PKG00294494.pdf

U.S. Geological Survey

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Great Lakes Northern Forrest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

Funding Opportunity Number

G27AS00040

Table of Contents

BASIC INFORMATION

ELIGIBILITY

Cost Sharing Requirement

GET READY TO APPLY

Required System Registrations

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Program Goals

Program Description

Legislative Authority

Type of Award

PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION

Application Content and Format

Application Documents

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES

Address to Request Application Package

Submission Dates and Times

Submission Instructions

APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

Eligibility Review

Merit Review

Review and Selection Process

Risk Review

AWARD NOTICES

POST AWARD REQUIREMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION

Administration and National Policy Requirements

Reporting

BASIC INFORMATION

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: G27AS00040

Assistance Listing Number(s): 15.808

Estimated Total Program Funding: $135,000

Expected Number of Awards: 1

Award Ceiling: $135,000

Award Floor: $1

Cost Sharing Required?

No Closing Date Explanation Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM, ET, on the listed application due date

Have Questions?

Rachel Miller, Grant Specialist

Rachel_miller@ios.doi.gov

Executive Summary The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research in improving accuracy assessment and area estimation for use in annual remote-sensing based land-cover monitoring.

The Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center is a remotely sensed data management, systems development, and science center for the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Land Imaging Program. The USGS EROS has long been at the forefront of land cover research at local to global geographies. The USGS is modernizing its land cover monitoring capabilities and is enabling artificial intelligence, machine learning, and modeling for the detection of land change and the characterization of land cover at any time in the Landsat satellite record. The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research centered on improvements in land cover research by focusing on investigating and implementing state-of-the-art sampling and statistical strategies for accuracy assessment and area estimation, and the impacts of reference data uncertainties. This will be critical for characterizing the validity of USGS land cover change products such as the Annual National Land Cover Database (NLCD) which is used by other federal agencies, agencies of State, tribal, and local governments, institutes of higher education, and the private sector.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible Applicants Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Additional Information on Eligibility This financial assistance opportunity is being issued under a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Program. CESU's are partnerships that provide research, technical assistance, and education. Eligible recipients must be a participating partner of the Great Lakes Northern Forrest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit.

Cost Sharing Requirement Cost Sharing Required?

No

GET READY TO APPLY

Required System Registrations Unique Entity Identifier and SAM.gov Registration

Before applying, all applicants except individuals applying as a natural person must be registered in SAM.gov. During the SAM.gov registration the entity will obtain their Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).

The SAM.gov registration process can take several months. If your organization is not already registered in SAM.gov, begin the registration process as soon as possible.

To register in SAM.gov, go to the SAM.gov website and use the available resources to complete registration.

• Financial assistance registrants must review and certify compliance with the SAM.gov “Financial Assistance General Representations and Certifications”.

• Already registered? You already have a Unique Entity ID. Before applying, check that your “Financial Assistance General Representations and Certifications” on SAM.gov is complete. Remember to renew your registration every year to keep it active while you have an award or application in progress. You can update your registration whenever you need, including during renewal.

• Need help? For additional information and contact information on the SAM.gov Help page.

GRANTS.GOV

This program accepts applications through Grants.gov so once you receive your UEI return to Grants.gov to register with Grants.gov. Please allow 30 days to register and set up a Workspace in Grants.gov. See Submission Instructions section below for additional details.

Refer to Attachment – Submission Instructions & Tips.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Program Goals

• Research Objectives:

1. Annual land cover monitoring programs like NLCD are intended to continue adding new updates over time, but stratification schemes designed for initial map products lose effectiveness as landscapes change over time. Current practice lacks guidance on when and how to update strata without compromising the probability sampling framework or diminishing the ability to estimate temporal trends. Sample restructuring allows for revising the strata ("restratification") and also adjusting the sample sizes assigned to strata ("reallocation"). This objective focuses on investigating the application and utility of restratification for annual land cover monitoring which is an important contribution to developing more efficient sampling strategies.

https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration https://sam.gov/content/help https://sam.gov/content/help https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration

2. Operational monitoring programs must address multiple objectives simultaneously, including land cover accuracy, change detection accuracy, class-specific user's and producer's accuracy, stability of accuracy over time, yet stratification typically optimizes for a single estimator. Current state-of-the-science for designing strata that serve multiple accuracy metrics efficiently are not well developed or evaluated sufficiently to provide general recommendations for practice. This objective focuses on improving this current deficiency in effectiveness of stratification in annual land cover monitoring.

