Amendment 1 - G25AS00009.docx

United States Geological Survey

2025 National Geological & Geophysical Data Preservation Program https://www.usgs.gov/programs/national-geological-and-geophysical-data-preservation-program

Notice of Funding Opportunity - Fiscal Year 2025 Funding Opportunity Number (FON) G25AS00009 Amendment 1

Closing Date: 12/12/2024

Table of Contents

A. Program Description This section contains the full program description of the funding opportunity. It may be as long as needed to communicate to potential applicants the areas in which funding may be provided. It describes the Federal awarding agency's funding priorities or the technical or focus areas in which the Federal awarding agency intends to provide assistance. This section also may include other information the Federal awarding agency deems necessary and must include citations for authorizing statutes and regulations for the funding opportunity, at a minimum. Enter program specific text in the sub-headers of this section.

A1. Authority In the text box below, insert complete legislative authority citation(s) for the statute(s) that authorize the program to issue financial assistance awards for the purpose and activities described in this Funding Opportunity. The statutes listed here must also appear in the program’s SAM.gov Assistance Listing (CFDA) profile (currently at beta.SAM.gov). If your program has a new authorizing statute that does not appear in the SAM.gov Assistance Listing (CFDA) profile, please contact the Bureau’s CFDA Coordinator.

The National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program (NGGDPP) was established and authorized in Section 351 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-58, Sec. 351) and reauthorized in Section 7002 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260), and amended by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, 2022 (Public Law 117-58) which recognizes the need for the preservation, cataloging of, and access to geological and geophysical data and materials for research and educational use. To read the authorization, visit:

https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/national-geological-and-geophysical-data-preservation-program/authorizing.

The objectives of the Program as outlined in the Acts are to:

1. archive geologic, geophysical, and engineering data, maps, well logs, and samples;

2. provide a national catalog of such archival material; and

3. provide technical and financial assistance related to the archival material.

4. provide for preservation of samples to track geochemical signatures from critical mineral (as defined in section 7002(a) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(a))) ore bodies for use in provenance tracking frameworks.

For more information about the NGGDPP, read the “Implementation Plan for the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program” (2006) which is available at:

https://www.usgs.gov/programs/national-geological-and-geophysical-data-preservation-program/implementation-plan.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number Select the program’s Assistance Listing (CFDA).

15.814

A2. Background, Purpose and Program Requirements In the text box below,provide a full programmatic description of the funding opportunity. Describe program’s funding priorities or technical focus areas in which the program intends to provide assistance. As appropriate, include any relevant program history (e.g., whether this is a new program or a changed area of program emphasis). This section may communicate indicators of successful projects (e.g., if the program encourages collaborative efforts) and may include examples of projects that have been funded previously. All funding opportunities must specifically identify the Department of the Interior Secretarial Priorities addressed by the program or opportunity, and a brief description of how the program or opportunity meets each priority. The Department does not expect programs to meet all of the Department’s FA priorities; list only those clearly supported by the program or opportunity.

Guidelines and Requirements The following guidelines and requirements are provided to help you submit a strong, competitive, and compliant proposal. The Review Panel membership changes from year to year and you should not assume that reviewers will be aware of your previous work. Following these guidelines and requirements will allow the Review Panel to assess your proposed project efficiently and effectively.

Guidelines:

· Please include a table of contents for the proposal.

· In your proposal, please address feedback received from previous NGGDPP panel reviews, as relevant to the newly proposed project. The feedback provided to you is intended to help improve your proposal and chance of being funded.

· Briefly describe previous work or pilot projects that have informed your estimate of the level of effort and/or expertise needed to successfully complete the proposed work.

· Figures, images, or diagrams with captions may be included in a Figure Appendix (2-page limit not included in overall page limit).

· Begin submitting your proposal to Grants.gov well in advance of the due date as there is no possibility of late submissions. See Part III, Section A for more information.

Requirements:

· Verify the federal share of the cost of the proposed activities is no more than 50 percent of the total cost for each Priority individually. The state portion can be larger than the federal portion; however, if the federal contribution is more than the state portion - regardless of the difference (even $0.01) - the grant proposal shall be disqualified and will not be evaluated by the grant review panel. Each Priority must be budgeted separately and within the itemized budget for that Priority. Review and verify budget numbers prior to proposal submission.

