FY25 Landslide Program Announcement_FINAL.pdf

United States Department of the Interior

United States Geological Survey

USGS Cooperative Landslide Hazard Mapping and Assessment

Program Announcement for Fiscal Year 2025 https://www.usgs.gov/programs/landslide-hazards/science/external-grants-overview

Notice of Funding Opportunity - Fiscal Year 2025

Funding Opportunity Number (FON) G25AS00032

Issue Date: October 15, 2024

Closing Date and Time:

January 15, 2025 @ 5:00 PM Eastern Time

FY 2025 - USGS Cooperative Landslide Hazard Mapping and Assessment Program Announcement

OMB Control Number: 1028-0142 Expiration Date: 04/30/2027

This application is for the U.S. Geological Survey – Cooperative Landslide Hazard Mapping and Assessment Program. Thank you for participating in this grant application process. Your participation in the grant application process is voluntary. The entire grant application process should take about 46 hours. Your responses will provide important information to assess you and your co-PIs scientific and technical backgrounds to determine eligibility and ability to complete the proposed grant activities.

The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501), states that an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and you are not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number and expiration date. You may submit comments on any aspect of this collection. Please note that comments submitted in response to this collection are public record.

Comments on this collection should be sent to the Clearance Office at gs-info_collections@usgs.gov.

Privacy Act Statement: You are not required to provide your contact information in order to submit your survey response. However, if you do not provide contact information, the USGS may not be able to contact you for additional information to verify your responses. If you do provide contact information, this information will not be shared with any other organization and will only be used to initiate follow-up communication about this project if needed. The records for this collection will be maintained in the appropriate Privacy Act System of Records identified as [DOI Social Networks (Interior/USGS-8) published at 76 FR 44033, 7/22/2011].

mailto:gs-info_collections@usgs.gov

Contents

A. Program Description

A1. Authority

A2. Background, Purpose, and Program Requirements

B. Federal Award Information

B1. Total Funding

B2. Award Amount

B3. Anticipated Award Funding and Dates

B4. Number of Awards

B5. Type of Award

C. Eligibility Information

C1. Eligible Applicants

C2. Cost Sharing or Matching

C3. Other

D. Application and Submission Information

D1. Address to Request Application Package

D2. Content and Form of Application Submission

D3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

D4. Submission Dates and Times

D5. Intergovernmental Review

D6. Other Submission Requirements

E. Application Review Information

E1. Criteria

E2. Review and Selection Process

E3. CFR – Regulatory information

E4. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

F. Federal Award Administration Information

F1. Federal Award Notices

F2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

F3. Reporting

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s)

G1. USGS Project Officer

G2. USGS Grant Specialist

G3. USGS Contracting Officer

G4. Application System Technical Support

H. Other information

I. Attachments

Attachment A. Guidance Criteria for FY 2025

Attachment B. Special Terms and Conditions

Attachment C. Public Law 115-323

Attachment D. Landslide National Strategy for Landslide Loss Reduction

Attachment E. USGS Scientist Collaboration Statement Form - Template

Attachment F. Proposal Information Summary Template

Attachment G. Budget Summary Table Template

Attachment H. Final Technical Report Template

Attachment I. Progress Report Template

Attachment J: Data Management Plan Template

Attachment K: Grant Application Checklist

A. Program Description

A1. Authority

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Landslide Hazards Program (LHP) issues this Program Announcement for assistance to support communication, planning, coordination, mapping, assessments, and data collection of landslide hazards. The Program Announcement for the Cooperative Landslide Hazard Mapping and Assessment Program is authorized by the National Landslide Preparedness Act (P.L. 116-

323) and appropriations to the USGS.

A main objective of this Program, as outlined in the National Landslide Preparedness Act, is to provide grants, on a competitive basis, to state, territorial, local, and Tribal governments to research, map, assess, and collect data on landslide hazards within the jurisdictions of those governments. This funding opportunity, the USGS Cooperative Landslide Hazard Mapping and Assessment Program, solicits Risk Reduction Proposals as described in this document.

a) Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number

15.821

A2. Background, Purpose, and Program Requirements

The USGS Cooperative Landslide Hazard Mapping and Assessment Program requests applicants address risk reduction activities that aim to advance landslide science and communication that underlie the priorities of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (Attachment C) by focusing on landslide hazard planning, coordination, education, outreach, mapping, and assessments. These risk reduction activities, called Guidance Criteria, reflect the National Landslide Preparedness Act and the National Strategy for Landslide Loss Reduction (Attachment D), which support the mission of the LHP to reduce loss of lives and property from landslides and improve public safety and community resilience of the Nation.