3. Interpreter inconsistency in providing reference class labels contributes to uncertainty in accuracy and area estimates. The "hinge problem" in sequential reference data collection (i.e., different interpreters or interpretation protocols may be used as monitoring continues to add new years to the time series) exacerbates this issue.

Operational land cover monitoring programs need methods to quantify and incorporate interpreter variability as a source of uncertainty. NLCD included provisions in the reference data collection to incorporate interpreter variability in variance estimators that accompany accuracy and area estimates, but the data resulting from these additional protocols have not been exploited to evaluate the impact of interpreter variability. This objective addresses this issue.

4. This objective pertains to the development and implementation of sampling design and analysis protocols for accuracy assessment of Annual NLCD for Alaska and Hawaii.

Alaska is particularly critical because of additional challenges related to difficult classes to map and interpret and availability of imagery for reference data interpretation. This objective includes research providing statistical developments and oversight of the methods implemented for Alaska and Hawaii. The work will involve documenting methods and writing publications to disseminate results in the scientific literature.

Program Description The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research in improving accuracy assessment and area estimation for use in annual remote-sensing based land-cover monitoring.

The Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center is a remotely sensed data management, systems development, and science center for the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Land Imaging Program. The USGS EROS has long been at the forefront of land cover research at local to global geographies. The USGS is modernizing its land cover monitoring capabilities and is enabling artificial intelligence, machine learning, and modeling for the detection of land change and the characterization of land cover at any time in the Landsat satellite record. The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research centered on improvements in land cover research by focusing on investigating and implementing state-of-the-art sampling and statistical strategies for accuracy assessment and area estimation, and the impacts of reference data uncertainties. This will be critical for characterizing the validity of USGS land cover change products such as the Annual National Land Cover Database (NLCD) which is used by other federal agencies, agencies of State, tribal, and local governments, institutes of higher education, and the private sector.

Research Objectives:

Annual land cover monitoring programs like NLCD are intended to continue adding new updates over time, but stratification schemes designed for initial map products lose effectiveness as landscapes change over time. Current practice lacks guidance on when and how to update strata without compromising the probability sampling framework or diminishing the ability to estimate temporal trends. Sample restructuring allows for revising the strata ("restratification") and also adjusting the sample sizes assigned to strata ("reallocation"). This objective focuses on investigating the application and utility of restratification for annual land cover monitoring which is an important contribution to developing more efficient sampling strategies.

1. Operational monitoring programs must address multiple objectives simultaneously, including land cover accuracy, change detection accuracy, class-specific user's and producer's accuracy, stability of accuracy over time, yet stratification typically optimizes for a single estimator. Current state-of-the-science for designing strata that serve multiple accuracy metrics efficiently are not well developed or evaluated sufficiently to provide general recommendations for practice. This objective focuses on improving this current deficiency in effectiveness of stratification in annual land cover monitoring.

2. Interpreter inconsistency in providing reference class labels contributes to uncertainty in accuracy and area estimates. The "hinge problem" in sequential reference data collection (i.e., different interpreters or interpretation protocols may be used as monitoring continues to add new years to the time series) exacerbates this issue. Operational land cover monitoring programs need methods to quantify and incorporate interpreter variability as a source of uncertainty. NLCD included provisions in the reference data collection to incorporate interpreter variability in variance estimators that accompany accuracy and area estimates, but the data resulting from these additional protocols have not been exploited to evaluate the impact of interpreter variability. This objective addresses this issue.

3. This objective pertains to the development and implementation of sampling design and analysis protocols for accuracy assessment of Annual NLCD for Alaska and Hawaii. Alaska is particularly critical because of additional challenges related to difficult classes to map and interpret and availability of imagery for reference data interpretation. This objective includes research providing statistical developments and oversight of the methods implemented for Alaska and Hawaii. The work will involve documenting methods and writing publications to disseminate results in the scientific literature.

This project aligns with the following Applicable statutes, Executive Orders, laws, regulations, and policies:

Organic Act of March 3, 1879 (43 U.S.C. § 2801 et seq.) -https://www.usgs.gov/bfa/authorizations

Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992. (15 U.S.C. 5631 et seq.) -https://www.congress.gov/bill/102nd-congress/house-bill/6133

Geospatial Data Act of 2018 (43 U.S.C. § 31 et seq.)- https://www.fgdc.gov/gda

OMB Memorandum M-24-11 - Reducing Burden in the Administration of Federal Financial Assistance

