Thank you very much, everybody, for staying for the what we like to think is an important announcement that is consistent with our theme here at the NADBank Summit 2025. It’s really a culmination of a lot of work here.
Today we are pleased to announce the launch of a dedicated fund that we're calling the Water Resiliency Fund. The fund is a $400 million effort to invest in water conservation and diversification infrastructure throughout the border region.
Our goal is to enhance the capacity of the region, private and public sector, farmers and cities, to optimize this precious resource. Examples of the projects that we want to target are to build infrastructure at irrigation districts to reduce water loss; acquire the latest irrigation technology for farmers; invest in water reuse capacity by industries and water utilities; create additional water resources by desalinization, recovery of water loss through leaks and storm water capture and recovery.
The fund is designed to catalyze investments by matching up to 50% of investment costs. It will offer $300 million in below market rate loans and up to $100 million in grant funding. We expect to work with partners across the region, such as CONAGUA, the National Water Commission of Mexico, the Bureau of Land Reclamation, irrigation districts, private consumers of water, and state and local water agencies, wanting to invest with us.
NADBank’s capacity to establish this fund is based on the binational commitment of Mexico and the United States to invest in the success and well-being of our border communities.
Second, the effective stewardship of capital resources that both countries have entrusted to the NADBank. And three, as the fund gets traction, we hope other funders will contribute to it.
Getting the fund, the WRF, as we call it, to this point, has been a full NADBank team effort, and I need to recognize the leadership of Alejandro Olivo, our deputy managing director, and Salvador Lopez, our CEVO, Fay Ramdass, our CFO, and Renata Manning, head of our capacity and technical assistance unit.
The real value, though, and creativity were obtained by our team engaging with the stakeholders throughout the region to ensure the WRF meets their needs. The photos we just shared while we got ourselves organized up here are just snapshots of the deep engagement and outreach efforts across the region. We've met extensively with the Lower Rio Grande Valley Irrigation District managers to gain a first hand understanding of the challenges they're facing. We've worked closely with county judges, including Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño and Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez. Each of them declared a water emergency last summer. We have supported their efforts to coordinate mapping and prioritization of Rio Grande Valley projects.
I would be remiss not to acknowledge the continued support from the Starr County and Willacy County judges, whose leadership has been vital to this effort. We've also had extensive conversations with the Water Authority down in Tamaulipas, and we appreciate Raul (Raul Quiroga Alvarez, Tamaulipas Secretary of Water Resources for Social Development) for participating here with us.
I also want to extend our gratitude to several state elected officials, especially state Senator Adam Hinojosa, who's here with us today. Thank you. And State Representative Ryan Guillen. They championed a critical piece of legislation here in Texas that should enable small unit utilities to collaborate and build regional infrastructure.
This legislation, joined with the Water Resiliency Fund, will empower communities to combine forces so that local infrastructure can be made.
And of course, we are proud to have several of our board members here, most notably Carlos de la Parra from Tijuana, Baja California. His advocacy always helps drive the bank's mission.