Applicants must review the Guidance Criteria described in Attachment A to determine if their application is appropriate under this Program Announcement.

a) Application Guidelines and Requirements

• This Program Announcement is open to state, Tribal, territorial, and local governments. A university may submit a proposal on behalf of a state geological survey or other state office if that office is organized under a university system. The use of a sub-award or contract should not be used to circumvent the eligibility requirements of the law governing this Grant Program (National Landslide Preparedness Act (P.L. 116-323)) which states, “the Secretary may provide grants, on a competitive basis, to State, territorial, local, and Tribal governments...”.

• If proposing any type of mapping project, you are required to include a map in your proposal showing the proposed mapping area and the square miles to be mapped. If possible, please include a breakdown of the area (acres or square miles) of private, state, Tribal, and federal lands within the proposed mapping area.

• If proposing a mapping project such as inventory, susceptibility, risk, or runout, you must indicate which protocol you plan to use to complete the work. If you are using an unpublished protocol that may be internal to your organization, please describe that process including the methods and data to be collected and reference any previous studies using the protocol. If proposing to use an experimental process for mapping, please describe how and why that process was selected, especially if established processes already exist.

• If you are proposing multiple activities to complete the project, clearly state the work associated with each activity and who will do the work. Please note that if the peer Review Panel doesn’t recommend all the actives in one proposal, a portion or the entire proposal may be denied funding. If a portion is denied funding, the scope of work, budget, and other areas of the proposal must be modified according to recommendations by OAG and LHPO to receive funds.

• USGS personnel are prohibited from assisting any organization in the preparation of its proposal for competitive funding under this Program Announcement.

• Proposed projects should be self-sustaining. If you proposed to collect data, also build in time for data analysis and interpretation.

• Project leaders should not be overcommitted in their estimated workload – this poses a risk to the proposed work.

• Articulate how potential new hires that will play a major role in the project work will be hired, trained, and ready to work at the start of the project period.

• If communication, stakeholder engagement, or product assessment is involved, appropriate expertise is expected on the project team (e.g., social scientist, communication specialist)

• Funds will not cover lobbying efforts.

• Proposals must provide a clear articulation of all protocols or methods to be followed. If a new protocol is proposed, situated it in the context of existing methods and previous studies.

• For projects where data is collected from human subjects (e.g., surveys) with plans for publication or public dissemination, the proposal must include a commentary indicating whether an Institutional Review Board (IRB) process is needed. If an IRB process is needed, describe the timeline and outcome of the process.

• Sustainability and Transferability: Proposal should articulate how the work will be sustained and built upon beyond the project period and how transferrable the outcomes will be.

• Begin submitting your proposal to Grants.gov well in advance of the due date as there is no possibility of late submissions.

Please contact the USGS Project Officer if you have questions. However, questions specific to your proposal as to what will or will not be funded cannot be addressed.

b) Changes to Proposal Requirements and Conditions

Changes to this Program Announcement from the FY 2024 version are listed below.

• Throughout: Editorial changes for conciseness and clarity.

• Throughout: Renamed and changed “Risk Reduction Priority Area” to “Guidance Criteria”

• Attachment: Added Attachment J - a Data Management Plan template.

• Attachment: Added Attachment K - a contents checklist for applicants that includes an application page order.

• Attachment B. Updated to reflect updated Terms and Conditions from the USGS Office of Acquisitions and Grants.

• Attachment G. Budget Summary Template. Expanded the table to include additional details necessary for approved grants. Also removed this attachment from the 15-page limit.

• Section A2: added additional guidelines for applicants in “Application Guidelines and Requirements” including recommendations made by the FY 2024 peer Review Panel.

• Section A2: removed reference and description of “Out-of-Cycle Awards”.

• Section B2. Reduced the maximum award amount from $300,000 to $250,000.

• Section C1: added a statement concerning projects that will not be funded such as capital projects and mitigation design.

• Section C2. Elaborated on match/cost share information: Please note that for a proposal to receive prioritization for having match, it must include non-federal matching funds for at least 50 percent of the total cost of the project.

• Section D. Removed the “Grants.gov Application Submission and Receipt Procedures” section due to numerous broken links. Replaced the text with a link to a Grants.gov tutorial on “how to apply for grants”.

• Section D2. Project Narrative. Corrected typo on the number of characters allowed in the Project Abstract Summary.

• Section D2. Project Narrative. Project Description. Added a requirement for proposed mapping projects to include a map and mapping area.

• Section D2. Detailed Project Narrative. Additional explanations on unfilled positions.

• Section D2. Detailed Budget Narrative. Additional explanations on itemization of Supplies.

• Section D6: removed the section because of lack of relevance to eligible applicants. Moved remaining section D7 to D6.