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Simplification Plan

USC 43 Sec 2808(a)(2) Support Data Sharing https://www.usgs.gov/bfa/authorizations https://www.congress.gov/bill/102nd-congress/house-bill/6133 https://www.fgdc.gov/gda https://chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https:/www.rd.usda.gov/media/file/download/m-24-11-revisions-2-cfr.pdf https://chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https:/www.rd.usda.gov/media/file/download/m-24-11-revisions-2-cfr.pdf https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESwAEB6zswFYJZ7kPP1ByN3quJu1xkzvF9dj8ibMjS7eS8EDE2FgXy5EkjwhLYjpz-lv8kLbAGI3qVAajf8bPyZKnGhLmI77DiSnoYMOP1g_1Li1ptro_WB-hq09itxFAERxQ_Egt62uY8CiNhLjhSrNNl_07M20VYI-8l0bkZZjqKcL_HeS87WRsjcy8bb0Zd2M9TC4eo_ujzS9HLb7GOX6rRmY8rcIJQ8WavlBVBBeechVykm0KUnnnJcthjphvqdg4 https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title43-section2808&num=0&edition=prelim

USC 43 Sec 2808(a)(3) Promote Data Integration

USC 43 Sec 2808(a)(5) Allocate Resources for Geospatial Data Management Responsibilities Requirements

USC 43 Sec 2808(a)(7) Support Coordination and Partnerships

USC 43 Sec 2808(a)(8) Promote Application of Geospatial Data Assets

USC 43 Sec 2808(a)(12) Ensuring High-Quality Data

The following summary provides details on accomplishments the Covered Agency made in FY2025 in meeting the GDA requirements under USC 43 Sections 2808(a)(1-13).

The Department of the Interior (DOI) focuses on the collection, production and stewardship of geospatial data in support of Departmental activities and the decision-making process.

https://www.fgdc.gov/gda/gda-ca-reports/FY25CoveredAgencyReports/FY2025-DOI-GDA- Covered-Agency-Report

The 2020 National Space Policy Act, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. § 4321 et seq.) - https://space.commerce.gov/policy/national-space-policy/

Conduct basic and applied research that increases space capabilities and decreases costs, if such research is best supported by the Government

Pursue and endorse cooperative research and development agreements

Strengthen Interagency and Commercial Partnerships. As facilitated by the Executive Secretary of the National Space Council, the heads of agencies shall, consistent with applicable law:

- Strengthen existing partnerships and pursue new partnerships among interagency members, the United States commercial space and related sectors, and United States academic institutions through cooperation, collaboration, information sharing, innovative procurements, and alignment of common pursuits to achieve United States goals

Land Remote Sensing

The Secretary of the Interior, through the Director of the United States Geological Survey

(USGS), shall:

• Conduct integrated predictive science, which includes research, monitoring, assessments, and modeling, on natural and human-induced changes to Earth's land, land cover, and inland surface waters, and manage a national global land surface data archive and its distribution; Determine the operational requirements for collecting, processing, archiving, and distributing land surface data to the United States Government and other users

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. § 1701 et seq.) -https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title43/chapter35&edition=prelim

§1701. Congressional declaration of policy

The public lands be managed in a manner which recognizes the Nation's need for domestic sources of minerals, food, timber, and fiber from the public lands including implementation of https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title43-section2808&num=0&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title43-section2808&num=0&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title43-section2808&num=0&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title43-section2808&num=0&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title43-section2808&num=0&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title43-section2808&num=0&edition=prelim https://space.commerce.gov/policy/national-space-policy/ https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title43/chapter35&edition=prelim the Mining and Minerals Policy Act of 1970 (84 Stat. 1876, 30 U.S.C. 21a) as it pertains to the public lands

§1711. Continuing inventory and identification of public lands; preparation and maintenance

(a) The Secretary shall prepare and maintain on a continuing basis an inventory of all public lands and their resource and other values (including, but not limited to, outdoor recreation and scenic values), giving priority to areas of critical environmental concern. This inventory shall be kept current so as to reflect changes in conditions and to identify new and emerging resources and other values. The preparation and maintenance of such inventory or the identification of such areas shall not, of itself, change or prevent change of the management or use of public lands.

(Pub. L. 94–579, title II, §201, Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2747.)

DOI Strategic Plan Strategic Goal 3: Sustainably Balance the Use of Resources While Supporting Communities and the Economy

This project supports DOI Strategic Goal 3 by contributing data for the management of the resources of America's public lands and waters by mapping grazing, timber, and non-energy resource production; producing data to support and develop supply chains for non-energy minerals; contributing data for ensure water management, allocation, and delivery to communities; and address worsening drought conditions caused by climate change.

