organic

Certified Grassfed

Cover Crops

Reduced Tillage

Federal Clean Water Act Section 319 pass-through funds delivered as competitive sub-grants in two tiers: Small Project Assistance Grants (up to $15,000, one year) and Watershed-Based Projects (typically up to $300,000, up to three years). All awards require a 40% non-federal match (minimum 10% sponsor cash).

The 2024 application window closed January 16, 2025. Funded projects must be completed by June 30, 2026. Check the program page for any future application cycles before applying.

Nebraska DWEE — ONE RED Program

The ONE RED Irrigation Engine Program reimburses Nebraska agricultural producers for **60% of the cost** of replacing diesel irrigation-pump engines with electric motors or grid-connected pumps. Eligible costs include electrical equipment, wiring, installation, and utility upgrades. It is administered by the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment (DWEE) under its ONE RED (Opportunity Nebraska Reducing Emissions Decarbonization) initiative, funded by the U.S. EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program.



The ONE RED Irrigation Engine Program reimburses Nebraska agricultural producers for 60% of the cost of replacing diesel irrigation-pump engines with electric motors or grid-connected pumps. Eligible costs include electrical equipment, wiring, installation, and utility upgrades. It is administered by the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment (DWEE) under its ONE RED (Opportunity Nebraska Reducing Emissions Decarbonization) initiative, funded by the U.S. EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program.

Nebraska agricultural producers replacing diesel irrigation-pump engines with electric motors or grid-connected pumps.

A payment that requires some percentage of matching contributions by the recipient.

Cost Share

HVAC

Lighting

Repairs

Conservation

Delivered as a rebate/reimbursement covering 60% of eligible costs, up to a maximum of $23,000 per application. Total program pool of approximately $6 million. Funded diesel-to-electric conversions must be completed by June 30, 2026.

List of Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment Funding Opportunities