• Section E1: Updated the evaluation criteria for the Review Panel and removed the last element, which addresses alignment with the National Landslide Preparedness Act. This is due to redundancy as the Guidance Criteria already align with the Act. A portion of the evaluation criteria language was taken directly from the Act and states that ‘prioritization’ is made for some elements of the evaluation process. Because the Review Panel is asked to review each application individually and not to compare one proposal to another, ‘prioritization’ has been transferred to the Program Office which may compare proposals.

c) Involvement of Federal Employees

Federal employees, including USGS employees, are prohibited from serving in any capacity (paid or unpaid) on any application submitted under this Program Announcement. Proposals that have a real or apparent conflict of interest related to Federal employees will not be processed for evaluation. This does not prohibit cooperation or collaboration between USGS and non-USGS scientists once a grant or cooperative agreement is in place. Collaborative Proposals are described below.

d) Collaborative Proposals

Collaborative Proposals are not required. However, if an applicant would like to pursue a Collaborative Proposal, please review the following. Two types of collaborative proposals are acceptable:

• Type A: Collaboration between two or more external organizations that are seeking funding from the USGS Cooperative Landslide Hazard Mapping and Assessment Program.

• Type B: Collaboration between an external organization seeking such funding and a USGS internal project.

Collaborative proposals are not instances where persons from a second organization are hired as consultants or other contractual agreements to conduct work on behalf of the grant or cooperative agreement recipient. Recipients of 1-year collaborative awards must submit one Final Technical Report (Attachment H), incorporating the efforts of all collaborators. For 2-year collaborative awards, recipients must submit one Progress Report (Attachment I) at the end of the first year incorporating the efforts of all collaborators.

Collaborative proposals must be clearly identified in the proposal title. The application title shall read “Proposal Title: Collaborative Risk Reduction Project with First Institution name, and Second Institution name.” All collaborative proposal start and end dates must match.

Specific guidelines for each type of collaborative proposal are provided below:

Type A:

• For collaborative proposals that propose work by two or more separate institutions or organizations, each individual organization must accept responsibility for specific parts of the work proposed. A separate proposal must be submitted from each external organization involved in collaborative studies. Major sections of each proposal shall be identical, and each proposal must clearly define the objectives to be performed by each organization, and each institution shall submit a separate budget, which clearly reflects their objectives and responsibilities.

• Each Principal Investigator and their institution that is recommended for funding will receive a separate grant and shall accept financial responsibility for administering the grant and technical responsibility for submitted required reports.

Type B

• Collaborative projects between a USGS internal project and external investigator(s) must be structured such that neither project could succeed without the other being funded. While many external projects either directly or indirectly support or cooperate with ongoing internal USGS projects, these projects are not considered collaborative projects because their objectives can be pursued with or without the existence of the internal USGS project(s).

• USGS reserves the right to fund only some of the Applicants involved in a collaborative study.

IMPORTANT: In the case of collaborative proposals involving external organizations and USGS scientists, the external proposal MUST include the USGS Scientist Collaboration Statement Form (Attachment E), filled out and signed by the relevant internal USGS scientist(s) and their direct supervisor. This letter states that the scientist(s) will include specific efforts in their agreed-upon internal work plan for the period of time of the proposal to LHP. The scientists' supervisor must also sign the form in showing their approval of the work. Any letters provided by USGS scientists that do not use the template provided in Attachment E WILL BE REMOVED from consideration prior to proposal review and your proposal will be at risk for rejection. The signed Collaboration Statement Form will not count toward the 15- page limit.

e) Period of Performance

Projects must have a performance period of either 1 or 2 years.

• Two-year projects require an Annual Progress Report (Attachment I) due 90 days after the end of the first year in addition to the Final Technical Report (Attachment H) due 90 days after the end of the performance period.

• Two-year projects will be funded for the entire period of performance at the beginning of the award, not in one-year increments. Please ensure your organization can carry funds beyond one year.

The USGS anticipates that projects submitted for funding under this opportunity will have a period of performance of one year. However, if the proposed work is such that two years are required to complete the project, then a two-year proposal is appropriate and can be submitted. Applicants should carefully consider their time commitments and request the required grant duration and funding to accomplish their project goals. The peer review panel may recommend funding only the first year of a two-year proposal when the proposed project is easily divided into two, one-year projects or when the panel feels that results from the first year’s proposed work will need to be evaluated before a second year can be considered. Applicants should be sure to address the stipulations for two-year proposals in Section D2., Project Narrative item E., Project Description item 2, Project Plan.

Applicants 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.

B. Federal Award Information

B1. Total Funding

Estimated Total Funding: $1,000,000

B2. Award Amount

Maximum Award: $250,000

Minimum Award: $10,000

It is estimated that a total of $1 million will be awarded to fund competitive Risk Reduction Proposals in FY 2025. The maximum award amount is $250,000.00. In FY 2024, a total of 15 proposals were submitted requesting a total of $1.3M in federal assistance. Nine proposals were awarded requesting an average of $111,000 in federal assistance.