DOI Strategic Plan Strategic Goal 4: Serve and Honor the Public Trust

This project supports DOI Strategic Goal 4 by advancing the scientific and technical foundations of national land cover data to advance the delivery of scientific research to improve the resilience of communities and provide reliable and timely scientific information needed to respond to hazards, reduce land use impacts, restore ecosystems, and sustain safe and healthy environments. Publication of the accuracy and reliability of the data are supported by this agreement.

Executive Order 13859: Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence

The Annual National Land Cover Database research strengthens the nation's capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI) to promote scientific discovery and to advance national geospatial data production. By developing scalable AI approaches for land cover and change mapping from Landsat and other ancillary data, the project demonstrates operational applications of AI for federal scientific infrastructure and public geospatial data. This agreement supports the collection of stratified training data for AI modeling.

Executive Order 14177: President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

This project advances federal scientific capability in land cover and change mapping using artificial intelligence models. By validating our results, we achieve and maintain dominance in the land cover AI mapping technical domain.

Executive Order 14179: Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence

The project demonstrates practical integration of AI into a federal land cover and change workflow, including innovated AI models engineered to develop accurate products for the United States. These efforts contribute to expanding applied AI capabilities within federal scientific https://uscode.house.gov/statviewer.htm?volume=90&page=2747 programs and reducing barriers to operational adoption of AI-enabled modeling to produce national datasets.

Executive Order 14181: Emergency Measures to Provide Water Resources in California and Improve Disaster Response in Certain Areas

Improved land cover accuracy and enhanced mapping products support hazard analysis, disaster response planning, and resource management. High-quality and accurate land cover representation contribute to modeling and analysis used in flood, wildfire, and other hazard response scenarios.

Executive Order 14222: Implementing the President's "Department of Government Efficiency" Cost Efficiency Initiative

The development of AI models and workflows improves the efficiency and scalability of national mapping processes.

Executive Order 14303: Restoring Gold Standard Science

This research is transparent, rigorous, and impactful, and ensures that scientific results are informed by the most credible, reliable, and impartial scientific validation methodology available. By validating results and publishing accuracies, the National Land Cover Database meets data transparency requirements, acknowledges relevant scientific uncertainties, publishes the assumptions and likelihood of scenarios used, approaches scientific findings objectively, and communicates scientific data accurately.

Recipients are encouraged to prioritize projects in support of the celebration of America's 250th birthday (America250). This may include, but is not limited to, projects that recognize and honor the nation's founding, history, and cultural heritage.

Legislative Authority Authority: 54 U.S.C. § 100703. Cooperative study units [Source (U.S. Code)16 U.S.C. § 5933]; Public Law 99-591 bestows permanent authority on the USGS to "prosecute projects in cooperation with other agencies, Federal, state, and private" [43 U.S.C. § 36(c)]; the USGS Organic Act of March 3, 1879, as amended (43 U.S.C. § 31 et seq.); 16 U.S.C. § 1(a)(2)(j); 16 U.S.C. § 1(g); 16 U.S.C. § 753(a).

Type of Award Projects will be funded through CA (Cooperative Agreement).

Recipient should expect the Federal agency to have substantial involvement in the project.

The project will be carried out through a close partnership between USGS and the recipient. The work described represents a major part of the USGS partner's core research. We anticipate that the selected recipient will also have substantial experience integrating different datasets and producing peer-reviewed manuscripts. Once selected, the recipient and USGS scientists will discuss the objectives from a strategic perspective and develop a line to address those objectives.

We anticipate the work will evolve over time as needed through a collaborative process. Results obtained through the work will be disseminated through oral presentations, journal publications, and communications with partner federal agencies for natural resource management.

Dissemination of data and research results will follow USGS guidelines for data management and peer review and will be done in a collaborative manner for mutual benefit. USGS will have co-authorship on publications that result from this work.

PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION

Application Content and Format Pre-Application Requirements

Prior to applying, applicants should review presidential actions found at:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/ and DOI Secretary's Orders found at:

https://www.doi.gov/document-library/secretary-order. By applying in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity, the applicant certifies awareness and compliance with all currently effective and applicable executive orders and secretary's orders, including, but not limited to the Executive Order titled Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing as well as the Executive Order and Secretary's order titled Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History. Applicants are responsible for ensuring their proposed activities are consistent with the intent and requirements of these directives.

Application Documents Applicants must submit the following forms with their application as specified below.

Instructions for accessing and submitting application forms are provided in the Submission Instructions section of this document below. For instructions on completing form fields, see the form instructions on the Grants.gov Forms Repository.

