USGS Earthquake Hazards Program External Research Support Announcement for Fiscal Year 2023 | G23AS00249

Opportunity Information: Apply for G23AS00249

The USGS Earthquake Hazards Program External Research Support Announcement for Fiscal Year 2023 is a competitive federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Geological Survey aimed at funding research that improves the understanding of earthquake hazards and supports practical advances in earthquake risk reduction. The program’s focus spans earthquake hazards broadly, the underlying physics that drive earthquakes, patterns and processes of earthquake occurrence, and research that informs earthquake safety policy. The announcement also notes alignment with the Department of the Interior’s Secretarial priorities, meaning proposed work is expected to contribute to broader federal goals while still being grounded in earthquake science and hazard mitigation.

This funding opportunity is issued under longstanding national earthquake authorities, specifically the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 and subsequent updates, including the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) Reauthorization Act of 2018. In practical terms, those laws establish and maintain a federal commitment to earthquake research and risk reduction, and they provide the legal basis for USGS to support external researchers whose work contributes to improved hazard assessments, scientific understanding, and public safety outcomes.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant program in the science and technology / research and development category. The official opportunity number is G23AS00249, and it is listed under CFDA (now often referred to as Assistance Listing) 15.807. The sponsor agency is the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. The posting indicates an original application closing date of May 25, 2022, which reflects the typical federal timeline where a fiscal year label does not always match the calendar year deadline shown in the notice.

Eligibility is broadly described as unrestricted, meaning individuals and a wide range of organizations can apply, but the announcement is very explicit about several categories of submissions that will not be considered. The ineligible proposal types include projects centered on regional seismic monitoring or the establishment of data centers, as well as proposals focused on the long-term operation of geodetic networks or instruments. In other words, the program is emphasizing research and development rather than ongoing operational support for monitoring infrastructure or data repository operations. Proposals from U.S. government agencies or U.S. government employees are not eligible, and proposals from Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) are also excluded. The announcement further rules out proposals where there is a real or apparent conflict of interest, proposals that are mainly about buying a product, equipment, or a service (meaning it cannot function primarily as a procurement vehicle), and proposals where subcontracts would account for 50 percent or more of total direct costs, signaling that the primary applicant is expected to perform most of the work rather than pass it through to other entities.

The notice does not specify a stated award ceiling (it lists the ceiling as 0), and it does not provide a clear number of expected awards in the excerpt provided. That typically means applicants need to rely on the full announcement for any guidance on typical award sizes, project periods, or the expected funding range, or infer that the program may vary award amounts based on annual appropriations and proposal merit. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as USGS support for externally led earthquake science and policy-relevant research, with clear boundaries that exclude routine monitoring operations, infrastructure sustainment, and procurement-heavy or pass-through contracting structures.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "USGS Earthquake Hazards Program External Research Support Announcement for Fiscal Year 2023" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.807.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-03-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-05-25. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for G23AS00249

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