B3. Anticipated Award Funding and Dates

Anticipated Award Date: 05/01/2025

Proposal Announcement Date: 10/15/2024

Closing date and time for proposal submission: 01/15/2025, 5 p.m. Eastern Time. Proposals received after the deadline will NOT be considered for an award.

All projects must propose start dates between 05/01/2025 and 09/30/2025. The start date requested in the applicant’s submitted proposal is considered the applicant's official start date and may not be changed by the applicant. If funding delays do not allow for a project to be funded by the applicant's requested start date, the award will be issued as soon as funds become available, and the applicant will be notified of the new start date by the USGS Contracting Officer. Applicants must indicate if the proposed start date is fixed or flexible based on the activities (e.g., field work) of the proposal. This must be indicated on the Proposal Information Summary Template (Attachment F).

B4. Number of Awards

Expected Number of Awards: 10

B5. Type of Award

Funding Instrument Type: G - Grant

C. Eligibility Information

C1. Eligible Applicants

a) Eligible Applicants

State, Tribal, territorial, and local governments

b) Additional Information on Eligibility

This Program Announcement is open to state, Tribal, territorial, and local governments. A university may submit a proposal on behalf of a state geological survey or other state office if they are organized under a university system. The following are ineligible categories and listed below. Direct any questions about eligibility to the USGS Project Officer.

The following proposals are NOT eligible for consideration under this Program Announcement:

• Proposals for long-term operation of landslide monitoring networks or instruments.

• Proposals from U.S. Government agencies or U.S. Government employees unless part of a collaborative proposal.

• Proposals from Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC).

• Proposals in which there is a real or apparent conflict of interest.

• Proposals principally involving the direct procurement of a product or equipment.

• Projects seeking funding for capital improvements for landslide damaged infrastructure, landslide mitigation designs, repairing landslide damaged property, or similar activities.

C2. Cost Sharing or Matching

a) Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement

This program does not have a match requirement.

The National Landslide Preparedness Act (Public Law 116-323) states that funding prioritization shall be given to projects for which at least 50 percent of the total cost of the project is matched by non-Federal sources (i.e., state, local, non-governmental, Tribal, territorial, or private). More information about what qualifies for this non-Federal support, termed “match”, is discussed below. Report non-federal matching funds in the Detailed Budget Narrative. Please note that for a proposal to receive prioritization for having match, it must include non-federal matching funds for at least 50 percent of the total cost of the project.

As part of the non-Federal entity's cost sharing or matching, shared costs or matching funds and all contributions, including cash and third-party in-kind contributions, are acceptable following 2 CFR

200.3061. The contributions must be verifiable in the entity’s records, not included as contributions on any other Federal award, necessary for the project work, not paid by the Federal Government through another award (except where authorized) and must be documented in the Detailed Budget Narrative.

C3. Other

Excluded Parties

1 See eCFR :: 2 CFR Part 200 -- Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards or https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part- 200?toc=1 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200?toc=1 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200?toc=1 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200?toc=1 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200?toc=1

USGS conducts a review of the SAM.gov Exclusions database for all applicant entities and their key project personnel prior to award. USGS cannot award funds to entities or their key project personnel identified in the SAM.gov Exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted or otherwise excluded from receiving Federal contracts, certain subcontracts, and certain Federal assistance and benefits, as their ineligibility condition applies to this Federal program.

D. Application and Submission Information

D1. Address to Request Application Package

The application package is available from Grants.gov. General information on the grant process is available on the Landslide Hazards Program External Grants website. Program Website Link:

https://www.usgs.gov/programs/landslide-hazards/science/external-grants-overview

For a tutorial on how to apply for this grant, visit Grants.gov “How to apply for grants” at https://www.grants.gov/applicants/grant-applications/how-to-apply-for-grants.

a) Electronic Application Requirement

For the FY 2025 funding cycle all proposals must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov). Hard/paper submissions will NOT be accepted. Electronic copies submitted via e-mail will NOT be accepted under any circumstances. All proposals must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov on or before: 01/15/2025, at 5 p.m., Eastern Time

Please be aware that the electronic submission process requires first time users to register using an e- Authentication process (SAM described above). This registration process can be somewhat complex and can take up to 3 weeks to complete. Be advised that it is virtually impossible to begin the process of electronic submission for the first time if you start just a few days before the due date. If you have any questions or problems with the registration process, or the completion of the application package, please contact the Grants.gov help desk at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.

D2. Content and Form of Application Submission

a) Application Preparation Instructions

Your electronic submission will include a 15-page (maximum) Project Narrative and various additional forms that are not included in the 15-page limit as described below. The Project Narrative and additional forms shall be submitted to www.grants.gov. Provide the requested information in the correct locations within the proposal template. Failure to do so may result in disqualification of the proposal. Please see Attachment K for a Grant Application Checklist.