Forms/Assurances/Certifications Submission Requirement SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance

Note: For applicants requesting more than $100,000 in Federal funds, the Authorized Representative’s signature (or electronic equivalent) on the Application for Federal Assistance form also represents their certification of the statements in Appendix A to 43 CFR 18-Certification Regarding Lobbying

Required from all applicants

SF-424A, Budget Information – Non-Construction Programs Required for non-construction projects

SF-424C: Budget Information – Construction Programs Required for construction projects

SF-429 (Cover Page & Attachment B), Request to Acquire, Improve, or Furnish Real Property

Note: The SF-429 forms are only available in the Grants.gov Forms Repository. Applicants must download the form and include the completed form as an application attachment.

Required if requesting to acquire, improve, or furnish real property.

SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

Required if requesting more than $100,000 in Federal funds and the applicant has used or plans to use funds https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository.html https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-43/subtitle-A/part-18#Appendix-A-to-Part-18 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-43/subtitle-A/part-18#Appendix-A-to-Part-18 https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository.html https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository.html

Forms/Assurances/Certifications Submission Requirement other than Federal appropriated funds for lobbying related to the proposed project.

Project Abstract Summary (OMB 4040-0019). Must include, in plain language:

• Award purpose,

• Activities to be performed,

• Expected deliverables or outcomes,

• Intended beneficiaries, Subrecipient activities (if known or specified at time of award)

Required from all applicants

DOI Research and Development (R&D) – Current and Pending (Other) Support Note: This form is available on the DOI website. Applicants must download the form and include the completed form as an application attachment.

Required for research projects.

DOI Research and Development (R&D) – Biographical Sketch Note: This form is available on the DOI website. Applicants must download the form and include the completed form as an application attachment.

Required for research projects.

Project Narrative Content and Form of Application:

It is anticipated that one award will be made with one base year and two additional budget years.

The total estimated funding for this project is $135,000. Funding in the amount of $45,000 is estimated to be available for Budget Year 1. Additional funding for Budget Years 2 and 3 will be based upon satisfactory progress and the availability of funding. The applicant should submit the proposal and annual budget breakdown to reflect the full three-year project period.

Cover page of written technical narrative:

1. Anticipated award recipient's name

2. Project title

3. Proposed project start date

4. Anticipated Principal Investigator Name (individual who will oversee the cooperative agreement) including title, address, phone number, , and email address

5. Authorized Representative administrative contact (Recipient staff member(s) in the recipient's research office who will administer the cooperative agreement) including name, title, address, phone number, and email address

6. Include names and affiliations of Co-PIs, and if they are funded by the project or in kind

7. Include names, titles, and contact information for expected USGS collaborators on the project

8. List any other cooperators and partners

9. List laboratories, equipment, study area(s), and facilities available for project work.

https://www.doi.gov/grants/policies-and-guidance https://www.doi.gov/grants/policies-and-guidance

10. State experience of project staff to conduct the stated work objectives of the project

Proposal text should include the following:

a. Introduction and Statement of Problem. Give a brief introduction to the research problem. Provide a brief summary of findings or outcomes of any prior work that has been completed or is ongoing in this area.

b. Objectives. Clearly define goals of project. Include geographic scope. State how the proposal addresses USGS goals and its relevance and impact. Explain why the work is important.

c. Procedures/Methods. This section should include a fairly detailed discussion of the work plan and technical approach to both field and laboratory techniques.

d. Planned Products, Dissemination of Research Results, and Technology Transfer. List product(s) (reports, analyses, digital data, etc.) that will be delivered at the end of the project period. The USGS considers dissemination of research data and results to potential users of those results to be an integral and crucial aspect of projects funded by this program. Beyond the requirements for a final report, describe your plan for dissemination of project data and results that will result in the greatest possible benefit to customers as defined by your proposal. Applicants are strongly encouraged to disseminate research results to the scientific community and appropriate professional organizations; local, State, regional and Federal agencies; and the public. The USGS encourages the Recipient to publish project reports in scientific and technical journals. All products must adhere to USGS Fundamental Science Practices.

e. Schedule, Duration of Study, and Reporting Schedule. Provide anticipated project start and end dates and a project timeline of key milestones.

e. References Cited. List all references to which you refer in text and references from your past work in the field that the research problem addresses. Be sure to identify references as journal articles, chapters in books, abstracts, maps, digital data, etc.

f. Legal and Policy-Sensitive aspects (if applicable)

g. Animal Use or Human subjects (if applicable)

Budget Narrative Applicants must describe and justify items and costs listed in their budget. The budget narrative must identify the following cost items: total estimated costs, non-Federal cost share, third-party contributions, and any pre-award costs. Total project cost is the sum of all allowable costs, including required and voluntary cost share and third-party contributions.

