The Financial Assistance Center is dedicated to helping communities plan, finance and build water infrastructure projects that improve the lives of Missourians. The center provides financial assistance to applicants for projects including drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and a variety of other water quality improvements. Center responsibilities include managing the State Revolving Funds (SRF) programs, which provide states with a mechanism to offer low-cost financing for a wide range of drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects. The center also offers grants that assist small communities in paying for engineering reports necessary to develop infrastructure projects and a state Small Borrower Loan program for small communities that need assistance financing small projects.
Meet the Director - Lauren Graessle
Lauren Graessle became director of the department’s Financial Assistance Center in March 2024. Lauren oversees Missouri’s Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, State American Rescue Plan Act grants, as well as other state funded programs. Lauren started her career with the department in 2012 as an Environmental Engineer in the Public Drinking Water Branch. From 2015 to 2018, she worked for the Missouri Department of Transportation in the Bridge Division. Lauren returned to the department in 2018 as a Professional Engineer in the Financial Assistance Center’s Drinking Water Unit and was promoted to the Drinking Water Unit Chief in 2020. Over the last few years, she has helped develop and implement new funding programs while expanding existing programs of the Financial Assistance Center.
Lauren has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from University of Missouri - Columbia and is a licensed Professional Engineer.