Funding Opportunities

FY2025 Water Resources Research Act Funding Opportunities

National Competitive Grants - 104g general, PFAS and AIS (Open)

The U.S. Geological Survey supports an annual call for proposals under the National Competitive (104g) Grants in cooperation with the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR) to focus on water problems and issues that are of a regional, interstate or national concern or relate to a specific program priority identified by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.  Goals of the National Competitive (104g) Grants program are to promote collaboration between the USGS and university scientists in research on significant national and regional water resources issues; promote the dissemination and results of the research funded under this program; and to assist in the training of scientists in water resources. 

The USGS Water Resources Research Act (WRRA) program has just announced its requests for proposals (RFPs) for the FY2025 104g National Competitive Grants program. Program priorities are listed below and links to funding announcements and other documents are included:

These grants are open to any investigator at an institution of higher learning and support projects of up to 3 years in duration (anticipated project start date: 02/01/2026). Note that each applicant must match each Federal dollar provided with not less than one dollar from non-federal sources. Federal funds may not be used to pay indirect costs, but indirect costs applied to qualifying federal and non-federal direct costs may be used as match. All awards are subject to the availability of federal USGS funds.

Important Dates:

  • Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 2:00 PM (Eastern Time) - Those interested in applying or learning more are encouraged to attend a webinar using this teams Meeting Link Meeting ID: 292 921 560 379 2; Passcode: hh7Cb9Up. The webinar is being led by the Great Lakes region, but the webinar is open to a national audience, including university researchers, potential USGS collaborators, and Water Resources Research Institute staff.  The session will provide an overview of the funding opportunities, details on the proposal process, and time for Q&A. The webinar will also offer a chance to connect with other researchers and USGS staff scientists who may be interested in collaborative projects. A recording of the webinar is now available for those who were unable to attend. You can access the video here and the slides here. You may need to click a “join folder” or “join as a collaborator” button in the upper right corner to access the content.
  • As soon as possible or by September 1st – New Hampshire investigators must notify nh.wrrc@unh.edu with their intent to submit a proposal and include the intended program (General, PFAS or AIS), principal investigator(s), institution(s), and the provisional title.  For USNH investigators, the NH WRRC Director (Dr. Adam Wymore), not proposal investigators, will notify SPA Pre-Award using their Intent to Submit Form.
  • Friday, September 19, 2025 – All proposals led by New Hampshire investigators are due to nh.wrrc@unh.edu.
  • On or before September 30, 2025 - NH WRRC and UNH SPA (not individual investigators) submit proposals via grants.gov. 

More information is available on the USGS Water Resources Research Act homepage, application information page and FAQ page or by contacting nh.wrrc@unh.edu.

NH Water Resources Research Center - 104b annual base grants (Closed)

The New Hampshire Water Resources Research Center (NH WRRC) is accepting applications for water resources related projects for FY2025 (anticipated budget year begins September 1, 2025). Any investigator at an institution of higher learning in New Hampshire is eligible to apply. Please see the 2025 NH WRRC RFP for further details. Note that the federal budget requested (maximum of $30,000 in total direct costs) must be matched by one non-federal dollar for each federal dollar requested. If you plan to submit a proposal, please contact nh.wrrc@unh.edu by Monday January 27, 2025 to provide the provisional title, principal investigator(s) and two or three potential technical reviewers with whom you have no conflicts of interest. To be considered for funding, proposals must be submitted to nh.wrrc@unh.edu no later than Friday Feb. 7, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.   Please note that federal funding has not yet been appropriated for FY 2025.