Budget items must be:

• Reasonable, allowable, allocable, and necessary

• Compliant with 2 CFR §200 Subpart E cost principles

Indirect Costs: Applicants must indicate in their budget narrative how they will charge indirect costs, including the rate to be applied:

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200/subpart-E

• De Minimis Rate: If eligible, state if your organization is opting to use the de minimis rate of up to 15% of total modified direct costs. Entities that do not have a current Federal negotiated indirect cost rate (including provisional rate) may propose to use the de minimis rate. For more information, refer to 2 CFR 200.414(f).

• Negotiated Rate: State if you will negotiate with your cognizant agency. If your organization has previously negotiated a rate, attach a copy of the most recently negotiated rate agreement (active or expired).

This program has a mandated cap on indirect costs or approved rate deviation.

17.5% IDC CESU

Budget Narrative - This information will provide details and a breakdown of funds requested on the SF 424A form. Organize the narrative by Object Class Category titles on the SF-424A and ensure the amounts correspond to the SF-424A. Break out ANNUALLY and show all project budget years you are applying for in your budget documents (budget narrative and SF-424A). Include the following:

a. Personnel: For salaries and wages, list names, position/job title, job category/classification, rate of compensation, and how the rate was determined, or what it is based on. Include their total time/level of effort. For each personnel member also include role on the project.

b. Fringe benefits: Indicate the rates/amounts in conformance with normal accounting procedures and recipient policy. Explain what costs are covered in this category and the basis of the rate computations. Attach fringe benefit rate sheet or agreement or provide a link to official rates if posted online.

c. Supplies: Supplies include all tangible personal property other than those described in the equipment definition. A computing device is a supply if the acquisition cost is below the lesser of the capitalization level established by the recipient or subrecipient for financial statement purposes or $10,000, regardless of the length of its useful life. Enter the cost for all tangible property. Include the cost of office, laboratory, computing, and field supplies separately. Provide detail on any specific item, which represents a significant portion of the proposed amount.

d. Equipment: Equipment means tangible personal property (including information technology systems) having a useful life of more than one year and a per-unit acquisition cost that equals or exceeds the lesser of the capitalization level established by the recipient or subrecipient for financial statement purposes, or $10,000. Show the cost of all equipment necessary for achieving the objectives of the project. Each item should be itemized and include a full justification and a dealer or manufacturer quote, if available.

*Title to non-expendable personal property shall be vested solely with the Recipient. Under no circumstances shall property title be vested in a sub-tier recipient.

e. Contractual: Identify the tasks or problems for which such services would be used.

List the contemplated consultant, the estimated amount of time required (level of effort), and the quoted rate per day or hour.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFRd93f2a98b1f6455/section-200.414

* Lab Analyses. Include geochemical analyses, radiocarbon age dating, etc. Briefly itemize cost of all analytical work (if applicable); Could also fall under Other Direct Costs.

f. Travel: State the purpose of each budgeted trip and itemize the estimated travel costs for each trip required. Include purpose of travel, to and from locations, persons traveling by name if known, number of days for each trip, the per diem (lodging and M&IE) rates (in accordance with GSA allowable published rates and recipient travel policy), the cost of each method of transportation and how that cost was determined, and any miscellaneous expenses for each trip. Calculations of other special transportation costs (such as charges for use of applicant-owned vehicles or vehicle rental costs) should also include a justification of cost

*Field Expenses. Briefly itemize the estimated travel costs (i.e., number of people, number of travel days, lodging and transportation costs, and other travel costs).

g. Other direct costs: Itemize the different types of costs not included elsewhere; such as, shipping, computing, equipment-use charges, or other services.

*Publication costs. Show the estimated cost of publishing the results of the research, including the final report. Include costs of drafting or graphics, reproduction, page or illustration charges, and a minimum number of reprints.

h. Total Direct Charges: Totals for items a - j.

i. Indirect Charges (Overhead): Indirect cost/general and administrative (G&A) cost.

Show the proposed rate, modified total direct cost base, and total proposed amount for indirect costs based on the cost principles applicable to the Applicant's organization. If the Applicant has separate rates for recovery of labor overhead and G&A costs, each charge should be shown. Provide copy of recipient's official negotiated indirect cost rate agreement. NOTE: CESU NEGOTIATED IDC RATE IS APPROVED AT 17.5%.

j. Total: Total items h and i.

Missing budget details will delay awarding timelines. USGS will not support any costs incurred prior to the start date established on the award by the Grant Officer.