Your submission must include a Project Narrative that consists of the following components (A-D) and must not exceed 15 pages. Each component is list below and described in detail in the following pages:

A. Proposal Information Summary (Attachment F) B. Project Abstract Summary C. Table of Contents D. Project Description

Your electronic submission must also include these additional forms, which DO NOT count towards the page limit:

• Standard Form 424 (SF-424) - Application for Federal Assistance (available at Grants.gov) https://www.usgs.gov/programs/landslide-hazards/science/external-grants-overview

• Standard Form 424A (SF-424A) - Budget Information: Non-Construction Programs (available at Grants.gov)

• Standard Form 424B (SF-424B) - Assurances: Non-Construction Programs (available at Grants.gov)

• Budget Summary Table (Attachment G)

• Detailed Budget Narrative

• Data Management Plan (Attachment J)

• Curriculum Vita

• Letters of Support from institutions outside USGS

• USGS Scientist Collaboration Statement Forms (Attachment E; if applicable)

No additional documents or materials may be submitted. Following this format ensures that every proposal contains all essential information and is evaluated equitably. Failure to comply with the required application components may result in rejection of the proposal. The USGS cannot request or receive supplemental or replacement application components after the closing date under this Program Announcement.

b) Project Narrative

The Project Narrative must be arranged according to the format described here. Following this format ensures that submitted proposals contains all essential information and are evaluated equitably. All pages of the Project Narrative shall be numbered and in color. All text, figures, and tables shall be sized to fit on 8½" by 11" paper and font size shall not be smaller than 11 point. Components A through E, described below, shall be combined into a single PDF or Microsoft Word document, in the order noted below. The Project Narrative may not exceed 15 single-spaced pages (including supplemental figures, tables, references, appendices, etc.). The format of the Project Narrative is as follows:

A. Proposal Information Summary. This summary is mandatory for Grants.gov submitted proposals. The same format, with ALL information as shown in Attachment F, shall be included in each applicant’s Grants.gov submittal. If you do not submit this page, your proposal will be rejected.

B. Project Abstract Summary. This summary is mandatory for Grants.gov submitted proposals and must include the following information and shall be no longer than 4,000 characters, including spaces:

1. Project Title:

2. Project Period:

3. Award purpose (avoid acronyms or Federal or agency-specific terminology) and clearly stated objective;

4. Activities to be performed;

5. Deliverables and expected outcomes;

6. Intended beneficiary(ies);

7. Subrecipient activities, if known or specified at the time of award.

NOTE: Upon issuance of the grant, this Project Abstract Summary will be publicly available at USAspending.gov.

C. Table of Contents.

D. Project Description The description of the proposed project shall consist of the following parts:

1. Significance of the Project. In a dedicated paragraph of the proposal, discuss the specific problem addressed and its importance. Describe the contribution the project will make to one or more of the Guidance Criteria articulated (GC1, GC2, and GC3) in Attachment A. This description is required.

2. Project Plan. In the context of the Guidance Criteria and the problem to be addressed by this proposed work, discuss:

i. specific activities to be undertaken,

ii. the conceptual framework or model to be used,

iii. the data collection and analysis plans,

iv. the relationship of this proposed study to past studies, and

v. mapping location (if proposing a mapping project), with a clear and readable map outlining the area and the square miles to be mapped. If possible, include a breakdown of private, state, Tribal and federal lands within the proposed area.

Include project milestones and related due dates for the proposed work and required reports. Clearly connect anticipated findings, products, or other deliverables to the activities, models and data collection proposed. Briefly articulate how these results will address the Guidance Criteria. Time allocations, responsibilities for the project staff members, and level of effort for personnel must also be described separately for each year of the proposal; this is critical for two-year proposals.

3. Broader Impacts (optional). It is strongly encouraged to include a statement that articulates the PI’s plan for ongoing synergistic work to address diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), STEM education, and workforce resiliency efforts in specific aspects of the project.

4. Related Efforts. Describe significant, related studies conducted by members of the project team and discuss any planned coordination with other workers in the field.

Include descriptions of current and recent USGS/LHP External Support grants, cooperative agreements, or Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA), the relationship of those to this proposal (if any), and relevant results from previous grants, cooperative agreements, and/or IPAs.

5. Project Personnel and Bibliography of Directly Related Work. Provide curriculum vitae (2-page maximum) for all professional staff, summarizing education, experience, and the last five years’ bibliographic information related to the proposed work; a length of one-page is recommended. Curriculum vitae for non-PI staff who contribute significantly to the project must also be included. Curriculum vitae do not count toward the 15-page limit.

6. Institutional Qualifications. State the resources available at, and the relevant experience of, the institution. Resources include personnel, computer, and ties to both sources of data and potential users of the results.

