WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH ACT PROGRAM ANNUAL BASE GRANTS FISCAL YEAR 2025 | G25AS00486

Opportunity Information: Apply for G25AS00486

The WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH ACT PROGRAM ANNUAL BASE GRANTS (Fiscal Year 2025) is a discretionary 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 network of Water Resources Research Institutes and Centers that are formally established under the Act. These Institutes exist in every U.S. state as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. The Guam Institute also covers the Federated States of Micronesia and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Hawaii Institute also serves American Samoa. Applications must be submitted by the Institute Director or an official designee, and USGS has delegated responsibility for administering this State Water Resources Research Institute program.

The purpose of the funding is to support the core research and coordination mission Congress set for these Institutes. Under Section 104(b), Institutes are expected to plan, conduct, or otherwise arrange for applied, peer-reviewed water resources research that leads to practical improvements and broader scientific understanding. The Act highlights several outcomes the research should foster: improving water supply reliability; exploring new ideas that address water problems or expand understanding of water and water-related phenomena; bringing new researchers (including scientists, engineers, and technicians) into water resources fields; and ensuring research results are effectively disseminated to water managers and the general public. In practice, this makes the program both a research investment and a capacity-building effort, emphasizing real-world water challenges, workforce development, and communication of usable findings.

A central requirement of the program is collaboration within each state and across regions. Institutes are expected to work closely with other colleges and universities in their state that have demonstrated strengths in research, information dissemination, and graduate training, with the goal of building a coordinated statewide program that can address state and regional water and related land problems. Institutes are also expected to cooperate with other Institutes and relevant organizations in their region to improve overall effectiveness and promote regional coordination. This structure is designed so the Institutes function as statewide hubs that convene expertise, align priorities, and reduce duplication, while still allowing each Institute to tailor its portfolio to local conditions.

While the topic areas are largely left to the discretion of each Institute or Center Director, proposals submitted under this announcement are expected to advance the national mission and objectives of USGS. The announcement specifically frames USGS priorities as providing water-quality and water-quantity information, improving understanding of water availability, addressing how climate influences water resources, and responding to emerging water-related needs. In other words, even though Institutes may choose their emphasis areas, the overall program is intended to feed into the broader USGS mission of actionable science for water management, resilience, and public benefit.

Eligibility is narrow and program-specific. Only Water Resources Research Institutes or Centers established pursuant to Section 104 of the Water Resources Research Act are allowed to apply. The applicant Institute, in turn, may consider project proposals only from faculty members or affiliates at institutions of higher education within its state. This design keeps the program anchored in the congressionally authorized Institute network and ensures the funded work is tied to university-based research capacity and training pipelines.

Key opportunity details from the posting include: Funding Opportunity Title: WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH ACT PROGRAM ANNUAL BASE GRANTS FISCAL YEAR 2025; Funding Opportunity Number: G25AS00486; Agency: U.S. Geological Survey; Assistance Listing (CFDA) Number: 15.805; Funding Instrument: Grant; Activity Category: Natural Resources; and an application closing date of September 16, 2025. The listed award ceiling is $438,156. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary, and the eligible applicant category is listed as "Others," reflecting that the eligible entities are the specific statutorily established Institutes and Centers rather than a broad set of nonprofits, local governments, or general universities.

• 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 2025" 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 2025-08-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-09-16. (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 $438,156.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G25AS00486

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