Modification No. 0002 NOFO G24AS00014.pdf

United States Geological Survey

2024 National Geological & Geophysical Data Preservation Program https://www.usgs.gov/programs/national-geological-and-geophysical-data-preservation-program

Notice of Funding Opportunity - Fiscal Year 2024 Funding Opportunity Number (FON) G24AS00014

Closing Date: 12/06/2023

Table of Contents A. Program Description

A1. Authority

A2. Background, Purpose and Program Requirements

Guidelines and Requirements

Changes to Proposal Requirements and Conditions

Program Priorities

FY 2024 Priority 1 – Preserve Geoscience Data and Materials

FY 2023 Priority 2 – Digital and Physical Infrastructure Development

FY 2024 Priority 3 – Critical Minerals Data Preservation

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. Funding Restrictions

D7. 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

NGGDPP Information Products

F3. Reporting

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s)

G1. Program Technical Contact

G2. Program Administration Contact

G3. Application System Technical Support

H. Other Information

A. Program Description

A1. Authority

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 education 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 Act 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 15.814 https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/national-geological-and-geophysical-data-preservation-program/authorizing https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/national-geological-and-geophysical-data-preservation-program/authorizing https://www.usgs.gov/programs/national-geological-and-geophysical-data-preservation-program/implementation-plan https://www.usgs.gov/programs/national-geological-and-geophysical-data-preservation-program/implementation-plan

A2. Background, Purpose and Program Requirements

Guidelines and Requirements

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

Please include a table of contents for the proposal. This does not count toward the page limit.

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.

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.

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 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, provide a clear justification.

Request funding for one or more Priorities: Priority 1) Preserve Geoscience Data and Materials, and/or participation in the Data Preservation Workshop; Priority 2) FY 2023 Priority 2 – Digital and Physical Infrastructure Development; and Priority 3) Critical Minerals Data Preservation.

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, scope of work may require modification.

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.

Collection level metadata records describing the preserved materials must be submitted to ReSciColl, the Registry of Scientific Collections (formerly the National Digital Catalog (NDC)) using the updated ReSciColl metadata profiles. States will receive notification via email and guidance will be posted on the NGGDPP website when the ReSciColl documentation tools are released. In preparation for the new ReSciColl documentation tools, states may evaluate the expanded collections metadata elements provided in ReSciColl_Collections_RequiredElements.xlsx. NGGDPP collection profiles for use with mdEditor are in development with embedded vocabularies, persistent identifiers (Research Organization Registry (RoR), Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID), Digital Object Identifier (DOI)), and support for content management. Preliminary items-level metadata elements have been drafted and are also provided in ReSciColl_Collections_RequiredElements.xlsx to prepare for the new ReSciColl items ingest interface. Training and guidance materials to support updating metadata records for collections and items will be provided by email and website https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5baa94ade4b08583a5cd878e?name=ReSciColl_Collections_RequiredElements.xlsx https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5baa94ade4b08583a5cd878e?name=ReSciColl_Collections_RequiredElements.xlsx

(https://www.usgs.gov/programs/national-geological-and-geophysical-data-preservation-program/data-submission) no later than July 1, 2023.

All geospatial data collected for or produced through the use of the Department of the Interior financial assistance funds are required to 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. Interior 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 Department of the Interior, 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.

A Data Management Plan (DMP) 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”.

Preserving the 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).

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 https://www.usgs.gov/programs/national-geological-and-geophysical-data-preservation-program/data-submission https://www.usgs.gov/programs/national-geological-and-geophysical-data-preservation-program/data-submission separately and within the itemized budget for that Priority. Review and verify budget numbers prior to proposal submission.

Include descriptions of project personnel and their experience and skills relevant to completing the proposed tasks. Extended supervisory hours performed by senior staff or other management activities for which funding is requested must be well justified.

Submit curriculum vitae or resumes (2-page maximum) for primary personnel.

Curriculum vitae (CVs do not count toward the proposal page limit.)

If collaborating with non-state survey staff, partner agencies (e.g., universities), or contractors, please detail their roles and project hours as funded through the proposal or as representing state matching funds. Proposed contractors and the activities supported by the contractor (individual or corporate) must be identified in the proposal. 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.)

All supplies and equipment must be itemized and provided with a dealer or manufacturer quote. 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 full justification. 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 preservation of USGS assets, duplicate digitization/conversion of artifacts produced and preserved by other agencies, tuition, computer maintenance or travel to a conference or workshop except the 2024 Data Preservation Workshop.

Buy America requirements for construction projects have changed, providing greater flexibility for construction projects under $250,000. Please see the 2024 NGGDPP Terms and Conditions (Attachment C, Section F) for the full provision.

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.

Please contact the Contracting Officer if you have questions. 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 2024 funding opportunity:

Awards may start as early as April 1, 2024 and no later than September 1, 2025. If requesting funds for the 2024 Data Preservation Workshop, awards may start no later than July 15, 2024.

