Water Resources Research Act Program National Competitive Grants FY2025 (104g General)

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has released the Fiscal Year 2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Water Resources Research Act Program National Competitive Grants, commonly referred to as the 104g General Program. The opportunity is identified under Funding Opportunity Number G25AS00485 and is issued pursuant to section 104 of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984, as amended. The Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to administer program grants to Water Resources Research Institutes, which have been established in every state and several U.S. territories. Responsibility for administering this program has been delegated to the USGS, and the Institutes operate collectively as the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR). The program is designed to address water resource challenges through applied research, technology transfer, and collaboration with academic, state, and federal partners. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to support applied research in water resources. The Fiscal Year 2025 competition emphasizes two main research priorities: the economic valuation of the USGS streamgage network and associated National Water Information System, and the development of hydrologic models with machine learning integration to enhance regional and national understanding of water availability. Proposals are expected to provide clear methodologies, document benefits and costs, quantify findings, and demonstrate relevance to national water resource management needs. Successful applications should present innovative, timely, and scientifically rigorous projects that provide outcomes useful to policymakers, practitioners, and the broader scientific community. The funding scope includes an estimated $1,850,000 in total program funds with an expected six awards. Individual awards may not exceed $310,000. Federal funding must be matched dollar-for-dollar with non-federal resources, except for applicants from Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa, which are exempt from the cost-sharing requirement. Allowable expenditures include personnel salaries, travel, materials, and direct research costs, but federal funds may not be used for indirect costs, tuition, or equipment. Applicants must ensure their budgets clearly distinguish between federal and matching funds, and provide a detailed justification. Eligibility is limited to Water Resources Research Institutes established under section 104 of the Act. While individual investigators at U.S. institutions of higher learning may apply, their proposals must be submitted through their state’s Institute. Federal employees may collaborate on projects as co-principal investigators but may not serve as principal investigators, receive federal funds, or serve as sources of matching funds. Applications related to human health impacts, oceanography, or those not meeting program objectives will not be considered. Institutes that have not met prior reporting requirements are also ineligible. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov by September 30, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Required documents include the SF-424 and SF-424B forms, budget forms, matching commitment letter, project narrative, conflict of interest disclosures, and other supporting documents. The project narrative must address specified elements such as research relevance to program priorities, integration with USGS science, methods, anticipated benefits, information transfer plans, and training potential. Proposals will be reviewed through a merit-based peer review involving Institute directors, university scientists, and USGS staff. Review criteria include innovation, scientific merit, integration with USGS priorities, benefits to the scientific community and public, feasibility of information transfer, and educational components. The anticipated start date for awards is February 1, 2026, with projects concluding by January 31, 2029. Award notices will be issued electronically via GrantSolutions or email, with pre-award costs incurred at the applicant’s own risk. Recipients must comply with federal reporting requirements, including financial and performance reports, annual program reports, and disclosures of conflicts of interest or lobbying activities. Technical reports and data management plans will also be required to ensure transparency and accessibility of funded research outcomes. For programmatic inquiries, applicants may contact Christian Schmidt, Program Coordinator for the Water Resources Research Program at cgschmidt@usgs.gov or 208-861-2866. For administrative questions, applicants may contact Sara Roser, Grants Specialist, at sroser@usgs.gov or 703-648-7357:contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}.