· The project description for Priority 1 & 2 is limited to 5 pages per Priority. The page limit for Priority 3 is 4 pages. You may not submit supporting documents (e.g. long-range plans) that are not explicitly requested in this funding opportunity. These forms, tables, documents, appendices, or attachments do not count toward the page limit:

· Standard Forms 424s,

· Table of contents,

· Project summary sheet (Attachment A),

· Project abstract summary,

· Project personnel and contractor justification and expertise table or list,

· CVs or resumes (max 2 pages per CV),

· Selection criteria for non-state survey staff, collaborators (e.g., universities or state agencies), or contractors

· Letters from stakeholders,

· Figures, images, or diagrams submitted within the Figure Appendix (2-page limit),

· Data Management Plan (DMP) (https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5baa94ade4b08583a5cd878e?name=StateSurveyAbbrev_NGGDPP_DMPForm.docx),

· Budget tables (Attachment B),

· Negotiated rate, internal memo, cost agreements, and

· Equipment justifications and equipment/supply and contracted services quotes.

· Provide a clear justification for preserving the selected data and/or materials. Explain how the results of the project meet the priorities of your organization and benefit your stakeholders and society. Please be specific and provide examples.

· Request funding for one or more Priorities: Priority 1) Preserve Geoscience Data and Materials; Priority 2) Digital and Physical Infrastructure Development; and Priority 3) Critical Minerals Data Preservation. Projects cannot be combined across Priorities, each Priority should have discrete projects without dependencies on activities in other Priorities. Separate budgets are required for each Priority.

· Describe the project and the process you expect to follow (workflows, including methods and level of effort) to complete the required work. If you are proposing multiple activities to complete the project, clearly state the work you will do for each activity. Please note that if reduced funds are awarded, the scope of work may require modification.

· A primary objective of the Program is to increase public accessibility of geological and geophysical data and samples. Ideally, digital resources should be made readily, freely, and publicly available through digital means. Physical resources should be discoverable through digital means. Please describe how the materials and data will be made available. If materials will not be made publicly available and/or free, provide a clear justification.

· The Program does not support interpretive activities, including derivative products, nor research under any Priority. Development of non-experimental workflows that result in improved public access or preservation efficiency are within scope of the Program. Proposed deliverable products under any of the Priorities must be non-interpretive and for data capture, e.g., hyperspectral, pXRF, must be the closest to raw, but useable data (level 0 or 1). Data captured cannot be embargoed.

· Collection metadata records describing the preserved materials must be submitted to ReSciColl, the Registry of Scientific Collections using the ReSciColl metadata profiles.

· A Data Management Plan (DMP) is required for all projects that produce data, create or enhance digital products (e.g. database, web service, web portals, etc.), or preserve physical objects and must be provided in the NGGDPP format (provided at the link on page 11) to conform with the Executive Order of February 22, 2013, “Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research”. Photos are not permitted in the DMP. Photos may be provided in the optional Figure Appendix (2-page limit).

· Preserving U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assets (e.g. maps, reports, photos etc.) using NGGDPP funds is not allowed; collections proposed for preservation should be owned by your state geological organization. Strong justification and documentation that the data will be made public (e.g., data sharing agreement or transfer of ownership), is required for preserving collections owned by a private or another state entity (for example, state oil and gas commission).

· The Detailed Budget Template, Attachment _B.docx, is required and must be used with your proposal submission. The Detailed Budget Template is provided with the package on grants.gov.

· If multiple objectives/projects are proposed under a Priority, each objective/project must have project personnel roles, responsibilities, and hours broken out specific to the objective. The objectives under each Priority must also be broken out independently in the Detailed Budget (Attachment B). Include descriptions of project personnel and their experience and skills relevant to their proposed objectives. Extended supervisory hours performed by senior staff or other management activities for which funding is requested must be well justified. Submit Curriculum Vitae (CV) or resumes (2-page maximum) for primary personnel. CVs and resumes do not count toward the proposal page limit.

· If collaborating with non-state survey staff (e.g., universities or other state agencies), or hiring contractors, roles and project hours must be detailed within the proposal narrative, detailed budget, and personnel tables for both requested funding or state match. Proposed contractors and the activities supported by the contractor (individual or corporate) must be identified in the proposal. Quotes for contracted work must be provided. Contracted work will not be funded without quotes. The selection criteria used or planned for their selection must be provided. (Selection criteria and/or CVs do not count toward the proposal page limit.)

· In-kind services proposed as match, e.g., software, must have documentation of value of software. The proof of value does not count toward the proposal page limit.

