Weather and Air Quality Research
Active
- Assistance listing
- 11.459
- Agency
-
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Department of Commerce
- Grant awards
- 589 $292,388,224 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- NOAA OAR Weather Program Office
- Assistance types
-
- Cooperative Agreement
- Project Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 13-1450-0-1-306
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awards grants under 11.459 (Weather and Air Quality Research) to advance weather observations, modeling, computing, forecasts, warnings, social science, and communication in support of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017, with the most recent award dated August 1, 2026.
The program funds a broad spectrum of weather and air quality research activities. Representative recent awards reflect work across multiple domains: improving anthropogenic and fire emission inputs to the Unified Forecast System air quality model to enhance national air quality forecasts; analyzing operational workflows and public responses to weather products in vulnerable communities through longitudinal surveys and social network analysis; maintaining and developing the sub-seasonal to seasonal prediction database and tools in the IRI Data Library; developing next-generation aircraft flight planning software for NOAA hurricane and research operations; enhancing machine-learning-based excessive rainfall and flash flood forecast systems; improving subseasonal-to-seasonal precipitation prediction through stable water isotope modeling; and developing uncrewed surface vehicles to mitigate weather buoy outages. Additional recent awards address fire-weather modeling, tropical cyclone reconnaissance data quality, heat communication research, hurricane health impacts quantification, and flood inundation map usability for decision-makers.
The portfolio is dominated by Cooperative Agreements, which account for 454 awards (77 percent) of the 589 total awards since 2001, with Project Grants comprising 135 awards (23 percent). The Department of Commerce NOAA is the sole funding agency, obligating $292.4 million in federal dollars across $298.7 million in total project costs, indicating modest cost-share contributions from recipients. Award activity has been variable in recent years: 63 awards in 2022, 58 in 2023, 10 in 2024, 34 in 2025, and 3 in 2026 through August.
Recent grant awards range from $170,000 to $1.71 million, with several exceeding one million dollars in federal obligation. Recurring awardees include university research centers, national laboratories, and NOAA-affiliated organizations working on modeling, data assimilation, forecast product evaluation, and user-focused research.
Multiple funding opportunities remain open with a December 2, 2024 due date under FY2025 Weather Program Office competitions: Testbeds ($4.2 million annual funding), VORTEX-USA ($2.5 million), Observations ($2.1 million), Subseasonal to Seasonal ($1.5 million), Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences ($1.5 million), and Air Quality Research and Forecasting ($1.05 million). A consolidated FY2025 announcement posted August 28, 2024 with November 15, 2024 deadline consolidates these competitions under one Notice of Funding Opportunity. Applicants must submit a Letter of Intent for program staff screening before preparing full proposals. Awards are merit-reviewed based on relevance to program goals, technical merit, applicant qualifications, project costs, outreach and education, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
Objective and description
- Objective
Advance weather research, development, and transition to improve weather observations, modeling, computing, forecasts, warnings, social science, and communication for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy. Th
- Description
In support of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017, a focused program of investment on affordable and attainable advances in observations, computing, modeling, and social science capabilities to support substantial improvement in weather forecasting and prediction of high impact weather events, to expand commercial opportunities for the provision of weather data, and for other purposes.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
-U.S. institutions of higher education; -Cooperative Institutes; -U.S.-based commercial organizations; -State, local and Indian tribal governments in the U.S.; and -U.S. non-profit organizations.
- Beneficiary eligibility
Organizations and individuals with interests in meteorology, oceanography, climate, and air-quality research and prediction and organizations and individuals in the social sciences with interests in the linkages between human systems and the aforementioned interest areas.
- Uses of assistance
Grants may be used for research, development, transition, science assessments, advisory services, and operational systems as they relate to specific programs. Specific restrictions, other than those mandated for grants, are evaluated on an individual grant or program basis.
