USGS Earthquake Hazards Program External Research Support Announcement for Fiscal Year 2025 | G25AS00240

Opportunity Information: Apply for G25AS00240

The USGS Earthquake Hazards Program External Research Support Announcement for Fiscal Year 2025 (Funding Opportunity Number G25AS00240; CFDA 15.807) is an annual discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Geological Survey to support research that advances the understanding of earthquake hazards and helps reduce earthquake risk. The program is aimed at funding science and technology research and development focused on earthquake hazards, the physics of earthquakes, earthquake occurrence, and earthquake safety policy, while also aligning with the Department of the Interior's Secretarial priorities. The authority for this funding comes from the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 and subsequent updates under the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2018, which together form the legislative backbone for federally supported earthquake risk reduction activities.

The opportunity is broadly open in terms of who may apply, described as open to all individuals and entities, with an "unrestricted" eligible applicant posture under the listing. However, the announcement is equally clear about what it will not fund, and those exclusions are central to understanding whether a proposed project is a fit. USGS will not consider proposals that are primarily for regional seismic monitoring or for establishing data centers, which signals that routine monitoring infrastructure and data-hosting operations are outside the scope of this research-focused announcement. Similarly, proposals for the long-term operation of geodetic networks or instruments are not eligible, meaning the program is not intended to underwrite ongoing operational costs for sustained networks, even if those networks support earthquake research in a general sense.

Several applicant and project-structure restrictions also apply. Proposals from U.S. Government agencies or U.S. Government employees are not eligible, and proposals from Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) are excluded as well. Proposals involving a real or apparent conflict of interest are not eligible, reflecting standard federal integrity requirements. The program also does not support proposals that are principally about direct procurement of a product, equipment, or service, indicating that the grant is intended for research activities rather than purchasing or contracting as the primary purpose. In addition, projects where subcontracts are 50 percent or more of total direct costs are not eligible, a constraint that encourages the primary applicant organization to carry out most of the substantive work rather than pass the majority of effort and funding to subcontractors.

While the instrument type is listed as a grant, the text also highlights USGS authority to use cooperative agreements in specific circumstances, even when directed toward a particular cooperator, to support joint research and data collection with federal, state, and academic partners. This is important context because it indicates the program can support collaborative arrangements and shared research activities, including practical collaboration details such as providing space in cooperator facilities. In other words, the program is set up to fund research projects and partnerships that contribute directly to earthquake hazard science and risk reduction outcomes, but it draws a bright line against ongoing network operations, data center creation, and procurement-driven proposals.

Key administrative details included in the source information are that the opportunity was created on March 15, 2024, with an original closing date of May 23, 2024. The award ceiling is listed as 0, which typically indicates that a fixed maximum award amount is not specified in the summary fields and that applicants should rely on the full announcement or program guidance for realistic budget expectations, typical award sizes, and any topic-specific limits. The expected number of awards is not provided in the summary data. Overall, the announcement is best viewed as a competitive research grant mechanism for projects that meaningfully advance earthquake hazard knowledge and application, rather than an operations or infrastructure funding stream.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "USGS Earthquake Hazards Program External Research Support Announcement for Fiscal Year 2025" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.807.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-03-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-23. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others, Unrestricted.

Apply for G25AS00240

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