· All supplies and equipment must be itemized, and a vendor or manufacturer quote provided. Supplies and equipment will not be funded without quotes. See section D2. Detailed Budget Narrative, section d. Other Direct Costs. In addition, equipment funding requests of $5,000 or more per item must be supported by a thorough justification. Quotes must be provided for supplies and equipment whether proposed funding requested, or match proposed. The equipment requests including scanners, computers, storage media, and relevant software licenses are acceptable if the equipment is reasonable and necessary for the successful completion of the work funded by the NGGDPP. If no justification is included, the cost will be disallowed. The NGGDPP will not fund general software licenses, database software systems, or equipment required for your organization’s IT infrastructure and operation, regardless of your proposed NGGDPP-related work. Equipment justification and quotes are not included in the project description page limit.

· Non-allowable expenses under the NGGDPP include duplicate digitization/conversion of artifacts produced and preserved by other agencies, tuition, computer maintenance or travel to a conference or workshop.

· Buy America requirements for construction projects have changed, providing greater flexibility for construction projects under $250,000. Please see the 2025 NGGDPP Terms and Conditions (Attachment C, Section F) for the full provision.

· If geospatial datasets are part of a proposed activity, the data must be documented with feature-level FGDC-compliant metadata and be provided with the open-format compiled geospatial dataset(s). Free metadata tools such as the USGS Metadata Wizard may be utilized for populating metadata.

· All geospatial data collected for or produced through the use of the Department of the Interior (DOI) financial assistance funds must meet all relevant standards established by the Federal Geospatial Data Committee (FGDC) as authorized by Geospatial Data Act of 2018, Pub. L. 115-254, Subtitle F – Geospatial Data, §§ 751-759C, codified at 43 U.S.C. §§ 2801–2811. DOI requires fully compliant metadata on all Geographic Information Systems files developed for financial assistance projects. If a funded financial assistance project involves acquiring or collecting geospatial data, the recipient is required to search GeoPlatform.gov to determine that no existing Federal, State, local or private data meet the Government’s needs and are available at no cost before acquiring or collecting additional geospatial data.

· The following regulations and requirements apply under §1402.315 of FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE INTERIOR REGULATION, SUPPLEMENTING THE UNIFORM ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS, COST PRINCIPLES, AND AUDIT REQUIREMENTS FOR FEDERAL AWARDS.

(a) All data, methodology, factual inputs, models, analyses, technical information, reports, conclusions, valuation products or other scientific assessments in any medium or form, including textual, numerical, graphic, cartographic, narrative, or audiovisual, resulting from a financial assistance agreement is available for use by the DOI, including being available in a manner that is sufficient for independent verification.

(b) The Federal Government has the right to:

(1) Obtain, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the data, methodology, factual inputs, models, analyses, technical information, reports, conclusions, or other scientific assessments, produced under a Federal award; and

(2) Authorize others to receive, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use such data, methodology, factual inputs, models, analyses, technical information, reports, conclusions, or other scientific assessments, for Federal purposes, including to allow for meaningful third-party evaluation.

· See Section D.2 - Project Abstract Summary for the Proposal - Submission of a 1-page (<4000 words, 12-point font) project abstract summary describing the purpose of the project, activities, deliverables and expected outcomes is required as a separate word document (*.docx) as part of the proposal package, AbstractTemplate.docx, (https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5baa94ade4b08583a5cd878e?name=AbstractTemplate.docx). Please note upon issuance of the grant, this Project Abstract Summary will be publicly available at USAspending.gov.

· The Final Technical Report (FTR) must use the Final Technical Report template, FinalTechnicalReport_Template.docx (https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5baa94ade4b08583a5cd878e?name=FinalTechnicalReport_Template.docx). The FTR must include a 500-word summary with specific examples of user success stories and/or other societal benefits that highlight accomplishments in this project. A png image, 300 DPI or greater, is required to capture the essence of the project. Please note the summary and image may be shared in news releases, communications, or websites as examples of success stories and project types.

· Infrastructure grants (Priority 2) may be subject to the Buy American requirements described in the Terms and Conditions (Attachment C, Section F) section accessed in Section D7. The Davis Bacon Act may apply.

Please contact the Contracting Officer if you have any questions regarding the proposal process and/or scope of the Program. However, questions specific to your proposal as to what will or will not be funded cannot be addressed.

Changes to Proposal Requirements and Conditions The following changes are being implemented in the FY 2025 funding opportunity:

· Awards may start as early as April 15, 2025 and no later than September 1, 2026.

· The period of performance for each award may be up to 3 years. States may submit new proposals in subsequent years within the period of performance of an existing grant BUT the proposed work cannot duplicate the effort or be a continuation of objectives of a currently funded, active grant. The Program reserves the right to separate total funding to one state geological survey into multiple awards.

