National Park Service · Department of the Interior
NPS Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Units (CESU) Master Cooperative Agreements
Key facts
- Deadline
- Due Dec 31, 2027 · 449 days left
- Award size
- Not stated: see the official notice
- Match ?
- Not required · Work out your budget and match
- Who can apply
- Set by the official notice: see Who can apply below
- Where
- Anywhere in the U.S., including Tennessee
How this fits you
- Available in Davidson County (nationwide program)
- No match required
- Past Tennessee awards on file: 32
Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.
Official notice: https://simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/17f217b6-2106-4de0-a9db-2c13c1b58262 · Printed from grantme.click/grants/2621937d-c011-49dd-b599-9bbffe43a7bf
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About this grant
The National Park Service (NPS) are seeking applications for Master Cooperative Agreements from CESU network participants in the following CESU network regions:
North and West Alaska
Californian
Chesapeake Watershed
Colorado Plateau
Desert Southwest
Great Basin
Great Lakes Northern Forest
Great Plains
Great Rivers
Gulf Coast
Hawaii/Pacific Islands
North Atlantic Coast
Pacific Northwest
Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast
Rocky Mountains
South Florida Caribbean
Southern Appalachian
Cooperative agreements to CESU network participants residing in CESU network regions other than those listed above will be pursued separate from this notice of funding opportunity; however, those CESU network participants may still apply for a Master Cooperative Agreement under this announcement. Application instructions are found in Section D. Application and Submission Information.
Applications will be reviewed and evaluated as they are received and may be submitted at any time up until the closing date of this announcement.
The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units network is a national consortium of Federal agencies, tribes, academic institutions, state and local governments, nongovernmental conservation organizations, and other partners working together to support informed public trust resource stewardship. The CESU network includes 390 non-Federal partners and 15 Federal Agencies in seventeen (17) CESUs representing biogeographic regions encompassing all 50 states and U.S. territories. The CESU network is well positioned as a platform to support research, technical assistance, education and capacity building that is responsive to long-standing and contemporary science and resource management priorities.
The seventeen (17) CESUs bring together scientists, resource managers, students, and other conservation professionals, drawing upon expertise from across the biological, physical, social, cultural, and engineering disciplines (from Anthropology to Zoology) to conduct collaborative and interdisciplinary applied projects that address natural and cultural heritage resource issues at multiple scales and in an ecosystem context. Each CESU is structured as a working collaborative with participation from numerous Federal and non-Federal institutional partners. CESUs are based at host universities and focused on a particular biogeographic region of the country.
The NPS is required...
Who can apply, from the official notice
All applicants must be a partner of the CESU network prior to being considered for an award of a master cooperative agreement under this announcement. Information on how to join the CESU network can be found at: www.cesu.org.
Your schedule, working back from the deadline
- Oct8
Check that your SAM.gov registration is active (or start it now)
Grants.gov: allow up to 10 business days for SAM registration, weeks or months if information isn't verified. It must be renewed every year. Grants.gov - Dec10
Ask partners for letters of support or commitment
Suggested: partners need about three weeks to write and sign letters. - Dec24
Finish a complete draft for a final review
Suggested: leave about a week for someone else to read the draft. - Dec28
Submit
Suggested: submit a few days early. Agency portals can slow down near deadlines. - Dec31
Deadline
From the funder.
Save this grant to put these dates in My grants and your private calendar.
Writing the need statement? Davidson County facts with citations.
What the official notice requires
Pulled from the official notice P23AS00132_-_NPS_CESU_Master_Cooperative_Agreements_NOFO.pdf (23 pages) so you can see the requirements at a glance. Each item shows the notice's own words. Open the page to read it in context.