7. Current Support and Pending Applications. List all sources of support (in addition to the proposed effort) to which the primary personnel have committed a portion of their time for the period covered by the proposal. The information should account for 100 percent of the work time of each investigator and include titles, annual budget levels, period of the awards, and the person- months committed in each case. This section must also list projects/research being considered by, or that will be submitted to, other possible sponsors. If identical or similar work is also proposed to another institution (e.g., Federal Emergency Management Agency), an explanation of the relationship of such work to this proposal should be provided.

8. Past USGS-Supported Projects. List the total amount of funding per year for which support was provided by the USGS for previous work related to this Risk Reduction

Proposal, as well as the duration of each award (including no-cost extensions) and the total number of person-months committed by each Principal Investigator each year.

9. Current or Past IPA Work. In this section, please list any Intergovernmental Personnel Act Appointments the PI, co-PIs, or anyone on the Project Team has had or currently has with the USGS in the last 5 years. Include a description of the work completed during the appointment.

10. References/Works Cited.

11. Conflicts of Interest. Regarding primary personnel, please state if any actual or potential conflict of interest exists at the time of submission (2 CFR §1402.112). More information on this topic can be found in the “Conflicts of Interest Disclosure” section below.

12. Letters of Support/Signed USGS Scientist Collaboration Statement Form (optional).

Letters of Support are useful for all proposals that include coordination with or participation by landslide scientists/researchers at institutions other than those submitting the proposal. However, such letters are NOT acceptable from USGS scientists and if included, WILL BE REMOVED from consideration prior to proposal review and your proposal will be at risk for rejection. Instead of a Letter of Support, a signed “USGS Scientist Collaboration Statement Form”, Attachment E, is REQUIRED and MUST be included if a USGS scientist intends to collaborate with the proposal applicant(s). The applicant is responsible for providing the form to the USGS collaborator(s)to fill out and sign along with the USGS scientist’s direct supervisor. Letters of Support/Signed USGS Scientist Collaboration Statement Form do not count toward the 15-page limit.

13. Data Management Plan (DMP). The required DMP will indicate where final data and results generated by the project will be archived and how the data will be made publicly available to other scientists and users. Instructions for writing an acceptable DMP are found below in the Section “Data Management Plan Requirements” below; a DMP template is included as Attachment J. The DMP does not count toward the 15-page limit.

c) Budget Summary Table and Detailed Budget Narrative

A Budget Summary Table is required for each proposal as formatted in Attachment G. The Budget Summary Table should clearly show all expenses supported with a rate. The Budget Summary Table should align directly to the amounts proposed in the submitted SF424A.

In addition to the Budget Summary Table, a Detailed Budget Narrative is required to explain/justify all proposed costs. Unit costs shall be provided for all budget items including the cost of work to be provided by contractors or subrecipients. The Detailed Budget Narrative will include non-federal funds proposed as “match” if applicable (reference section C of this Program Announcement). Cost categories should align with the cost categories of the SF-424A and the Budget Summary Table (salary, fringe, travel, equipment, supplies, contracts, other direct costs, indirect costs).

The Detailed Budget Narrative must include the amounts proposed for each of the following categories in this order:

1. Salaries and wages - List names, positions, number of hours individuals will spend on various activities, their rates of compensation, and project roles. Salaries or wages for student assistants (undergraduate and/or graduate students) working on the project are an acceptable cost.

Tuition remission and other forms of compensation paid as, or in lieu of, wages to students performing necessary work are allowable provided that the tuition or other payments are reasonable compensation for the work performed and are conditioned explicitly upon the performance of the work. Tuition and/or tuition remission should be identified in this section of the budget. If a position is vacant, indicate the position title, clearly state the criterial necessary to fill the position, and a timeline for hiring/training a new employee. Unfilled positions may not be used as match. Include only personnel actively involved in the project. If senior management salary/time is covered by the overhead (indirect cost) portion of the budget, senior management salary/time should not be included. If senior management personnel participate in project work, include an explanation of their roles. Salary for services or consultants should be reported in section 6 below.

2. Fringe benefits - Indicate the rates/amounts in conformance with normal accounting procedures. Explain what costs are covered in this category and the basis of the rate computations. Indicate whether rates are used for proposal purposes only or whether they are also fixed or provisional rates for billing purposes.

3. Travel – Provide a description of proposed travel and include the itemized estimate for travel costs (i.e., number of people, number of travel days, per diem rate, lodging rate, mileage rate, airfare or other transportation, and any other travel costs).

Conference/Workshop Travel:

Travel expenses not to exceed $6,000 are allowable for staff to attend scientific conferences/workshops or relevant training (including registration fees). The staff member(s) should be identified, and a detailed breakdown for all costs related to conference/workshop travel needs to be provided. Conference travel fund requests for contractors are prohibited.

