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Grants / Department of Energy / Office of Science

DE-FOA-0003196: Environmental System Science (ESS)

Closed Closed February 29, 2024 Opportunity DE-FOA-0003196

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Genesis Mission Graduate Fellowship Pilot (DE-FOA-0003673). Status: Closes January 12, 2027 (66 days left). It is in our archive of Office of Science notices from 2023.

Office of Science offered grants of up to $1.0 million (at least $100,000) to the applicants described in the notice. It expected to make $8.0 million in total. Applications closed on February 29, 2024.

From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed December 1, 2023. Checked November 7, 2026.

Other notices with this title

Office of Science has posted this title under other numbers: earlier or later rounds, or the same competition for another area. Each has its own dates and may change its rules.

NoticePostedDeadlineStatus
DE-FOA-0003475November 5, 2024Closed March 13, 2025Closed
DE-FOA-0002584October 15, 2021Closed February 10, 2022Closed

Key dates

PostedOctober 30, 2023
DeadlineFebruary 29, 2024
Archived by Grants.govMarch 30, 2024

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

All types of applicants are eligible to apply, except nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995.Federally affiliated entities must adhere to the eligibility standards below:III.A.1. DOE/NNSA National LaboratoriesDOE/NNSA National Laboratories are neither eligible to submit applications under this FOA nor are to be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application.III.A.2. Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCsNon-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs are eligible to submit applications under this FOA but are not eligible to be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. Instead, they must submit their own application as a team member in a multi-institutional team. If recommended for funding, either as the sole applicant or in a multi-institutional team, funding may be provided through an interagency agreement to the FFRDC’s sponsoring Federal Agency. Additional instructions for securing authorization from the cognizant Contracting Officer are found in Section VIII of this FOA.III.A.3. Other Federal AgenciesOther Federal Agencies are eligible to submit applications under this FOA but are not eligible to be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. Instead, they must submit their own application as a team member in a multi-institutional team. If recommended for funding, either as the sole applicant or in a multi-institutional team, funding will be provided through an interagency agreement. Additional instructions for providing statutory authorization are found in Section VIII of this FOA.

Is this a realistic fit?

What the grant funds

The BER ESS program goal is to advance an integrated, robust, and scale-aware predictive understanding of terrestrial systems and their interdependent microbial, biogeochemical, ecological, hydrological, and physical processes. To support this goal, the program uses a systems approach to develop an integrative framework to elucidate the complex processes and controls on the structure, function, feedbacks, and dynamics of terrestrial systems, that span from molecular to global scales and extend from the bedrock through the soil, rhizosphere, and vegetation to the atmosphere. The ESS program scope advances foundational process knowledge with an emphasis on understudied ecosystems. Supported research emphasizes ecological and hydro-biogeochemical linkages among system components and characterization of processes across interfaces (e.g., terrestrial-aquatic, coastal, urban) to address key knowledge gaps and uncertainties across a range of spatial and temporal scales. Incorporation of scientific findings into process and system models is an important aspect of the ESS strategy, both to improve predictive understanding as well as to enable the identification of new research questions and directions.

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Who has won Office of Science Financial Assistance Program grants before

From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (81.049) awarded $7.7 billion across 6,205 grant awards, an average of $1.2 million per award.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
Michigan State University FoundationMichigan84$573 million
General AtomicsCalifornia30$495 million
University of Wisconsin SystemWisconsin101$275 million
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts118$238 million
University of IllinoisIllinois61$201 million

Top states: California ($1.5 billion), Michigan ($707 million), Massachusetts ($509 million), Illinois ($461 million), New York ($445 million).

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, DE-FOA-0003673, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.

Questions people ask

Is DE-FOA-0003196 still open?

No. It closed on February 29, 2024. A newer notice is open: DE-FOA-0003673, closes January 12, 2027 (66 days left).

Who can apply for Environmental System Science (ESS)?

Office of Science accepted applications from the applicants described in the notice. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.

What is the deadline for Environmental System Science (ESS)?

Closed February 29, 2024. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

How much funding is available?

Awards of up to $1.0 million each. About $8.0 million in total.

Who has won Office of Science Financial Assistance Program grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Michigan State University Foundation, General Atomics, University of Wisconsin System. The program made 6,205 awards worth $7.7 billion in that time.

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