Conflict of Interest and Unresolved Matters Disclosures:

If any actual or potential conflict of interest exists related to this project at the time of application, the applicant must provide sufficient information to support a program determination of significance per 2 CFR 1402.112. Refer to 2 CFR 200.112 Conflict of Interest and 2 CFR 200.113.

Overlap or Duplication of Effort Statement:

Applicants must state in their application if the activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel proposed in this application overlap with those in any other Federal proposal or award or not. If no overlap exists, include a statement to that effect. If any overlap exists, provide:

• Activities: Description any overlapping activities.

• Costs: Description of any overlapping costs.

• Time: Description of any overlapping key personnel time.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-XIV/part-1402#1402.112 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-B/section-200.112 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-B/section-200.113

• A copy of any overlapping or duplicative proposal submitted to any other potential funding entity.

• Details on when any overlapping proposal was submitted, to whom, and the expected date of the funding decision.

Other Required Information USGS Data Management Plan Requirements

Proposals submitted to USGS must include a supplementary document labeled "Data Management Plan" (DMP). This supplementary document should describe how the proposal will conform to USGS policy on the dissemination and sharing of research 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"), as long as the statement is accompanied by a clear justification. This supplementary document may include:

• the types of data, samples, physical collections, software, curriculum materials, and other materials to be produced over the course of the project;

• the standards to be used for data and metadata format and content (where existing standards are absent or deemed inadequate, this should be documented along with any proposed solutions or remedies);

• policies for access and sharing including provisions for appropriate protection of privacy, confidentiality, security, intellectual property, or other rights or requirements;

• provisions for re-use, re-distribution, and the production of derivatives; and

• plans for archiving data, samples, and other research products, and for preservation of free public access to them.

Additional guidance on data management plans is available from the USGS Data Management website 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 supplemental combined DMP by the lead PI that also addresses all subaward data management needs, regardless of the number of non-lead collaborative proposals or subawards included.

A summary of the quality assurance procedures and considerations for each of the project elements should be submitted to the USGS for review and approval before work begins to ensure that the quality of the data to be generated will be suitable for federal and state decision making.

Prohibition on Issuing Financial Assistance Awards to Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements

Section 743 of Division E, Title VII of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Resolution Appropriations Act of 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235) prohibits the use of funds appropriated or otherwise made available under that or any other Act for grants or cooperative agreements to an entity that requires employees or contractors of such entity seeking to report fraud, waste, or abuse to sign internal confidentiality agreements or statements prohibiting or otherwise restricting such employees or contractors from lawfully reporting such waste, fraud, or abuse to a designated investigative or law enforcement representative of a federal department or agency authorized to receive such information.

Recipients must not require their employees or contractors seeking to report fraud, waste, or abuse to sign internal confidentiality agreements or statements prohibiting or otherwise restricting such employees or contractors from lawfully reporting such waste, fraud, or abuse to a designated investigative or law enforcement representative of a federal department or agency authorized to receive such information.

Recipients must notify their employees or contractors that existing internal confidentiality agreements covered by this condition are no longer in effect.

Biographical Sketch Common Format (Attachment A)

This Biographical Sketch Common Form provides instructions for submission of a biographical sketch by each individual identified as a senior/key person on a Federally funded research project. The biographical sketch used to assess how well qualified the individual, team, or organization is to conduct the proposed activities.

Consistent with NSPM-33, individuals are required to disclose contracts associated with participation in programs sponsored by foreign governments, instrumentalities, or entities, including foreign government-sponsored talent recruitment programs. Further, if individuals receive direct or indirect support that is funded by a foreign government-sponsored talent recruitment program, even where the support is provided through an intermediary and does not require membership in the foreign government-sponsored talent recruitment program, that support must be disclosed. Individuals must also report other foreign government sponsored or affiliated activities. In accordance with 42 USC § 19232, individuals are prohibited from being a party in a malign foreign talent recruitment program.

A table entitled, NSPM-33 Implementation Guidance Pre- and Post-award Disclosures Relating to the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support1 has been created to provide helpful reference information regarding pre-award and post-award disclosures. The table includes the types of activities to be reported, where such activities must be reported in the application, as well as when updates are required in the application and award lifecycle. A final column identifies activities that are not required to be reported.

Individuals are reminded not to submit any personal information in the biographical sketch. This includes items such as: home address; home telephone, fax, or cell phone numbers; home e-mail address; driver's license number; marital status; personal hobbies; and the like. Such personal information is not appropriate for the biographical sketch and is not relevant to the merits of the proposal. The Federal research funding agency is not responsible or in any way liable for the release of such material.

The Biographical Sketch Common Form is provided in Attachment A. DOI does not currently have a required format for this document. The format of the information is at the discretion of the applicant, however the required information and attestation with signature must be present.