- Use restrictions
Grants may be used for research, development, transition, science assessments, advisory services, and operational systems as they relate to specific programs. Specific restrictions, other than those mandated for grants, are evaluated on an individual grant or program basis.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Awards typically span from 1 to 3 years
How to apply
- Preapplication coordination
Applicants must first submit a brief Letter of Intent (LOI). Program managers review these letters to see if the project fits the specific scientific priorities of the competition. WPO then tells the applicant whether or not they should spend the time and effort to submit a full application. This screening saves both the government and the researchers significant time and resources. During this stage, staff also verify that the applicants are eligible for funding. Finally, the office coordinates these priorities with internal legal and financial partners to ensure the process remains compliant.
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Proposals are subject to office and merit review process established in the Grants and Cooperative Agreements Grants Manual April 20 2021 ( https://www.commerce.gov/oam/files/grants-and-cooperative-agreements-grants-manual-april-20-2021) and criteria published in the Notices of Funding Opportunities. taking into consideration 1) Relevance of Proposed Project to Program Goals; 2) Technical or Scientific Merit; 3) Qualifications of Applicants; 4) Project Costs; 5) Outreach and Education; and 6) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility
- Award procedure
Awards are made on the basis of the merit review process established in the Grants and Cooperative Agreements Grants Manual April 20 2021 ( https://www.commerce.gov/oam/files/grants-and-cooperative-agreements-grants-manual-april-20-2021) and criteria published in the Notices of Funding Opportunities. taking into consideration 1) Relevance of Proposed Project to Program Goals; 2) Technical or Scientific Merit; 3) Qualifications of Applicants; 4) Project Costs; 5) Outreach and Education; and 6) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility
- Deadlines
Deadlines are identified in Notice of Funding Opportunities published on grants.gov
- Time to approval or disapproval
From 90 to 180 days from time of proposal receipt.
- Renewals
By negotiation with OAR.
Grant opportunities
Show all 22
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 589 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University Corporation For Atmospheric Research | $60,411,534 | 21% |
| 2 | Mississippi State University | $41,560,685 | 14% |
| 3 | University Of Oklahoma | $38,526,722 | 13% |
| 4 | Colorado State University | $15,249,653 | 5% |
| 5 | George Mason University | $12,160,132 | 4% |
| 6 | The Regents Of The University Of Colorado | $11,389,134 | 4% |
| 7 | University Of Miami | $7,605,232 | 3% |
| 8 | The Research Foundation For The State University Of New York | $7,046,475 | 2% |
| 9 | Texas TECH University System | $6,811,683 | 2% |
| 10 | University Of Wisconsin System | $6,203,739 | 2% |
10 of 106 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $1,650,336 |
| FY2025 | $22,572,992 |
| FY2024 | $23,071,050 |
| FY2023 | $74,908,928 |
| FY2022 | $37,462,670 |
| FY2021 | $23,727,289 |
| FY2020 | $15,133,477 |
| FY2019 | $32,357,401 |
| FY2018 | $33,058,279 |
| FY2017 | $10,741,372 |
| FY2016 | $8,767,996 |
| FY2015 | $3,863,415 |
| FY2014 | $619,073 |
| FY2013 | $1,023,451 |
| FY2012 | $521,634 |
| FY2011 | $60,000 |
| FY2010 | $888,400 |
| FY2009 | $693,350 |
| FY2008 | $436,269 |
| FY2007 | $368,841 |
| FY2001 | $462,000 |
Show all 21
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 11.459?
Assistance Listing 11.459 is Weather and Air Quality Research, a federal grant program run by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Department of Commerce).
What is the CFDA number for Weather and Air Quality Research?
Its CFDA number is 11.459: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 11.459 awarded?
589 grant awards under 11.459 have obligated $292,388,224 in federal funds to 106 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 11.459?
The recipients obligated the most under Weather and Air Quality Research are University Corporation For Atmospheric Research ($60,411,534), Mississippi State University ($41,560,685) and University Of Oklahoma ($38,526,722).
How much did 11.459 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 11.459 obligated $22,572,992 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 11.459?
No opportunity listed under 11.459 is open now. The latest, FY2025 Weather Program Office Research Programs Announcement - Testbeds, was posted on September 17, 2024.
On GovTribe
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