science_technology_and_other_research_and_development · DOI-USGS1

Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

Geological Survey · G26AS00149

Closed

Award Range

$1 – $29.994K

Total Program Funding

$29.994K

Expected Awards

Deadline

July 24, 2026

GRANTQUICK SUMMARYPlain-English Overview

USGS is offering a tiny cooperative agreement ($30K) to a Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) partner for GeoAI research — specifically automated landform mapping, expanding a Landform Reference Ontology using knowledge graphs, and improving the accuracy of geographic names using lidar data. This is hyper-specialized academic research with a single $30K award.

Who Should Apply

ONLY institutions that are already participating partners in the Chesapeake Watershed CESU. Must have expertise in GeoAI, lidar analysis, knowledge graphs, and/or geomorphology.

Who Should NOT Apply

Anyone not in the Chesapeake Watershed CESU partnership, organizations without GIS/remote sensing expertise, non-research entities, or institutions outside the CESU network.

Key Requirements (Plain English)

•Must be a participating partner of the Chesapeake Watershed CESU
•Must have expertise in GeoAI and lidar-derived datasets
•Must work on landform mapping and Geographic Names Information System accuracy
•Single award of ~$30K
•No cost-sharing required

💡 GrantQuick Tip

At $30K and restricted to existing CESU partners, this is essentially a directed award to a specific research group USGS already has in mind. If you're a CESU partner with active GeoAI research and a pre-existing relationship with the USGS National Geospatial Program, reach out to the program officer before applying. Everyone else should skip this entirely.

Competitiveness: Not truly competitive — restricted to existing CESU partners (~10-15 institutions). Likely directed to a specific group.

What This Grant Funds

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a funding opportunity to a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) partner for research focused on advancing GeoAI-enabled automated landform mapping, expansion of the Landform Reference Ontology using knowledge graphs, and improving Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) summit feature positional accuracy using lidar-derived elevation datasets.

Attachments

PDF

ATTACHMENT A - Biographical-sketch-common-form-doi-omb-3145-0279 3..pdf

ATTACHMENT_A_-_Biographical-sketch-common-form-doi-omb-3145-0279_3..pdf

PDF

ATTACHMENT C - Project Abstract Summary Requirement..docx

ATTACHMENT_C_-_Project_Abstract_Summary_Requirement..docx

PDF

ATTACHMENT D - Geospatial Data Instructions..docx

ATTACHMENT_D_-_Geospatial_Data_Instructions..docx

PDF

C. Program announcement G26AS00149.docx

C._Program_announcement_G26AS00149.docx

PDF

ATTACHMENT B - Common-form current-and-pending-support-doi-omb-3145-0279 3..pdf

ATTACHMENT_B_-_Common-form_current-and-pending-support-doi-omb-3145-0279_3..pdf

Who Can Apply

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 Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit.

Eligible Applicant Types

Other (see NOFO for details)

Funding Details

Minimum Award: $1
Maximum Award: $29.994K
Total Program Funding: $29.994K
Expected Number of Awards: 1
Cost Sharing Required?: No
Funding Instrument: cooperative_agreement

Key Dates

Posted: June 24, 2026

Application Deadline: July 24, 2026 (0 days remaining)

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

Agency Contact

RACHEL MILLER rachel_miller@ios.doi.gov

rachel_miller@ios.doi.gov

Ready to apply?

View the full NOFO and submit your application on Grants.gov

View on Grants.gov