Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit 2026 Grant

DOI-USGS1

About this grant

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) offers a single cooperative agreement for a National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Center (NRCASC) competitive research award to a partner in the Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). The CESU Program is a partnership model that provides research, technical assistance, and education. The funded work should advance Administration priorities, including American energy dominance, critical mineral development, water security, infrastructure resilience, and natural hazard preparedness. Eligible research may draw on hydrology, geology, geospatial science, biosecurity, and near-earth space science, with attention to extreme events such as drought, flooding, wildland fire, coastal erosion, severe storms, and geologic hazards. The goal is actionable science, data, and tools for resource managers and stakeholders. The illustrative project described in the notice examines how drought, temperature, rainfall, wildfire, and land management practices such as hay harvesting affect the spread and ecological impact of two invasive species in Oklahoma: the grass King Ranch bluestem and eastern red cedar. The work would use existing long-term field experiments, regional plant distribution data, and environmental scenarios to predict where these species will be most problematic under future conditions, with an emphasis on their link to elevated wildfire risk. The notice ties this work to several Executive Orders and a Secretarial Order, including EO 14239, EO 14308, EO 14313, EO 14303 and SO 3441, covering state and local preparedness, wildfire prevention, conservation, and gold-standard science.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are listed as 'Others' and must be a participating partner of the Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. The opportunity is issued under the CESU Program, so applicants outside the Great Plains CESU partnership are not eligible. The notice expects a single award.

Key requirements

• ✓Award is limited to a single partner within the Great Plains CESU, so eligibility is restricted to affiliated CESU partners
• ✓Research must advance Administration priorities such as water security, infrastructure resilience, and natural hazard preparedness, and produce actionable science, data, and tools for managers
• ✓Illustrative work uses existing long-term field experiments, regional plant distribution data, and environmental scenarios, with an emphasis on wildfire risk

Funder contact

The notice names a programme contact you can speak to before applying.

Frequently asked questions

How much funding does DOI-USGS1 offer?

Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit offers $1 – $370K.

When is the Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit deadline?

Applications close 1 Dec 2026 04:59.

Who can apply for Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit?

Eligibility covers organisations in US; university, research-institution, nonprofit, consortium. See the eligibility criteria above for the full conditions.

Relevant sectors

About this sector

Biodiversity funding backs habitat restoration, species protection, protected areas and nature-positive business. It comes from environment agencies, multilateral nature funds and conservation philanthropy, often through competitive calls with defined regions. Applicants are usually asked for baseline surveys, local partners and indicators that show ecological change.