Templates provided by other federal agencies are acceptable.

Current And Pending (Other) Support Common Format (Attachment B)

The individual agrees to update this disclosure at the request of the Federal research funding agency prior to the award of support and at any subsequent time the agency determines appropriate during the term of the award. (Refer to the Federal research funding agency's policy on updating award support).

Instructions for Submission of the Current and Pending (Other) Support Common Form.

Current and pending (other) support information is used to assess the capacity or any conflicts of commitment that may impact the ability of the individual to carry out the research effort as proposed. The information also helps assess any potential scientific and budgetary overlap/duplication with the project being proposed.

This document provides instructions on submission of current and pending (other) support information for each individual identified as a senior/key person on a Federally funded research project.

A separate submission must be provided for each proposal and active project, as well as in-kind contributions using the instructions and format specified below. Note that there is no page limitation for this section of the application, though some fields have character limitations for consistency and equity.

Consulting activities must be disclosed under the proposals and active projects section of the form when any of the following scenarios apply:

The consulting activity will require the senior/key person to perform research as part of the consulting activity;

The consulting activity does not involve performing research, but is related to the senior/key person's research portfolio and may have the ability to impact funding, alter time or effort commitments, or otherwise impact scientific integrity; or

The consulting entity has provided a contract that requires the senior/key person to conceal or withhold confidential financial or other ties between the senior/key person and the entity, irrespective of the duration of the engagement.

Consistent with NSPM-33, individuals are required to disclose contracts associated with participation in programs sponsored by foreign governments, instrumentalities, or entities, including foreign government-sponsored talent recruitment programs. Further, if individuals receive direct or indirect support that is funded by a foreign government-sponsored talent recruitment program, even where the support is provided through an intermediary and does not require membership in the foreign government-sponsored talent recruitment program, that support must be disclosed. Individuals must also report other foreign government sponsored or affiliated activities. In accordance with 42 USC § 19232, individuals are prohibited from being a party in a malign foreign talent recruitment program.

In accordance with the NSPM-33 Implementation Guidance, senior/key persons typically do not include graduate students.

A table entitled, NSPM-33 Implementation Guidance Pre- and Post-award Disclosures Relating to the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support2 has been created to provide helpful reference information regarding pre-award and post-award disclosures. The table includes the types of activities to be reported, where such activities must be reported in the application, as well as when updates are required in the application and award lifecycle. A final column identifies activities that are not required to be reported.

Individuals are reminded not to submit any personal information in the current and pending (other) support. This includes items such as: home address; home telephone, fax, or cell phone numbers; home e-mail address; driver's license number; marital status; personal hobbies; and the like. Such personal information is not appropriate for the current and pending (other) support template and is not relevant to the merits of the proposal. The Federal research funding agency is not responsible or in any way liable for the release of such material.

The format for submission of the two types of support: (a) proposals and active projects; and (b) in-kind contributions are provided in Attachment B. DOI does not currently have a required format for this document. The format of the information is at the discretion of the applicant, however the required information and attestation with signature must be present. Templates provided by other federal agencies are acceptable.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES

Address to Request Application Package Applications should be submitted via grants.gov in accordance with the instructions stated in this announcement.

Submission Dates and Times Closing Date for Applications: 12/02/2026

Closing Date Explanation

Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM, ET, on the listed application due date

Submission Instructions Apply Through Grants.gov To apply through Grants.gov, please follow the instructions in the Quick Start Guide for Applicants. Before applying, ensure that at least one person at your organization is registered and has the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). Only the AOR can submit the application. If you need more users, they must create their own Grants.gov account. Follow these steps below to apply:

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

• Complete a Workspace: Invite participants to the workspace so you can collaborate on the application. Required applications forms are included in the Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Package and can be completed in the Workspace, unless noted otherwise in the Required Forms table above. Check for errors before submission.

• Submit a Workspace: An application may be submitted through workspace by clicking the Sign and Submit button on the Manage Workspace page, under the Forms tab

• Track a Workspace Submission: After successfully submitting a workspace application, a Grants.gov Tracking Number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) is automatically assigned to the application.

The system generates a date and time stamp and sends it to the applicant’s AOR via email as proof of submission. Make sure your application passes the Grants.gov validation checks. Do not https://grants.gov/register https://www.grants.gov/quick-start-guide/applicants http://www.grants.gov/quick-start-guide/applicants encrypt, zip, or password-protect any files. Only registered individuals in SAM as both a user and an AOR can submit applications. Please allow 30 days to register in Grants.gov.

Application System Technical Support:…