· States may request up to $5,000 to update metadata to the new ReSciColl requirements (formerly the National Digital Catalog (NDC)). This Priority 1 activity request requires a 1:1 state to federal match and will be awarded to all requestors. The funding requested and matched must be documented separately in Attachment A as part of the Priority 1 activities. The $5,000 requested includes fringe rates and indirect costs.

· States may request up to $5,000 (including fringe rates and indirect costs) to develop a strategic plan for data preservation of critical minerals associated with mine waste and legacy mine lands.

· In addition to the 200 samples that may be submitted for critical mineral relevant geochemical analyses, states may submit up to an additional 100 samples specifically from boreholes relevant to critical minerals characterization. Samples may be from state geological survey collections and/or from other public state, federal or USGS repositories or collections.

Program Priorities PLEASE NOTE: Proposals that do not specifically address NGGDPP fiscal year (FY) 2025 priorities will NOT be considered for an award.

The NGGDPP FY 2025 priorities include:

1. preservation of geoscience materials and data, updating ReSciColl collections and items using enhanced ReSciColl profiles with a preference for proposed preservation activities relevant to any combination of these priorities: climate, subsurface resources, critical minerals, physical infrastructure development, and clean/green energy;

2. development and/or improvement of digital and/or physical infrastructure supporting the preservation, archiving and/or delivery of geological and geophysical data, samples, and/or related historical materials; and

3. preservation of geoscience materials and data focused on critical minerals; development of a strategic plan for critical minerals; development of a strategic plan for critical minerals specific to mine waste and mine lands; and submission for analysis of existing geochemical samples relevant to critical minerals assessments.

Preservation activities include preservation of geoscience data, samples, and physical materials to support a) the Biden-Harris Administration priorities (https://www.whitehouse.gov/priorities) of climate, racial equality, and the economy, b) to support the Department of the Interior Secretarial Priorities of protection and preservation of public lands, renewable energy development, and climate research, c) the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) (Public Law 117-58), and the priorities of the state geological survey and their stakeholders.

Funded projects require submission of metadata records describing preserved resources in conformance with the NGGDPP metadata schema to ReSciColl to increase discovery, access and reuse by researchers, resource managers, decision-makers, and the public, for the benefit of society. Priority 2 projects that are solely physical infrastructure development (construction) or digital infrastructure will not require submission of metadata records OR Priority 2 projects with no data deliverables will still be required to submit collection metadata documenting the non-data project.

The proposal must describe projects that address the FY 2025 priorities and requirements to complete comprehensive activities to inventory, describe, and preserve specific collections. It is possible for proposed Priority 1, 2, and/or 3 projects to receive reduced or no funding. All Priority 1 requests to update ReSciColl collections and items metadata will be funded up to the $5,000 Federal cap, which includes fringe rates and indirect costs. If applicable, hiring students from underrepresented sectors, majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematical fields, is strongly encouraged to educate and diversify the next generation of geoscientists.

FY 2025 Priority 1 – Preserve Geoscience Data and Materials In FY 2025, state geological surveys may request funds to inventory, preserve, archive, and/or modernize geologic, geophysical, and engineering data, maps, notebooks, publications, well logs, photographs, and samples. NGGDPP seeks proposals that prioritize the preservation of resources relevant to climate studies, subsurface resources (including critical minerals), infrastructure development, environmental equity, and/or clean/green energy.

Preservation activities may include, but are not limited to, the following:

· conversion of paper records and/or analog data to 508-compliant, ideally machine-readable, digital formats for preservation and digital access with optical character recognition (OCR) when applicable;

· updating digital data to modern and sustainable formats to maintain accessibility and usability;

· conversion of paper or scanned previously published geologic maps, not available in a GIS format, to the Geologic Mapping Schema (GeMS) format database (see https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Info/standards/GeMS/); proposals must include an appendix table listing the proposed maps for preservation with the associated NGMDB product listing, eg., https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_78420.htm, conversion to GeMS Level-III is preferred, and GeMS deliverables must be submitted following the guidance to the NGMDB Connect web site;

· preserving subsurface data and sample resources including drill core/borehole information in support of the National Index of Borehole Information (NIBI) and National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP) subsurface mapping;

· preserving and/or rescuing time-dependent, irreplaceable geologic data or collections of significant value in imminent danger of loss from deteriorating physical surroundings, threat of disposal, loss of institutional knowledge, or rapidly deteriorating media on which they reside (e.g., data stored on magnetic tape or aerial photos); and

· creating rich metadata for collections and child items registered in ReSciColl, using standard profiles.

