Opportunity Information: Apply for USGS 17 FA 0342
The Restoration of Arid Land Biological Soil Crusts opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number USGS 17 FA 0342) is a discretionary funding announcement from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) within the Department of the Interior. It is structured as a non-competitive cooperative agreement, which typically means the agency is not running an open competition among many applicants and instead intends to make a single award to a specific, eligible partner. A cooperative agreement also generally signals that USGS expects to have substantial involvement in the work, such as collaborating on study design, data collection approaches, analysis methods, or project oversight, rather than simply providing funding with minimal engagement.
The focus area is the restoration of biological soil crusts in arid lands. Biological soil crusts (often called biocrusts) are communities of organisms such as cyanobacteria, algae, lichens, mosses, and fungi that live on or near the soil surface in dryland environments. These crusts can play a major role in stabilizing soils, reducing erosion, influencing water infiltration, contributing to nutrient cycling (including nitrogen fixation in some cases), and supporting broader ecosystem function. A restoration-focused effort in this area commonly relates to addressing disturbances that damage biocrusts, such as recreation impacts, grazing pressure, wildfire, invasive species dynamics, energy or infrastructure development, and other land-use activities that can disrupt fragile dryland surfaces.
The award information indicates an expected single award (ExpectedAwards: 1) with an award ceiling of $113,000. In practical terms, that ceiling is the maximum federal funding amount anticipated for the agreement under this announcement. Because it is non-competitive and only one award is expected, it reads like a targeted partnership effort intended to support a particular project scope aligned with USGS priorities in dryland ecosystem restoration science and management-relevant outcomes.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity was created on July 22, 2017, with an original closing date of August 1, 2017. That short window is consistent with certain non-competitive or pre-identified partner arrangements, where much of the coordination is handled in advance and the formal application window is primarily for completing required documentation and finalizing the agreement package.
The listing places the funding activity category under "Other" (with a note to see the opportunity text for clarification), and it is associated with CFDA number 15.808, which corresponds to U.S. Geological Survey research and related activities. Eligibility is shown as "Others" with a prompt to consult the additional eligibility language in the full announcement; in many USGS cooperative agreements, eligible entities can include universities, nonprofits, research institutions, state or local governments, tribal governments, or other qualified organizations, but the specific eligible applicant for a non-competitive action may be narrowly defined in the full text.
Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a USGS-supported, collaborative research or applied science project aimed at improving the restoration of arid land biocrusts, likely producing usable outputs such as restoration methods, monitoring protocols, field trial results, and data products that inform land managers and decision-makers working to maintain or recover dryland soil stability and ecosystem health.Apply for USGS 17 FA 0342
- The Department of the Interior, Geological Survey in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Restoration of Arid Land Biological Soil Crusts" 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 Jul 22, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 01, 2017. (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 $113,000.00 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).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the "Restoration of Arid Land Biological Soil Crusts" funding opportunity?
It is a discretionary funding announcement from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) within the Department of the Interior focused on restoring biological soil crusts (biocrusts) in arid land environments.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this announcement?
The Funding Opportunity Number is USGS 17 FA 0342.
Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?
The opportunity is offered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Is this opportunity competitive?
No. It is described as a non-competitive cooperative agreement, which typically indicates the agency intends to make a single award to a specific eligible partner rather than run an open competition among many applicants.
What does "non-competitive cooperative agreement" mean in practical terms?
Based on the description provided, "non-competitive" generally means USGS is not soliciting competing proposals from many applicants and expects to fund one targeted project. "Cooperative agreement" generally means USGS anticipates substantial involvement in the work (for example, collaborating on study design, approaches to data collection, analysis methods, or overall project oversight), rather than providing funds with minimal agency engagement.
How many awards does USGS expect to make under this announcement?
The expected number of awards is 1.
What is the maximum funding amount available (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling is $113,000, which is the maximum federal funding amount anticipated for this agreement under the announcement.
What is the primary scientific or management focus of the project?
The focus is the restoration of biological soil crusts in arid lands. This includes research or applied science efforts intended to improve restoration approaches and produce management-relevant outcomes.
What are biological soil crusts (biocrusts)?
Biological soil crusts are communities of organisms living on or near the soil surface in dryland environments. The opportunity description notes that biocrusts can include cyanobacteria, algae, lichens, mosses, and fungi.
Why are biocrusts important in arid land ecosystems?
The description highlights that biocrusts can play a major role in stabilizing soils, reducing erosion, influencing water infiltration, contributing to nutrient cycling (including nitrogen fixation in some cases), and supporting broader ecosystem function.
What types of impacts or disturbances might biocrust restoration address?
The opportunity description notes that restoration-focused work commonly relates to addressing disturbances that damage biocrusts, such as recreation impacts, grazing pressure, wildfire, invasive species dynamics, energy or infrastructure development, and other land-use activities that disrupt fragile dryland surfaces.
What kind of work products or outcomes are expected from this effort?
The description indicates the project is likely to produce usable outputs such as restoration methods, monitoring protocols, field trial results, and data products that inform land managers and decision-makers working to maintain or recover dryland soil stability and ecosystem health.
When was this funding opportunity created?
The listing indicates it was created on July 22, 2017.
What was the original closing date for this opportunity?
The original closing date shown is August 1, 2017.
How long was the application window based on the dates provided?
Based on the creation date (July 22, 2017) and the original closing date (August 1, 2017), the window appears to have been short, which the description notes can be consistent with non-competitive or pre-identified partner arrangements where coordination occurs in advance and the window is used to finalize required documentation.
What is the funding activity category for this opportunity?
The funding activity category is listed as "Other" with a note to see the opportunity text for clarification.
What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity, and what does it relate to?
The opportunity is associated with CFDA 15.808, which corresponds to U.S. Geological Survey research and related activities.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is shown as "Others" with a prompt to consult additional eligibility language in the full announcement. The description notes that USGS cooperative agreements often can include universities, nonprofits, research institutions, state or local governments, tribal governments, or other qualified organizations, but for a non-competitive action the eligible applicant may be narrowly defined in the full text.
Does the opportunity description specify a single intended partner?
The description explains that a non-competitive cooperative agreement typically indicates an intent to make a single award to a specific eligible partner. However, the specific partner is not identified in the information provided here and would typically be clarified in the full announcement text.
What role does USGS typically play in a cooperative agreement like this?
As described, USGS generally expects substantial involvement, which can include collaborating on study design, data collection approaches, analysis methods, and/or project oversight.
Is this opportunity best described as research, applied science, or on-the-ground restoration?
Based on the information provided, it is best understood as a collaborative research or applied science effort aimed at improving restoration of arid land biocrusts and producing management-relevant outputs (such as methods, protocols, field trial results, and data products).
What broader management need does this funding opportunity support?
The description frames the effort as supporting land managers and decision-makers by improving the ability to maintain or recover dryland soil stability and ecosystem health through better biocrust restoration science and tools.
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