Community Project Funding Disclosures (FY2026)
This spring, Congressman Joaquin Castro submitted federal funding requests to the House Appropriations Committee for community-based projects in the 20th Congressional District of Texas.
Under guidelines issued by the Appropriations Committee, each representative may request funding for up to 15 projects in their community for fiscal year 2026 – although only a handful may actually be funded. Projects are restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams, and only state and local governments and eligible non-profit entities are permitted to receive funding. Congressman Castro has certified that he, his spouse, and his immediate family have no financial interest in any of the projects he has requested. To read more about the funding request process, click here.
Required Project Disclosures
Project Name: San Antonio Police Department Forensic Genealogy Project
Proposed Recipient: City of San Antonio San Antonio
Address: 315 S. Santa Rosa, San Antonio, TX 78207
Amount of Request: $1,260,000
Explanation of Request: This project will allow the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Police Department to use forensic genealogy to analyze DNA and genetic evidence connected to homicides and sexual assaults, including cold cases. Through this project, the City of San Antonio will document existing evidence, including from cold cases that go back decades, prepare the evidence for analysis, and work with experts to analyze the DNA and genetic evidence, hopefully leading to identification of the perpetrators of these crimes.
Certification Letter: Here
Project Name: Laterals to People
Proposed Recipient: San Antonio Water System
Address: 2800 US HWY 281 N, San Antonio TX 78212
Amount of Request: $3,000,000
Explanation of Request: The funding will be used to repair water leaks in low- and middle-income houses in San Antonio and TX-20.
Certification Letter: Here
Project Name: Roof Replacement in Public Housing
Proposed Recipient: Housing Authority of the City of San Antonio
Address: 818 S Flores St, San Antonio, TX 78204
Amount of Request: $1,124,400
Explanation of Request: Requesting funds for comprehensive roof replacement at three Public Housing Senior/Disabled and Family communities across the 20th Congressional District of Texas.
Certification Letter: Here
Project Name: Woodlawn Lake Restoration Project
Proposed Recipient: San Antonio River Authority
Address: 100 E. Guenther St. San Antonio, Texas 78204
Amount of Request: $100,000
Explanation of Request: The funding will be used to improve the water quality of Woodlawn Lake by filtering storm water runoff through wetlands with native vegetation, controlling erosion of the lake bank, and creating floating wetlands near storm water inflow points.
Certification Letter: Here
Project Name: Westside Environmental Sensor Tracking and Information Reporting (WESTAIR) System
Proposed Recipient: Southwest Research Institute
Address: 6220 Culebra Rd San Antonio, Texas 78238
Amount of Request: $1,000,000
Explanation of Request: The pilot program will place ozone, PM 2.5, and other sensors around the Historic Westside. These sensors will all be networked so that their data can be aggregated and analyzed in real-time by researchers, healthcare workers, and the residents of San Antonio. WESTAIR will allow for real-time ozone and PM 2.5 levels to be accessed at the hyperlocal level and will also provide researchers with data needed to analyze various trends.
Certification Letter: Here
Project Name: Mujeres Poderosas: Healing Trauma From Victim/Survivor to Thriver Program
Proposed Recipient: Young Women's Christian Association of San Antonio
Address: 2318 Castroville Road San Antonio, TX 78237
Amount of Request: $340,000
Explanation of Request: This program provides case management and stabilization support to women who have made the courageous decision to escape abuse and violence to start their lives over, moving from trauma and surviving to thriving and self-sufficiency.
Certification Letter: Here
Project Name: Community Resiliency Initiative
Proposed Recipient: City Public Service (CPS) of San Antonio
Address: 500 Mccullough Ave San Antonio, Texas 78215
Amount of Request: $3,000,000
Explanation of Request: The funding will be used to enhance the energy efficiency of public community centers and to install battery systems to provide energy resiliency to the building during times of emergencies and high-energy demands.
Certification Letter: Here
Project Name: UT Health San Antonio Gross Anatomy Laboratory Improvement: Essential Laboratory Equipment
Proposed Recipient: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Address: 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78229
Amount of Request: $1,020,000
Explanation of Request: Requesting funding for the Gross Anatomy lab conducing research including to discover the causes of apple-shaped obesity, also known as central or abdominal obesity and how we might develop treatments that stop its growth without harming other healthy fats.
Certification Letter: Here
Project Name: Bexar County Emergency Communications Radio Replacement
Proposed Recipient: Bexar County
Address: 100 Dolorosa, San Antonio, Texas 78205
Amount of Request: $3,600,000
Explanation of Request: The interoperable aspect of P25 systems ensures coordination between the numerous law enforcement agencies in the community that often cross jurisdictions to respond in a rapid and coordinated fashion.
Certification Letter: Here
Project Name: Tracking Waterborne Microbial Contaminants of Concern in Bexar County
Proposed Recipient: Texas A&M University-San Antonio
Address: One University Way San Antonio, TX 78224
Amount of Request: $1,000,000
Explanation of Request: This project seeks to research two facets of wastewater surveillance. First, it will focus on method development and expanding capacity to detect new and emerging pathogenic threats, and antibiotic resistance genes through wastewater surveillance. It will also extend the analysis to include surface and aquifer water.
Certification Letter: Here
Project Name: Enhancing Research Capacity in Additive Manufacturing, AI, Biomechanics, and Biosciences Through Strategic Instrumentation
Proposed Recipient: St. Mary's University
Address: One Camino Santa Maria, San Antonio, TX 78228
Amount of Request: $2,000,000
Explanation of Request: Requesting funding to secure critical equipment and instrumentation enabling nearly twenty research projects across four research clusters which include: Additive Manufacturing and Material Science, AI and Machine Learning, Biomechanics and Human Performance, Biosciences.
Certification Letter: Here
Project Name: Balcones Heights Senior Center Renovation
Proposed Recipient: City of Balcones Heights
Address: 3300 Hillcrest Dr. San Antonio, TX 78201
Amount of Request: $850,000
Explanation of Request: Requesting funding to renovate the senior center in Balcones Heights.
Certification Letter: Here
Project Name: Community Economic Opportunity Initiative
Proposed Recipient: City of San Antonio Westside Development Corporation
Address: 610 S.W. 41st Street, Building B, San Antonio, TX 78237
Amount of Request: $3,000,000
Explanation of Request: Requesting funding to renovate a facility that will house a comprehensive suite of resources, including access to capital, technical assistance services, training programs, and incubation space, all tailored to meet the needs of our local entrepreneurs.
Certification Letter: Here
Project Name: San Pedro Springs Park
Proposed Recipient: City of San Antonio San Antonio
Address: 315 S. Santa Rosa, San Antonio, TX 78207
Amount of Request: $2,500,000
Explanation of Request: Requesting funding to make the Mc Farlin Tennis Center fully ADA accessible to allow all visitors and guests to participate in tennis activities as well as attend meetings and other gatherings.
Certification Letter: Here
Project Name: Mentor Recruitment Project to Prevent Juvenile Delinquency
Proposed Recipient: Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas, Inc.
Address: 10843 Gulfdale Street San Antonio, TX 78216
Amount of Request: $410,000
Explanation of Request: This project is a request to build and develop a campaign to recruit volunteers and quickly match them with youth waiting for a mentor, and to retain them in long, strong mentoring relationships proven to reduce juvenile delinquency and the risk of criminal behavior later in life for marginalized youth.
Certification Letter: Here