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 $5000 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.

Support for travel to the 2024 Data Preservation Workshop is supported in this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

The support for the Earth MRI Critical Minerals workshop will now be managed directly by the Mineral Resources Program under the Earth MRI Mine Waste Cooperative Agreements Notice of Funding Opportunity. NGGDPP will no longer fund travel to or participation in the Earth MRI workshop.

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=Abstra ctTemplate.docx). Please note upon issuance of the grant, this Project Abstract Summary will be publicly available at USAspending.gov.

The Final Technical Report 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 new 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.

Program Priorities

PLEASE NOTE: Proposals that do not specifically address NGGDPP fiscal year (FY) 2024 priorities will NOT be considered for an award.

The NGGDPP FY 2024 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. critical minerals data preservation and preservation and documentation of geochemical samples relevant to critical minerals assessments.

Preservation activities include preservation of geoscience data, samples, and physical materials to support a) the Biden Administration priorities (https://www.whitehouse.gov/priorities) of https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5baa94ade4b08583a5cd878e?name=AbstractTemplate.docx https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5baa94ade4b08583a5cd878e?name=AbstractTemplate.docx https://www.whitehouse.gov/priorities 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 the ReSciColl (formerly the National Digital Catalog), 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 only physical infrastructure development (construction) or digital infrastructure with no change in access to data delivery will not require submission of metadata records OR Priority 2 projects with no data deliverables will still be required to submit collection level metadata documenting the non-data project.

The proposal must describe projects that address the FY 2024 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. 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 2024 Priority 1 – Preserve Geoscience Data and Materials

In FY 2024, 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 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 (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, and GeMS deliverables must be submitted following the guidance to the NGMDB Connect web site;

vectorization of unpublished geologic maps with attribution of available map details to support research or mapping projects preserved as unpublished materials and submitted to NGMDB https://www.doi.gov/ourpriorities https://www.doi.gov/ourpriorities https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Info/standards/GeMS/ https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_78420.htm https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Info/standards/GeMS/docs/GeMS-Submittal-Requirements.pdf https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/connect/ preserving subsurface data and sample resources including drill core/borehole information in support of the National Index of Borehole Information (NIBI) and US GeoFramework Initiative;

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 create 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%2 0borehole%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.

Details to ingest and connect subsurface resources to the National Index of Borehole Information (NIBI) will be provided by September 1, 2023. Options will be available for both spreadsheet (*.xlsx) and restful 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 to update metadata records registered in ReSciColl to the new ReSciColl standards for collection and item level metadata. A detailed description of the 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 Principles, Policies, and Procedures of the Board on Geographic Names. The authoritative database of geographic names for Federal use (Geographic https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5baa94ade4b08583a5cd878e?name=NGGDPP%20borehole%20template.xlsx https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5baa94ade4b08583a5cd878e?name=NGGDPP%20borehole%20template.xlsx https://www.usgs.gov/programs/national-geological-and-geophysical-data-preservation-program/proposal-tips-and-examples https://geonames.usgs.gov/docs/pubs/DNC_PPP_DEC_2016_V.2.2.pdf https://www.usgs.gov/tools/geographic-names-information-system-gnis

Names Information System) is updated as new terms are identified and replaced based on standard naming conventions.

FY 2024 Data Preservation Workshop – States may apply for federal NGGDPP funds to support travel to the 2024 NGGDPP Data Preservation Workshop. The funds must be requested and estimated in the proposal. The workshop is planned for early August, 2024 in Bloomington, IN, organized in collaboration with the AASG and hosted by the Indiana Geological and Water Survey. States may request travel funding for up to two participants with data preservation or metadata responsibilities. All states that request funds to attend the 2024 Data Preservation Workshop will receive funds. The limit on the federal funds to be requested for workshop travel is $1,500.00 per workshop attendee (maximum 2 attendees, $3000 max per state); additional state representatives are welcome to the meeting at the state’s expense). A registration fee of $100.00 per attendee must be paid with state funds, which can be part of the match. To obtain NGGDPP funds to support travel to the 2024 Data Preservation Workshop, states must:

1. Request NGGDPP funds,

2. Provide travel estimates in the budget table (Attachment B),

3. Meet the 100% or higher match requirement (failure to include the required match for workshop only proposals will result in the rejection of the proposal).

NOTE: To maximize federal funding, it is recommended that workshop travel funds be included on the federal side or matched with state funds equally in the budget table. If a preservation project is not funded, the state will receive the workshop travel funds that are requested or if requested federal travel funds exceed state match, the state will be asked to reformulate the budget to comply with the 1:1 state to federal match. If most of the travel funds are assigned to the state, the required match will be considered met (state funds exceed federal funds) with no budget modification required, and the state will receive only the funds requested (potentially, with a minimal federal match).