4. Equipment - State the cost of all equipment necessary for achieving the objectives of the project. See 2 CFR 200.1 “Equipment” for definition. Each item should be itemized and include a full justification and a dealer or manufacturer quote. Title to non-expendable personal property shall be vested solely with the Recipient. Under no circumstances shall property title be vested to a sub-tier recipient.

5. Supplies - List costs for office, field, and laboratory supplies. Itemize by including the number and cost for each item. Do not list a lump sum for each category; a breakdown needs to be provided to show how the costs were determined.

6. Contractual - Identify proposed contractors and provide the criteria by which contractors will be or have been selected, the estimated amount of time required, and the quoted rate per day or hour. Provide breakdown of all costs. Sub-awards should be listed as a single line item in the Contractual category. A separate budget sheet providing the same level of detail for each category as described in this section is required for each sub-award and should be attached with the main recipient’s proposal.

7. Other direct costs - Itemize the different types of costs not included elsewhere, such as:

shipping, publication costs, computing, and equipment-use charges. Provide breakdowns showing how the cost was estimated.

8. Total direct costs - Total items 1 through 7.

9. Indirect cost/General and Administrative (G&A) cost - Show proposed rate and amount.

Proposals must include a copy of the negotiated indirect cost rate agreement. Be sure that indirect charges apply only to those direct cost items allowable under the negotiated cost rate agreement. Please note that in the absence of a negotiated cost agreement, the maximum indirect rate that may be charged is the de minimus rate (see Section 200.414(f) of the Uniform Administrative Requirements)

10. Total Federal Amount Proposed - Total items 8 & 9.

11. Applicant’s contribution (i.e., Cost share/Match) to Project Cost - Non-federal match is not required; however, funding prioritization shall be given to projects for which at least 50 percent of the total cost of the project is matched by non-Federal sources. Refer above to section C2 Cost Sharing or Matching for a description of the exceptions and examples of what counts as “match”. Describe all non-federal matching funds here and provide the total sum.

12. Total Project Cost - Total items 10 & 11.

d) Data Management Plan Requirements

Proposals submitted to USGS must include a supplementary document of no more than four pages labeled “Data Management Plan” (DMP). This supplementary document should describe how the proposal will conform to USGS policy on the dissemination and sharing of results and associated data. A valid DMP may include only the statement that no detailed plan is needed (e.g., “No data are expected to be produced from this project”), if the statement is accompanied by a clear justification. Attachment J is a DMP template and additional guidance on DMPs are available from the USGS Data Management web site here: https://www.usgs.gov/data-management/data-management-plans. Simultaneously submitted collaborative proposals and proposals that include subawards are a single unified project and should include only one DMP submitted by the lead PI that addresses all subaward data management needs, regardless of the number of non-lead collaborative proposals or subawards included.

e) Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Per the Financial Assistance Interior Regulation (FAIR), 2 CFR § 1402.112, applicants must state in their application if any actual or potential conflict of interest exists at the time of submission.

(a) Applicability.

(1) This section intends to ensure that non-Federal entities and their employees take appropriate steps to avoid conflicts of interest in their responsibilities under or with respect to Federal financial assistance agreements.

(2) In the procurement of supplies, equipment, construction, and services by recipients and by subrecipients, the conflict-of-interest provisions in 2 CFR 200.318 apply.

(b) Notification.

(1) Non-Federal entities, including applicants for financial assistance awards, must disclose in writing any conflict of interest to the DOI awarding agency or pass-through entity in accordance with 2 CFR 200.112.

(2) Recipients must establish internal controls that include, at a minimum, procedures to identify, disclose, and mitigate or eliminate identified conflicts of interest. The recipient is responsible for notifying the Financial Assistance Officer in writing of any conflicts of interest https://www.usgs.gov/data-management/data-management-plans that may arise during the life of the award, including those that have been reported by subrecipients.

(c) Restrictions on lobbying. Non-Federal entities are strictly prohibited from using funds under a grant or cooperative agreement for lobbying activities and must provide the required certifications and disclosures pursuant to 43 CFR part 18 and 31 U.S.C. 1352.

(d) Review procedures. The Financial Assistance Officer will examine each conflict-of-interest disclosure on the basis of its particular facts and the nature of the proposed grant or cooperative agreement, and will determine whether a significant potential conflict exists and, if it does, develop an appropriate means for resolving it.

(e) Enforcement. Failure to resolve conflicts of interest in a manner that satisfies the government may be cause for termination of the award. Failure to make required disclosures may result in any of the remedies described in 2 CFR 200.338, Remedies for noncompliance, including suspension or debarment (see also 2 CFR part 180).

f) Geospatial Requirements

If you receive financial assistance from the Department of the Interior (DOI), you must follow these rules for geospatial data:

Follow Federal Standards: All geospatial data you collect or create must meet the standards set by the Federal Geospatial Data Committee (FGDC) or the Department of the Interior. This is required by the Geospatial Data Act of 2018, which is part of Public Law 115-254, specifically in Subtitle F (Geospatial Data), sections 751-759C (codified at 43 U.S.C. §§ 2801–2811).

