In March 2021, the Bureau of Reclamation announced USD 3.6 million in support for ten advanced water treatment projects. Its Desalination and Water Purification Research Program aimed to improve processes for treating seawater, municipal wastewater and brackish groundwater. The selection comprised four pilot-scale and six laboratory studies, among them Gradiant Osmotics with USD 800,000 and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with USD 799,989. Partners outside the federal government added a further USD 5.3 million.
The report showed that the US federal government backed desalination as a future water source through research funding, involving universities and companies alongside additional co-funding from other sources.