Opportunity Information: Apply for G18AS00089
The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Colorado Plateau opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G18AS00089) is a discretionary research funding solicitation issued by the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), specifically through the Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC). It is structured as a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates that USGS expects to have substantial involvement in the work as it is carried out (for example, collaborating on study design, coordination, data needs, or interpretation), rather than simply providing funds with minimal engagement. The activity falls under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category and is associated with CFDA (now commonly referenced through assistance listings) number 15.808.
The central purpose of the award is to support research that helps build or strengthen a program focused on understanding how two major drivers in the American Southwest, drought and land use, interact to shape ecological communities and their functioning. The emphasis is on multi-trophic level community composition and function, meaning the work is intended to look beyond a single group of organisms and instead consider multiple levels of the food web (for instance, plants, herbivores, predators, decomposers, pollinators, or soil microbial communities). In practical terms, this kind of framing points toward ecosystem-level questions: not only which species are present and how communities change under stress, but also what those changes mean for processes such as productivity, nutrient cycling, herbivory pressure, predation dynamics, and overall ecosystem resilience.
Eligibility is limited to partners within the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network, under the Colorado Plateau CESU in particular. The listing notes eligibility as "Others" with clarification in an additional information field, but the core message is that applicants must be CESU partners, which generally includes certain universities, tribal entities, nonprofits, and other research organizations that have formal CESU membership. Because this is a CESU opportunity, it is designed to leverage the CESU model: linking federal science needs with partner expertise to produce actionable research, shared capacity, and longer-term collaboration.
From a funding standpoint, the opportunity anticipated a single award, with an award ceiling of $48,982. The opportunity was created on July 31, 2018, and had an original closing date of August 14, 2018, indicating a relatively short application window. The single-award expectation and modest ceiling suggest the work was likely intended as a targeted project, pilot effort, or foundational step toward a larger, longer-term research program, rather than a large multi-year initiative. In other words, the funding appears aimed at helping SBSC and its partner(s) develop or expand a coherent research approach that can be built upon, potentially by generating baseline data, testing methods, establishing study sites, integrating datasets, or producing a framework for ongoing monitoring and analysis.
Overall, this grant opportunity is best understood as USGS SBSC investing in partnership-based science to address a high-priority regional problem: how increasing drought pressure, combined with human land uses, is reshaping Southwestern ecosystems across multiple interacting biological groups and the ecosystem functions they support.Apply for G18AS00089
- The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Colorado Plateau" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 31, 2018.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 14, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $48,982.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the name of this funding opportunity?
This opportunity is the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Colorado Plateau opportunity.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is G18AS00089.
Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?
The opportunity is issued by the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Which USGS unit is administering the solicitation?
It is issued through the USGS Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC).
What type of award instrument is expected?
The solicitation is structured as a cooperative agreement.
What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?
A cooperative agreement typically means USGS expects substantial involvement in how the work is carried out, such as collaborating on study design, coordination, data needs, or interpretation, rather than providing funding with minimal engagement.
What is the main purpose of the award?
The purpose is to support research that helps build or strengthen a program focused on understanding how drought and land use interact to shape ecological communities and their functioning in the American Southwest.
What are the primary drivers the research should address?
The research emphasis is on two major drivers in the American Southwest: drought and land use, and how they interact.
What does "multi-trophic level community composition and function" mean in this solicitation?
It means the work is intended to consider multiple levels of the food web (not just one group of organisms). Examples mentioned include plants, herbivores, predators, decomposers, pollinators, or soil microbial communities, and how changes across these groups relate to ecosystem functioning.
What kinds of ecosystem functions are implied as relevant to this research?
The description points toward ecosystem-level processes such as productivity, nutrient cycling, herbivory pressure, predation dynamics, and overall ecosystem resilience.
What category does this opportunity fall under?
The activity falls under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category.
What is the associated CFDA / assistance listing number?
The opportunity is associated with CFDA (assistance listing) number 15.808.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to partners within the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network, specifically under the Colorado Plateau CESU.
Does the listing say "Others" for eligibility, and what does that mean here?
Yes. The listing notes eligibility as "Others" with clarification in an additional information field, but the key requirement stated is that applicants must be CESU partners under the Colorado Plateau CESU.
What kinds of organizations are typically CESU partners (as described in the opportunity summary)?
The summary notes that CESU partners generally include certain universities, tribal entities, nonprofits, and other research organizations that have formal CESU membership.
How many awards were anticipated?
The opportunity anticipated a single award.
What is the maximum funding amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling is $48,982.
When was the opportunity created?
The opportunity was created on July 31, 2018.
What was the closing date for applications?
The original closing date was August 14, 2018.
How long was the application window based on the dates provided?
Based on the creation date (July 31, 2018) and closing date (August 14, 2018), the application window was relatively short.
What does the single-award expectation and modest ceiling suggest about the project scope?
It suggests the work was likely intended as a targeted project, pilot effort, or a foundational step toward a larger, longer-term research program, rather than a large multi-year initiative.
What kinds of activities might this funding support, based on the description?
The description suggests activities such as generating baseline data, testing methods, establishing study sites, integrating datasets, or producing a framework for ongoing monitoring and analysis that can be built upon.
Why is this described as a CESU opportunity (what is the intent of the model here)?
Because it is a CESU opportunity, it is designed to leverage the CESU model of linking federal science needs with partner expertise to produce actionable research, shared capacity, and longer-term collaboration.
What regional problem is USGS SBSC prioritizing through this award?
The award is positioned as an investment in partnership-based science to address a high-priority regional issue: how increasing drought pressure, combined with human land uses, is reshaping Southwestern ecosystems across multiple interacting biological groups and the ecosystem functions they support.
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| Cooperative Ecoystem Studies Unit, Desert Southwest CESU Apply for G18AS00088 Funding Number: G18AS00088 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $307,000 |
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| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Californian CESU Apply for G18AS00084 Funding Number: G18AS00084 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $75,000 |
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| Appendix B: NASA Human Research Program Omnibus Opportunity Apply for 80JSC018N0001 OMNIBUS Funding Number: 80JSC018N0001 OMNIBUS Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA Johnson Space Center Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $150,000 |
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| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Plains CESU Apply for G18AS00094 Funding Number: G18AS00094 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $85,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Rivers CESU Apply for G18AS00120 Funding Number: G18AS00120 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $40,453 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast CESU Apply for G18AS00117 Funding Number: G18AS00117 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $35,000 |
| A Survey of the Fauna of Seepage Springs in National Capital Parks-East (NACE) Apply for P18AS00496 Funding Number: P18AS00496 Agency: Department of the Interior, National Park Service Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $68,751 |
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| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU Apply for G18AS00113 Funding Number: G18AS00113 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $72,436 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Plain CESU Apply for G18AS00111 Funding Number: G18AS00111 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $49,500 |
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