Include Metadata: Your Geographic Information Systems (GIS) files must include complete metadata.

Metadata is information that describes the data, such as where it came from, how accurate it is, and how it should be used. This is to ensure that anyone using the data understands its context and quality.

Check for Existing Data: Before you start collecting new geospatial data, you need to check GeoPlatform.gov. This is to see if there is already existing geospatial data from federal, state, local, or private sources that can meet your needs and is available for free. If such data is available, you should use it instead of gathering new data.

These rules help ensure that geospatial data is reliable, high-quality, and that resources are used efficiently.

g) SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance

Applicants must submit the appropriate Standard Form (SF)-424, Application for Federal Assistance. The required application forms are available with this Program Announcement on Grants.gov. The SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance must be complete, signed, and dated. Do not include any proprietary or personally identifiable information. Please note: Enter only the amount requested from this Federal program in the “Federal” funding box on the SF- 424 Application form. Include any other Federal sources of funding in the “Other” box and provide details on those Federal source(s) and funding amount(s) in the required Detailed Budget Narrative (see the “Detailed Budget Narrative” section above).

Applicant must also submit the (SF)-424-A – Budget Information for non-Construction Programs and the (SF)-424-B – Assurances for non-Construction Programs

In the Grants.gov forms, floating your mouse over a field will provide instructions for completing that field. You can also click on the Check Package for Errors button to check the entire application for validation errors (incomplete fields, etc.) To view complete forms instructions, please visit the Grants.gov Forms Repository at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms.html

h) Single Audit Reporting Statement

All U.S. states, local governments, federally recognized Indian Tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations expending $1,000,000 USD or more in Federal award funds in the applicant's fiscal year must submit a Single Audit report for that year through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse's Internet Data Entry System. U.S. state, local government, federally recognized Indian tribal government, and non-profit applicants must state if your organization was or was not required to submit a Single Audit report for the most recently closed fiscal year. If your organization was required to submit a Single Audit report for the most recently closed fiscal year, provide the EIN associated with that report and state if it is available through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse website.

i) Certification Regarding Lobbying

Applicants requesting more than $100,000 in Federal funding must certify to the statements in 43 CFR Part 18, Appendix A-Certification Regarding Lobbying. If this application requests more than $100,000 in Federal funds, the Authorized Official's signature on the appropriate SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance form also represents the entity's certification of the statements in 43CFR Part 18, Appendix A.

j) Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

Applicants and recipients must not use any federally appropriated funds (annually appropriated or continuing appropriations) or matching funds under a Federal award to pay any person for lobbying in connection with the award. Lobbying is influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any U.S. agency, a Member of the U.S. Congress, an officer or employee of the U.S. Congress, or an employee of a Member of the U.S. Congress connection with the award. Applicants and recipients must complete and submit the SF-LLL, "Disclosure of Lobbying Activities" form if the Federal share of the proposal or award is more than $100,000 and the applicant or recipient has made or has agreed to make any payment using non-appropriated funds for lobbying in connection with the application or award.

The SF-LLL form is available with this Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov. See 43 CFR, Subpart 18.100 and 31 USC 1352 for more information on when additional submission of this form is required.

k) Overlap or Duplication of Effort Statement

Applicants must provide a statement indicating if there is any overlap between this Federal application and any other Federal application, or funded project, regarding activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel. If no such overlap or duplication exists, state, "There are no overlaps or duplication between this application and any of our other Federal applications or funded projects, including in regard to activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel". If any such overlap exists, provide a complete description of overlaps or duplications between this proposal and any other federally funded project or application regarding activities, costs, and time commitment of key personnel, as applicable.

Provide a copy of any overlapping or duplicative proposal submitted to any other potential funding entity and identify when that proposal was submitted, to whom (entity name and program), and when you anticipate being notified of their funding decision. The statement and the description of overlap or duplication, when applicable, may be provided within the proposal or as a separate attachment to the application. If at any time a proposal is awarded funds that would be overlapping or duplicative of the funding requested from USGS, the applicant must immediately notify the USGS point of contact. Any overlap or duplication of funding between the proposed project and other active or anticipated projects may impact selection and/or funding amount.

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms.html

D3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

a) Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM.gov) Registration

This requirement does not apply to individuals applying for funds as an individual (i.e., unrelated to any business or nonprofit organization you may own, operate, or work within), or any entity with an exception to bypass SAM.gov registration with prior approval from the funding bureau or office in accordance with bureau or office policy.