WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH ACT PROGRAM ANNUAL BASE GRANTS FISCAL YEAR 2023 REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS | G23AS00486

Opportunity Information: Apply for G23AS00486

The WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH ACT PROGRAM ANNUAL BASE GRANTS (FY 2023) Request for Applications is a federal grant opportunity administered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) under the authority of Section 104 of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 (42 USC 10301 et seq.), as amended by multiple public laws. The program provides annual base funding to the nationwide network of Water Resources Research Institutes and Centers that were formally established under the Act. These Institutes exist in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam, with additional service coverage arrangements in the Pacific (for example, Guam also serves the Federated States of Micronesia and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Hawaii also serves American Samoa). While the statutory authority sits with the Department of the Interior, responsibility for administering the State Water Resources Research Institute program has been delegated to USGS, which is the agency issuing this funding opportunity.

At its core, this annual base grant program is meant to support applied, peer-reviewed water resources research and the broader infrastructure around that research at the state institute level. The Act lays out several required functions for the Institutes and Centers. First, they must plan, conduct, or otherwise arrange for competent applied and peer-reviewed research that advances practical water management needs and scientific understanding. That research is specifically expected to foster improvements in water supply reliability, encourage exploration of new ideas that either address real-world water problems or expand knowledge of water and related phenomena, support the entry and training of new scientists and technical professionals into water resources fields, and ensure that research results are actively disseminated to water managers and the general public rather than staying only in academic channels. In addition to producing research, Institutes are also expected to build collaboration across their states by working closely with other colleges and universities that can contribute research capability, outreach, information dissemination, and graduate training, with the goal of developing a statewide program that addresses state and regional water and related land issues. They are also expected to cooperate regionally with other institutes and organizations to improve effectiveness and promote coordination across shared water challenges that do not stop at state boundaries.

The USGS frames this opportunity as directly aligned with its national mission and objectives, particularly around generating and delivering information on water quality and water quantity, improving understanding of water availability, evaluating how climate influences water resources, and responding to emerging water-related needs. Importantly, the announcement gives Institutes flexibility in choosing specific topical emphases. Rather than prescribing a single national research theme for all applicants, it leaves the selection of priority areas to the discretion of each Institute or Center Director, reflecting the idea that water issues and management questions vary widely by geography, hydrology, infrastructure, and local and regional pressures.

Eligibility is narrow and institution-based. Applications are accepted only from the Water Resources Research Institutes or Centers that are established pursuant to Section 104 of the Water Resources Research Act, as amended. In practical terms, that means the eligible applicant is the Institute or Center itself, and the application must be submitted by the Institute Director or an authorized designee. While the Institute is the applicant and award recipient, the program also defines how projects should be sourced: the Institute may consider project proposals only from faculty members or affiliates at institutions of higher education within its state. This positions the program as a structured pipeline where state Institutes coordinate and fund competitive, peer-reviewed university-led research and related activities, while also ensuring the outcomes reach practitioners and the public.

From the funding opportunity data provided, this is a discretionary grant (Funding Instrument Type: Grant) in the Natural Resources activity category, listed under CFDA 15.805. The opportunity number is G23AS00486. The application closing date was June 1, 2023, and the opportunity was created on April 4, 2023. The listed award ceiling is $440,520. While the number of expected awards is not specified in the provided source data, the structure of the program (a base grant mechanism tied to the network of authorized Institutes) indicates that funding is intended to sustain and advance the mission of these state and territorial Institutes through coordinated research, training, and dissemination activities consistent with the Act and USGS water mission priorities.

• The Geological Survey in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH ACT PROGRAM ANNUAL BASE GRANTS FISCAL YEAR 2023 REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.805.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-04-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-06-01. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $440,520.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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