Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, North Atlantic Coast CESU | G20AS00072

Opportunity Information: Apply for G20AS00072

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), within the Department of the Interior, released a discretionary funding opportunity under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network specifically for partners in the North Atlantic Coast CESU. The grant opportunity is focused on applied research and development that improves understanding of why salt marshes in the Northeastern United States are vulnerable to change and degradation. The core purpose is to identify the mechanisms driving marsh vulnerability and to translate that understanding into usable information for coastal decision-making, particularly around resilience planning, restoration targeting, and long-term management.

The work emphasized in the announcement centers on using a combination of remote sensing products, field or observational datasets, and/or numerical model outputs to evaluate marsh condition and stability. A major component is methodological: the funded partner is expected to develop and implement geospatial techniques that can integrate and harmonize diverse datasets across many marsh systems. In practice, that means building workflows that can bring together information with different spatial resolutions, time periods, and measurement types (for example, elevation and topography products, vegetation indicators, hydrodynamic or sediment transport model results, shoreline and creek network change metrics, and other landscape or environmental variables). The end goal of that integration is to connect measurable marsh characteristics to observed and predicted geomorphic stability, helping explain which marshes are more likely to persist, degrade, or transition under stressors such as sea-level rise, storms, altered sediment supply, or hydrologic changes.

This opportunity is structured as a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates substantial involvement by the federal agency during the project. While the public notice does not list specific tasks in detail beyond the high-level scope, the cooperative nature usually means USGS scientists and program staff may collaborate on study design, data access, interpretation, or the translation of results into management-relevant products. The funding activity category is listed as Science and Technology and other Research and Development, reflecting that the deliverables are expected to be technical and research-driven, with an emphasis on generating new analytical approaches and actionable findings rather than routine monitoring alone.

In terms of funding and scale, the opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G20AS00072; CFDA 15.808) anticipated a single award with an estimated maximum federal amount of up to $300,000. The posting date was May 20, 2020, with an original application deadline of June 5, 2020, indicating a relatively short turnaround typical of targeted CESU competitions. Eligibility was limited to CESU partners (the notice lists eligible applicants as "Others" with clarification in the eligibility text), meaning organizations generally needed to be affiliated with or qualified under the North Atlantic Coast CESU partnership framework, which often includes universities, nonprofits, and certain research institutions that participate in CESU collaborations.

The intended impact of the project is explicitly management-oriented. By determining how marsh traits relate to stability and vulnerability, and by creating geospatial approaches that work consistently across the region, the results are meant to support natural resource management and coastal resilience efforts. The USGS highlights that the information will be useful not only for federal agencies but also for state agencies and nongovernmental organizations, which commonly need defensible, regionally consistent data layers and vulnerability indicators to prioritize restoration investments, plan adaptation strategies, and evaluate where interventions are most likely to succeed.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, North Atlantic Coast CESU" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 20, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 05, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for G20AS00072

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