All Federal funds requested for Priority 1 must be matched at 100% (minimum) with state funds for Priority 1 activities. The state portion can be larger than the federal portion.

Subsurface data and physical resource inventories e.g., samples, drill core/borehole, etc., should be compiled using prescriptive formats with guidance on the NGGDPP website. The current Borehole template for drill hole/core data compilation is available for download (https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5baa94ade4b08583a5cd878e?name=NGGDPP%20borehole%20template.xlsx) on the NGGDPP site, Grants: Tips and Examples, and will include location (in decimal degrees) and total depth, and should include if the information is available: identification of stratigraphic tops, lithology, driller’s logs, construction information, imagery, geophysical data, and analytical results. The compiled borehole spreadsheet containing point and interval data must be documented as a collection and uploaded to ReSciColl.

Details to ingest and connect subsurface resources to the National Index of Borehole Information (NIBI) are available from the NIBI website. Options are available for both spreadsheet (*.xlsx) and RESTful (Application Programming Interface (API) uploads.

Update Collections and Child Item Metadata in ReSciColl The NGGDPP has re-architected and rebranded the former National Digital Catalog (NDC), which has served as the metadata catalog for projects funded through the Program. ReSciColl (Registry of Scientific Collections) has been launched and provides the opportunity for richer descriptions of collections and child items which should result in improved discovery and reuse of these assets. ReSciColl can only be a valuable discovery tool if it contains rich information about collections and child items.

States may request up to $5,000 (including fringe rates and indirect costs) to update existing metadata records from previous preservation efforts harvested into ReSciColl to the new ReSciColl standards for collection and item level metadata. A description of the scope of this activity must be provided. All states requesting these funds will receive them.

Local tools and applications that had been developed to follow the *.csv/*.xml NDC metadata convention will need to be revamped to conform to the new ReSciColl metadata convention with guidance for submission to the new ReSciColl provided on the NDDGPP site (https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/national-geological-and-geophysical-data-preservation-program/data-submission).

NGGDPP supports the updating of geographic place names, especially those identified as derogatory, in accordance with the Derogatory Geographic Names FAQs of the Board on Geographic Names. The authoritative database of geographic names for Federal use (Geographic Names Information System) is updated as new terms are identified and replaced based on standard naming conventions.

NGGDPP’s aim is to facilitate and promote the availability of preserved data and materials to further geoscientific research and societal understanding. Therefore, all attempts should be made to freely and publicly expose the data and materials preserved through funding from NGGDPP grants, avoiding copyrights and restrictions.

Collection metadata records describing the preserved materials must be submitted to ReSciColl adhering to the current ReSciColl metadata requirements. If applicable to the proposed activity, metadata for individual collection items should also be submitted. NGGDPP-required metadata attributes for collection metadata and item metadata, as well as upload and/or access protocols, are available on ReSciColl.

FY 2025 Priority 2 – Digital and Physical Infrastructure Development In FY 2025, states may request funds in support of the development and/or improvement of digital and/or physical infrastructure supporting preservation, archiving, compilation, integration, and/or delivery of geological and geophysical data, samples, and/or related historical materials. Data production activities for Priority 2 must be limited to establishing workflows related to new digital and/or physical infrastructure.

Proposed activities may include but are not limited to the following:

· Construction, remodel, or repair of buildings (or parts thereof) that house geological or geophysical data and/or samples and/or related archival materials that are made publicly available. Funds must be used only for relevant portions of the building.

· Creation or updating of digital systems that improve the access to and delivery of geological and geophysical data (e.g. databases, web services, websites, APIs, etc.). If web services or databases create or change access to a collection, the collection needs to be created or updated in ReSciColl.

· Purchase and/or installation of equipment that facilitates the production of data from historical samples or documents (e.g. scanners, hyperspectral scanners, X-Ray Diffraction scanners, photographic equipment, etc.). The proposed purchase must include planned file formats and methods for providing access to the acquired data in the Data Management Plan. The file formats must be in non-proprietary, industry standards. Data preparation methods and delivery systems must be described associated with the new equipment. Data preservation projects using the equipment should be proposed separately under Priority 1 or Priority 3 as appropriate.

· Development of workflows and methodologies for new equipment. Note: This activity does not support new research. Collected data cannot be embargoed. They must be released to the public in a usable state with the least amount of processing within three months of data acquisition. If data is produced as part of a pilot project, a Data Management Plan must be submitted and collection metadata records describing the data collection must be created in ReSciColl adhering to the current ReSciColl metadata requirements.