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 publicly expose the data and materials preserved through funding from NGGDPP grants, avoiding copyrights and restrictions.

Collection level metadata records describing the preserved materials must be submitted to ReSciColl using the updated ReSciColl metadata template/convention. If applicable to the proposed activity, metadata for individual collection items should also be submitted. NGGDPP will provide required metadata attributes for collection level metadata, as well as upload and/or access protocols, by email and website no later than July 1, 2023.

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.

FY 2023 Priority 2 – Digital and Physical Infrastructure Development https://www.usgs.gov/tools/geographic-names-information-system-gnis https://www.usgs.gov/software/metadata-wizard-20

In FY 2023, 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 should 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.).

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 should be described associated with the new equipment.

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. Data preservation projects using the equipment should be proposed under Priority 1.

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 2023 NGGDPP Terms and Conditions (Attachment C, Section F).

For data production activities collection level metadata records describing the preserved materials must be submitted to ReSciColl using the updated ReSciColl metadata profile. If applicable to the proposed activity, metadata for individual collection items should also be submitted. NGGDPP will provide required metadata attributes for collection level metadata, as well as upload and/or access protocols, by email and website no later than July 1, 2023.

If geospatial datasets are part of a proposed pilot 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.

https://www.usgs.gov/software/metadata-wizard-20

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 2024 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 critical minerals list[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 2024, 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) compiling or enhancing a state published map of critical and other mineral resources; (2) making publicly available drill hole/core data through the ReSciColl, (3) development of a preservation plan for critical minerals-related data and materials, and (4) preservation and submission of geochemical samples relevant for evaluating critical mineral content.

The FY2024 Priority 3 efforts are defined as:

State compilation of mineral deposits/districts - compiling and publishing geospatial data for the state that outlines the location of known critical and other nonfuel mineral deposits and mineral districts with the goal of using existing data preserved in state-held records and in the available literature. Publishing options for the compiled, geospatial product include, but are not limited to a mapping service hosted by the state or as an ArcGIS Online (AGOL) web service. The goal of this effort is a new compilation map or an update of existing maps depicting the location and type of critical mineral deposits and districts in the state. The map data must also be submitted in a common geospatial digital data format employing the Mineral Deposits/Districts templates (this a zip file that will need to be downloaded and saved) with the included files made available to ReSciColl available at:

https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5baa94ade4b08583a5cd878e?name=Attach mentD_MineralDeposits_Districts_Templates.zip. If compiling mineral districts (polygons) the districts data will be compiled as a set; shapefile (Districts_EarthMRI_shapefile_template.zip) and excel file (Districts_EarthMRI.xlsx).

Guidance is provided within the excel file. If compiling mineral deposits (points) these will be provided in the deposits excel file, Mineral Deposit Info_Attachment D.xlsx. The compiled data files will be submitted to the NGGDPP (nggdpp@usgs.gov) with a copy to the USGS Mineral Resources Program project Mineral Deposit Database (USMIN) (nkarl@usgs.gov). The inventory should be documented and submitted to ReSciColl with metadata and if applicable, be made public by the State via the proposed method.

https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5baa94ade4b08583a5cd878e?name=AttachmentD_MineralDeposits_Districts_Templates.zip https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5baa94ade4b08583a5cd878e?name=AttachmentD_MineralDeposits_Districts_Templates.zip mailto:nggdpp@usgs.gov mailto:nkarl@usgs.gov

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 available at:

https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5baa94ade4b08583a5cd878e?name=NGGD PP%20borehole%20template.xlsx. 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. Metadata describing this collection will be uploaded into ReSciColl; metadata requirements will be provided. The data will be made public by the State via the proposed method and be submitted to ReSciColl for repositing.

Preservation Plan for Critical Minerals – States that have not requested in prior years to develop a long-range science plan for critical minerals relevant data preservation for their state.may request up to $5,000. 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 FY2024 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. The state geological survey will be credited with 200 unknown samples over the period of performance of the award, with the funds to support the analyses being transferred internally to the USGS Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center in Denver, Colo. 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 60-element ICP- OES-MS sodium peroxide fusion (ICP-60) package is to support minor and trace element analyses, including the rare earth elements.

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 level metadata records describing the preserved materials must be submitted to ReSciColl using the updated ReSciColl metadata profile. If applicable to the proposed activity, metadata for individual collection items should also be submitted. NGGDPP will provide https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5baa94ade4b08583a5cd878e?name=NGGDPP%20borehole%20template.xlsx https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5baa94ade4b08583a5cd878e?name=NGGDPP%20borehole%20template.xlsx mailto:jsazain@usgs.gov required metadata attributes for collection level metadata, as well as upload and/or access protocols, by email and website no later than July 1, 2023.

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.

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.