Award size and project length
Award amounts here are per year · p. 5
“Annually the NPS obligates between $30M and $40M in CESU cooperative agreements agency wide.” Open page 5
Registrations you need first (4)
SAM.gov, Unique Entity ID (UEI) · p. 9
“Federal law mandates that all entities applying for Federal financial assistance must have a current registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) including a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number.” Open page 9
Grants.gov · p. 10
“The application package can also be accessed and downloaded from the Related Documents tab on the Synopsis page of this announcement in Grants.gov.” Open page 10
GrantSolutions · p. 16
“If you need additional help, the GrantSolutions help desk is available for assistance on all GrantSolutions products and services.” Open page 16
ASAP.gov (payments) · p. 23
“Treasury’s Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP), unless approved for a waiver by the Service program.” Open page 23
Registration is free but can take weeks, so start now, not when the deadline is close. Get-ready checklist
What to submit
Form SF-424 · p. 10
“The 10-page limit includes all text, figures, references, (Forms SF-424, SF-424B, SF-LLL, are not counted as part of the page limit).” Open page 10
Form SF-424B · p. 10
“The 10-page limit includes all text, figures, references, (Forms SF-424, SF-424B, SF-LLL, are not counted as part of the page limit).” Open page 10
Form SF-LLL · p. 10
“The 10-page limit includes all text, figures, references, (Forms SF-424, SF-424B, SF-LLL, are not counted as part of the page limit).” Open page 10
Resumes or bios of key staff · p. 11
“A list and brief description of the staff or faculty with expertise in disciplines and subject areas of relevance to cooperative research and training (do not attach resumes). ii.” Open page 11
Form SF-424A · p. 11
“(4) If an applicant is selected for a Master Cooperative Agreement, additional required forms, to include an SF-424a and certification regarding lobbying (SF-LLL), may be requested on a per” Open page 11
Audit or financial statements · p. 13
“ Uniform Audit Reporting Statement U.S. states, local governments, federally recognized Indian tribes, institutions of higher education, and non- profit organizations expending $750,000 USD or more in Federal award funds in the applicant’s fiscal year must…” Open page 13
Length limits
Page limit (see quote): 10 pages max · p. 10
“The 10-page limit includes all text, figures, references, (Forms SF-424, SF-424B, SF-LLL, are not counted as part of the page limit).” Open page 10
Proposal: 10 pages max · p. 11
“Proposal narrative shall be a maximum of 10 pages in length (excluding required SF forms).” Open page 11
Formatting rules
1-inch margins · p. 10
“The proposal text must be no longer than 10 pages, no smaller than font size 11, and have 1-inch margins.” Open page 10
1-inch margins, single-spaced · p. 11
“The proposal text must be no smaller than font size 10, have 1-inch margins and be single spaced.” Open page 11
Cost share or match
Cost share / match · p. 9
“Cost Sharing or Matching Cost sharing or matching, under Federal research proposals is not required or expected and will not be used as a factor during the merit review of applications or proposals for research.” Open page 9
Dates in the notice
12/22/2022 · p. 1
“Initial General Announcement CFDA Number: 15.945 Issue Date: 12/22/2022 Application Due Date: 12/31/2027 Time: 5pm EST Note:” Open page 1
December 31, 2027 · p. 15
“Applications must be received by December 31, 2027, 5pm ET.” Open page 15
Mistakes that get applications rejected (2)
Late or not validated: Applications submitted by other means, or not received by December 31, 2027, will not be considered. · p. 16
“Applications submitted by other means, or not received by December 31, 2027, will not be considered.” Open page 16
Outside what the program funds: If an applicant fails to meet the requirements or objectives of the NOFO, or does not provide sufficient... · p. 18
“If an applicant fails to meet the requirements or objectives of the NOFO, or does not provide sufficient information for review, the applicant will be considered non-responsive and eliminated from further review.” Open page 18
Who in Tennessee has won this program
26 awards to Tennessee groups in 6 counties since 2014 · 0 in Davidson County. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | $1.2M spent that year | 2025 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $424K | 2025 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $355K | 2014 |
| Austin Peay State University | Clarksville, Montgomery County | $281K | 2019 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $256K | 2021 |
| Austin Peay State University | Clarksville, Montgomery County | $184K | 2023 |
| Austin Peay State University | Clarksville, Montgomery County | $169K | 2021 |
| Austin Peay State University | Clarksville, Montgomery County | $163K | 2022 |
| East Tennessee State University | Johnson City, Washington County | $130K | 2023 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $101K | 2018 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $99K | 2022 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $93K | 2024 |
Source: Federal Audit Clearinghouse; USAspending.gov. Past awards show who this program funds. They don't guarantee future awards.
Tennessee groups that got this money through a state agency or another organization
This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. 6 pass-through grants on file · 0 in Davidson County. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Through | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Sciences | $70K spent that year | 2025 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | $68K spent that year | 2024 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | North Carolina Botanical Garden | $65K spent that year | 2025 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | Old Dominion University | $23K spent that year | 2024 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science | $7,855 spent that year | 2024 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | Furman University | $3,065 spent that year | 2024 |
Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).
About the federal program
Cooperative Research and Training Programs � Resources of the National Park System, also called “Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Network”
Program number 15.945 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service · Cooperative agreement (a grant with close agency involvement)
How applications are judged
In each year's official notice: read this year's.
Match
None required (federal program listing).
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal year 2025: 1) Environmental Research and Monitoring - Funding supports scientific studies that assess the health of ecosystems. For example: Measuring water quality in rivers and lakes to detect pollution or changes over time; monitoring bat populations to understand the spread of diseases like white-nose syndrome, and using drones to observe marine mammals in remote coastal areas.
2) Cultural and Historical Preservation - Funding is used to document and protect cultural heritage. This includes: conducting archaeological surveys to uncover and record historic sites; and preserving historic buildings through masonry repair and conservation techniques.
3) Wildlife and Habitat Restoration - Projects aim to restore natural habitats and protect endangered species. Examples include: reintroducing native plants to areas overrun by invasive species; studying rare animals like alpine wildlife or shorebirds to inform conservation strategies; and restoring coral reefs and monitoring their recovery.
4) Student Engagement and Education - Funding helps connect young people with nature and science through: internships that provide hands-on experience in conservation and park...