As required by Section 70914 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act), P.L. 117-58, on or after May 14, 2022, none of the funds under a federal award that are part of Federal financial assistance program for infrastructure may be obligated for a project unless all of the iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials used in the project are produced in the United States, unless subject to an approved waiver. The requirements of this section must be included in all subawards, including all contracts and purchase orders for work or products under this program. The details for the Buy America Domestic Procurement Preference are provided in the 2025 NGGDPP Terms and Conditions (Attachment C, Section F).

All Federal funds requested for Priority 2 must be matched at 100% (minimum) with state funds for Priority 2 activities. The state portion can be larger than the federal portion.

FY 2025 Priority 3 – Critical Minerals Data Preservation In FY 2019, the USGS established an initiative, known as Earth MRI (Mapping Resources Initiative), with a goal of modernizing the surface and subsurface geologic mapping of the United States, with a focus on identifying areas that may have the potential to contain mineral resources. The minerals on the 2022 Final List of Critical Minerals[1] are the current focus of the USGS component of Earth MRI. In FY 2019, the NGGDPP established a new program priority, critical mineral resources, supporting states to preserve and make publicly available online mineral deposit, drill core, geochemical, geophysical, and other relevant data, in support of the Earth MRI effort.

In FY 2025, state geological surveys may request funds, up to $50,000 of federal match, to support the process of preserving and making publicly available data and information on critical minerals in the United States through the following types of activities that meet the intent of Priority 3.

Priority 3 focuses on 4 main themes: (1) making publicly available drill hole/core data through the ReSciColl, (2) development of a preservation plan for critical minerals-related data and materials, (3) development of a preservation plan and list of critical minerals in mine waste, and (4) preservation and submission of geochemical samples relevant for evaluating critical mineral content.

The FY 2025 Priority 3 themes are defined as:

· State compilation of borehole data with metadata to ReSciColl - identifying and providing digital access to publicly available drill hole/core data and information for areas with the potential for hosting critical mineral resources. Drill hole/core data will be compiled in the borehole template and will include location (in decimal degrees) and total depth and should include, if the information is available, identification of stratigraphic tops, lithology, driller’s logs, construction information, imagery, geophysical data, and analytical results. If applicable, depth to bedrock and identification of basement rock relevant to the terrane, including depth to Precambrian basement, depth to consolidated rock beneath Quaternary deposits, or depth to consolidated rock beneath coastal plain deposits should be documented. The compiled borehole spreadsheet containing point and interval data must be documented as a collection and uploaded to ReSciColl. Compiled subsurface information should be connected in the National Index of Borehole Information (NIBI).

· Preservation Plan for Critical Minerals – States that have not previously requested to develop a strategic plan for critical minerals data preservation for their state may request up to $5,000 (including fringe rates and indirect costs) to complete the plan. A detailed description of the activity must be provided. All new states requesting these funds will receive them.

· Preservation Plan and List of Critical Minerals in Mine Waste – States may request up to $5,000 (including fringe rates and indirect costs) to develop a strategic plan for critical minerals data preservation focused on mine waste for their state. Available funding for a mine waste strategic preservation plan is in addition to the more general critical mineral science plan described above. A detailed description of the activity must be provided. All new states requesting these funds will receive them.

· Preserving samples for Geochemical Analyses for Characterizing Critical Mineral Resources – For FY2025 the USGS will support the whole-rock analytical geochemical needs required to characterize preserved samples relevant to characterizing critical mineral resources by providing analyses generated on samples submitted to the USGS through a “credit” system. These samples may include material from borehole, outcrop, or other materials associated with critical mineral resources. The source for the existing samples may include public repositories including other state, federal, and USGS repositories or collections, e.g., the USGS National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) Sample Collection.The state geological survey will be credited with 200 unknown samples of any type over the period of performance of the award. The state geological survey will be credited with an additional 100 unknown samples related specifically to boreholes. Borehole materials may include core samples, cuttings, and (or) unconsolidated sedimentary material provided they were previously collected through drilling activity and have a distinct critical mineral association. The source for the existing borehole materials may include public repositories including other state, federal, and USGS repositories or collections, e.g., the USGS Core Research Center. The funds to support the analyses being transferred internally to the USGS Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center in Denver, CO. Funds will not be transferred to the state geological survey for this effort. The USGS assumes the responsibility of sample processing for whole-rock major and trace element analyses for the samples, acquiring the data through the contract laboratory, appropriate QA/QC protocols and data review, submitting QC duplicates, and data validation. The collection of samples must be documented to include item-level metadata for submittal to ReSciColl. The laboratory data are combined into the periodic USGS data releases hosted on the Earth MRI website (see https://doi.org/10.5066/P9WHRLXH) to assure all geochemical data processed are released to the public. Earth MRI offers analyses for major elements through by wavelength dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (WDXRF). A 61-element ICP-OES-MS sodium peroxide fusion (ICP-60) package is to support minor and trace element analyses, including the rare earth elements. Samples and borehole materials cannot be submitted if they have already been analyzed by another state geological survey, federal agency, or the USGS with the same parent sample or borehole material, depth interval, host rock type with critical mineral potential for the same suite of analyses. Processing, costs, and publication of results associated with non-standard samples (e.g., heavy mineral separates, specialty sample processing, etc.) are the responsibility of the State Geological Surveys. Upon approval of the proposed effort, please communicate to the USGS sample control group lead by Jamie Azain (jsazain@usgs.gov) prior to submittal of the samples under this effort to obtain the sample submittal forms and procedures.