B. Federal Award Information

B1. Total Funding

Estimated Total Funding $7,000,000

B2. Award Amount

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

Anticipated Award Date April 01, 2024 April 1, 2024 to August 15, 2025 Proposal Announcement Date: June 12, 2023 https://www.usgs.gov/software/metadata-wizard-20 https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/02/24/2022-04027/2022-final-list-of-critical-minerals https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/02/24/2022-04027/2022-final-list-of-critical-minerals

Closing Date and Time for Proposal Submission: December 6, 2023, 6:00 p.m. ET

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

The earliest start date will be April 1, 2024 and the latest start date is September 1, 2025.

For applications that include the Priority 1, 2024 Data Preservation Workshop the latest start date is July 15, 2024. Travel funds cannot be spent before the project has been awarded.

For applications that include Priority 3 projects, the start date will be after USGS receives its final FY 2024 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

Expected Number of Awards

B5. Type of Award

Funding Instrument Type G - Grant

C. Eligibility Information

C1. Eligible Applicants

Eligible Applicants 00 – State governments Additional Information on Eligibility 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

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.

C3. Other

Preserving 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).

Non-allowable expenses under the NGGDPP include preservation of USGS assets, duplicate digitization/conversion of artifacts produced and preserved by other agencies, tuition, computer maintenance or travel to a conference or workshop except the 2024 Data Preservation Workshop.

Excluded Parties: 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

Grants.gov Application Submission and Receipt Procedures

Grants.gov Application Submission and Receipt Procedures

This section provides the application submission and receipt instructions for U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) program applications. Please read the following instructions carefully and completely.

1. Electronic Delivery

USGS is participating in the Grants.gov initiative to provide the grant community with a single site to find and apply for grant funding opportunities. USGS encourages applicants to submit their applications online through Grants.gov.

2. How to Register to Apply through Grants.gov

a. Instructions: Read the instructions below about registering to apply for USGS funds.

Applicants should read the registration instructions carefully and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewingand assembling the required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last-minute searches for required informati

Organizations must have an active System for Award Management (SAM) registration, and Grants.gov account to apply for grants. If individual applicants are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity, then you may begin with step 3, Create a Grants.gov Account, listed below.

Creating a Grants.gov account can be completed online in minutes, but SAM registration may take several weeks.Therefore, an organization's registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact the entity's ability to meet required application submission deadlines.

Note: An entity will be assigned a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) by SAM. No Dun and Bradstreet (DUNS) number is required after April 4, 2022.

Complete organization instructions can be found on Grants.gov here:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html

1) Register with SAM: All organizations applying online through Grants.gov must register with the System forAward Management (SAM). Failure to register with SAM will prevent your organization from applying through Grants.gov. SAM registration must be renewed annually. For more detailed instructions for registering with SAM, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-register- with-sam.html

2) Create a Grants.gov Account: The next step is to register an account with Grants.gov.

Follow the on-screen instructions or refer to the detailed instructions here:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html

3) Add a Profile to a Grants.gov Account: A profile in Grants.gov corresponds to a single applicant organization the user represents (i.e., an applicant) or an individual applicant. If you work for or consult with multipleorganizations and have a profile for each, you may log in to one Grants.gov account to access all of your grant applications. To add an organizational profile to your Grants.gov account, enter UEI assigned by SAM in the UEI field while adding a profile. For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/add-profile.html

4) EBiz POC Authorized Profile Roles: After you register with Grants.gov and create an Organization ApplicantProfile, the organization applicant's request for Grants.gov roles and access is sent to the EBiz POC. The EBiz POC will then log in to Grants.gov and authorize the appropriate roles, which may include the AOR role, thereby giving you permission to complete and submit applications on behalf of the organization. You will be able to submit your application online any time after you have been assigned the AOR role. For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/authorize-roles.html

5)Track Role Status: To track your role request, refer to:https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/track-role-status.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-register-with-sam.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-register-with-sam.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-register-with-sam.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/add-profile.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/add-profile.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/authorize-roles.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/track-role-status.html

b. Electronic Signature: When applications are submitted through Grants.gov, the name of the organization applicant with the AOR role that submitted the application is inserted into the signature line of the application, serving as the electronic signature. The EBiz POC must authorize people who are able to make legally binding commitments on behalf of the organization as a user with the AOR role; this step is often missed and it is crucial for valid and timely submissions.

3. How to Submit an Application to USGS via Grants.gov

Grants.gov applicants can apply online using Workspace. Workspace is a shared, online environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and edit different webforms within an application. For each funding opportunity announcement (FOA), you can create individual instances of a workspace.

Below is an overview of applying on Grants.gov. For access to complete instructions on how to apply for opportunities, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html

1) Create a Workspace: Creating a workspace allows you to complete it online and route it through your organization for review before submitting.

2) Complete a Workspace: Add participants to the workspace to work on the application together, complete all the…