This Program Announcement is issued under the provisions of section 104 of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-242), as amended by Public Laws 101-397, 104-147, 106-374, 109-471, and 117–58. Section 104 of the Water Resources Research Act directs the Secretary of the Interior to administer program grants to Institutes established under the provisions of section 104(a) of the Act. Water Resources Research Institutes have been established in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. The Institute in Guam also serves the Federated...

Awards are available only to Water Resources Research Institutes established pursuant to the provisions of section 104 of the Water Resources Research Act and listed at http://water.usgs.gov/wrri/index.php. However, any investigator at an institution of higher learning in the United States is eligible to apply for an award through a Water Resources Research Institute. The application, with full proposal along with the SF-424 and SF-424B and budget forms, must be submitted through grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) by the university at which the Institute is located. Proposals requesting matching funds from an Institute are authorized at the discretion of the Institute Director.APPLICATIONS not eligible for fundingApplications for research on health effects involving human subjects.Applications for research involving oceanography (estuarine research applications are acceptable).Applications for research that do not meet program objectives as outlined.Applications submitted by an Institute or Center that has not met reporting requirements on a previous award by the USGS.Federal employees may, and are encouraged to, collaborate with college or university investigators in this program.Federal employees may not serve as a principal investigator (PI) but may serve as a Co- PI.Federal employees and agencies may not receive federal funds for any purpose under these awards.Federal employees and agencies may not serve as a source of matching funds under these awards.Excluded Parties: USGS conducts a review of the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions database (SAM.gov) 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.

Sara Roser sroser@usgs.gov