USGS Earthquake Hazards Program External Research Support Announcement for Fiscal Year 2027

The USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (EHP) issues this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for assistance to support research in earthquake hazards, the physics of earthquakes, earthquake occurrence, and earthquake safety policy. This activity is authorized by the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-124, 42 U.S.C. 7701 et. seq.), and as amended by the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-307).It is estimated that a total of $4 million will be awarded in support of competitive research grants in FY2027, with a maximum total of $7 million. Based on awards in recent years, approximately 50 to 70 new awards are funded each fiscal year. There is no maximum award amount (i.e., any amount may be proposed if it can be justified appropriately), however, the majority of grants range between $30,000 and $120,000. This estimate does not bind the USGS to a specified number of awards or to the amount of any award unless that amount is specified by statute or regulation.This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) competitive grants solicitation supports external research partnerships that are essential to the Earthquake Hazards Program (EHP) mission. The goal is to generate scientific information and situational awareness products that help the program reduce deaths, injuries, and economic losses from earthquakes, and improve public safety and resilience nationwide. External grants with university, state, regional and local government agencies, and private industry partners support science that cannot be conducted within the USGS because of a lack of sufficient in-house expertise. Grants.gov Subscription:Principal Investigators (PIs) are urged to sign up for Grants.gov"s subscription service to receive notices about the Earthquake Hazards Program grant funding opportunities and possible updates during the application period. Sign up is through the Grants.gov website; our CFDA number is 15.807.Anticipated Award Date:January 01, 2027All projects must propose start dates between January 1, 2027 and September 1, 2027. The start date requested in the applicant"s submitted proposal is considered the applicant's official start date and may not be changed by the applicant. If funding delays do not allow for a project to be funded by the applicant's requested start date, the award will be issued as soon as funds...

This Announcement is open to all individuals and entities EXCEPT for the ineligible categories listed below.The following proposals are NOT eligible for consideration under this Announcement: Proposals for regional seismic monitoring or establishing Data Centers.Proposals for long-term operation of geodetic networks or instruments.Proposals from U.S. Government agencies or U.S. Government employees.Proposals from Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC).Proposals in which there is a real or apparent conflict of interest.Proposals principally involving the direct procurement of a product, equipment, or service.Proposals having subcontracts for 50 percent or greater of total direct costs. Excluded Parties:USGS conducts a review of the SAM.gov Exclusions database for all applicant entities and their key project personnel prior to award. USGS cannot award funds to entities or their key project personnel identified in the SAM.gov Exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted or otherwise excluded from receiving Federal contracts, certain subcontracts, and certain Federal assistance and benefits, as their ineligibility condition applies to this Federal program.Involvement of Federal Employees: Federal employees, including USGS employees, are prohibited from serving in any capacity (paid or unpaid) on any application submitted under this Announcement; federal employees may not assist in the development of proposals. Proposals that have a real or apparent conflict of interest related to Federal employees will not be processed for evaluation. This does not prohibit cooperation or collaboration between USGS and non-USGS scientists once a grant or cooperative agreement is in place. The Program Description, found in the "Program Overview" Section of this NOFO, describes Collaborative Proposals.

Panels composed of expert scientists and engineers drawn from government, universities, and private industry evaluate all grant applications. Criteria for judging applications includes: relevance and timeliness of the proposed research to the goals of the program; technical quality of the proposal; competence of the principal investigator and recipient organization; and appropriateness and reasonableness of the budget.

This program has no statutory formula. Recipients are encouraged to share in the cost of each research project.MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Fiscal Year2025: Source zone characteristics; Earthquake monitoring and early warning development and prototype testing; Induced seismicity studies; and fault zone studies; and Seismic zonation and engineering studies.Fiscal Year2026: Source zone characteristics; Earthquake monitoring and early warning development and prototype testing; Induced seismicity studies; and fault zone studies; and Seismic zonation and engineering studies.