Collection metadata records describing the preserved materials must be submitted to ReSciColl using the current ReSciColl metadata profile. If applicable to the proposed activity, metadata for individual collection items should also be submitted. NGGDPP-required metadata attributes for collection metadata and item metadata, as well as upload and/or access protocols, are available on ReSciColl.

NGGDPP’s aim is to facilitate and promote the availability of preserved data and materials to further geoscientific research. Therefore, all attempts should be made to publicly expose the preserved data and materials sponsored by NGGDPP grants, avoiding copyrights and restrictions.

All Federal funds requested for Priority 3 must be matched at 100% (minimum) with state funds for Priority 3 activities. The state portion can be larger than the federal portion.

[1] Federal Register, 2022, 2022 Final List of Critical Minerals, accessed May 23, 2023, at URL https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/02/24/2022-04027/2022-final-list-of-critical-minerals.

Funding Opportunity Goals should provide a general statement of how the Financial Assistance will be used and the objective of the overall project.

Funding Opportunity Goals

· Research for natural hazards, energy and mineral resources, ecosystems and environmental health, and water resources.

B. Federal Award Information This section provides sufficient information to help an applicant make an informed decision about whether to submit a proposal. Relevant information could include the total amount of funding that the Federal awarding agency expects to award through the announcement; the anticipated number of Federal awards; the expected amounts of individual Federal awards (which may be a range); the amount of funding per Federal award, on average, experienced in previous years; and the anticipated start dates and periods of performance for new Federal awards. This section also should address whether applications for renewal or supplementation of existing projects are eligible to compete with applications for new Federal awards.

This section also must indicate the type(s) of assistance instrument (e.g., grant, cooperative agreement) that may be awarded if applications are successful. If cooperative agreements may be awarded, this section either should describe the “substantial involvement” that the Federal awarding agency expects to have or should reference where the potential applicant can find that information (e.g., in the funding opportunity description in A. Program Description—Required or Federal award administration information in Section D. Application and Submission Information). If procurement contracts also may be awarded, this must be stated.

Enter program specific text in the sub-headers of this section.

B1. Total Funding In the numeric field below, enter the total amount of funding that the program expects to award through this funding opportunity.

Estimated Total Funding $4,000,000

B2. Award Amount If the program has established maximum and/or minimum values for individual award amounts, enter those in the fields below. If either of these values does not apply, enter $0 in the corresponding field(s). In the text field, enter a description of the expected amounts of individual awards (which may be a range); the amount of funding per award, on average, experienced in previous years; and indicate whether applications for renewal or supplementation of existing projects are eligible to compete with applications for new Federal awards.

Maximum Award $0 Minimum Award $0 The approximate range for an individual award is a minimum of $5,000 up to a maximum of $800,000.

B3. Anticipated Award Funding and Dates In the text field below enter information on the expected amounts of individual Federal awards (which may be a range); the amount of funding per Federal award, on average, experienced in previous years; and the anticipated start dates and periods of performance for new Federal awards.

Anticipated Award Date April 15, 2025 April 15, 2025 to August 15, 2026 Proposal Announcement Date: May 31, 2024 Closing Date and Time for Proposal Submission: December 12, 2024, 6:00 p.m. ET

Proposals received after the deadline will NOT be considered for an award.

The earliest start date will be April 15, 2025 and the latest start date is September 1, 2026.

For applications that include Priority 3 projects, the start date will be after USGS receives its final FY 2025 appropriation. All deliverables are due 90 days after the end of the grant period of performance.

Awards will be made for up to a 36-month period of performance.

B4. Number of Awards In the text field below enter information on the anticipated number of Federal awards. If the program has established minimum and maximum values for the anticipated total number of awards, enter those values in the maximum and minimum fields below. If either of these values does not apply, enter “0” in the corresponding field(s) and then enter an alternate description of the anticipated number of awards in the following text field.

Expected Number of Awards

B5. Type of Award Select the Type of Award below by choosing the appropriate assistance instrument(s) from the drop-down list.

If you are awarding cooperative agreements, you must also enter text in the following text field to describe the substantial involvement the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) expects to have in the performance of the agreement, or reference where the potential applicant can find that information elsewhere in this document (e.g., in section I. Program Description above). Here is suggested text to use to begin the substantial involvement statement: “The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will be substantially involved in projects under this funding opportunity. In particular, the USGS will be responsible for the following: [insert list of the specific project-related activities to be performed by USGS staff.]”

Funding Instrument Type G - Grant

C. Eligibility Information This section addresses the considerations or factors that determine applicant or application eligibility. This includes the eligibility of particular types of applicant organizations, any factors affecting the eligibility of the principal investigator or project director, and any criteria that make particular projects ineligible. Federal agencies should make clear whether an applicant's failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the time of an application deadline will result in the Federal awarding agency returning the application without review or, even though an application may be reviewed, will preclude the Federal awarding agency from making a Federal award. Enter program specific text in the sub-headers of this section.

C1. Eligible Applicants Identify the types of entities that are eligible to apply by selecting the checkbox for the type of entity. Multiple checkboxes may be selected. If there are no restrictions on eligibility, you may simply indicate that all potential applicants are eligible. In the text box below the checkbox selection indicate if there are restrictions on eligibility. It is important to be clear about the specific types of entities that are eligible, not just the types that are ineligible. For example, if the program is limited to nonprofit organizations subject to 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) of the tax code (26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3)), the announcement should say so. Similarly, it is better to state explicitly that Native American tribal organizations are eligible than to assume that they can unambiguously infer that from a statement that nonprofit organizations may apply. Programs may also express eligibility by exception (e.g., open to all types of domestic applicants other than individuals). In the textbox specifically reference any documentation applicants must submit to support an eligibility determination (e.g., if the program limits eligibility to only non-profits with a specific IRS status, state in the field below that proof of 501(c)(3) status as determined by the Internal Revenue Service or an authorizing tribal resolution is required). To the extent that any program funding restriction could affect the eligibility of an applicant or project, the announcement must either restate that restriction in the textbox in this section or provide a cross-reference to its description as it appears elsewhere in this template.

If checkbox 25-Others is selected you must complete the text box, Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification.

Eligible Applicants 00 – State governments Additional Information on Eligibility Explanation required if “Others” is selected.

Only state geological surveys are eligible to apply to this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) under the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 105-58, Sec. 351). A university may submit a proposal on behalf of a state geological survey if the state geological survey is organized under a state university system.

C2. Cost Sharing or Matching Select the appropriate value from the list to indicate if recipient cost sharing or matching is required. If the program has a cost sharing, cost matching, or cost participation requirement, you must also enter a complete description of the cost sharing or matching requirement in the following text field. Required cost sharing may be a certain percentage or amount or may be in the form of contributions of specified items or activities (e.g., provision of equipment). It is important to be clear about any restrictions on the types of cost (e.g., in-kind contributions) that are acceptable as cost sharing or match. Cost sharing as an eligibility criterion includes requirements based in statute or regulation as described, in 2 CFR §200.306 or those imposed by administrative decision of the funding bureau or office. Include specific reference to the appropriate section(s) of this announcement stating any pre-award requirements for submission of letters or other documentation to verify commitments to meet cost-sharing requirements if a Federal award is made. Programs without a required cost sharing or matching requirement may enter clarifications regarding voluntary committed cost sharing or other related information in the following text field, as applicable.

Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement Yes This program has a match requirement.

All Federal funds requested for Priority 1 must be matched at 100% (minimum) with state funds for Priority 1 activities.

All Federal funds requested for Priority 2 must be matched at 100% (minimum) with state funds for Priority 2 activities.

All Federal funds requested for Priority 3 must be matched at 100% (minimum) with state funds for Priority 3 activities.

Verify the federal share of the cost of the proposed activities is no more than 50 percent of the total cost for each Priority individually. The state portion can be larger than the federal portion. Priority activities must be budgeted separately and within the itemized budget for that Priority. Review and verify budget numbers prior to proposal submission.

In-kind services proposed as match, e.g., software or volunteer time, must have documentation of value of the contribution.

C3. Other In the text box below, insert a description of any other criteria that have the effect of…