Grants / Department of the Interior / Geological Survey

G25AS00321: Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)

Closed Closed July 25, 2025 Opportunity G25AS00321 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with Alaska Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (G27AS00066). Status: Closes December 7, 2026 (30 days left). It is in our archive of Geological Survey notices from 2025.

• Award ceiling$202,643
• Award floor$1
• Total funding$202,643
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeCooperative Agreement

Key dates

Who can apply

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

• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

This financial assistance opportunity is being issued under a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program. CESU"s are partnerships that provide research, technical assistance, and education. Eligible recipients must be a participating partner of the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection awards averaged $557,251; this notice allows up to $202,643 per award.
• Most of the program's money (84% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for state-of-the-art research on husbandry protocol development for mesophotic soft coral holding. The research will examine for a wide variety of understudied soft coral species, their trophic ecology, reproductive output, juvenile settlement and growth rates, and holobiont microbial communities. These soft corals represent the same species that were impacted by the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. The USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center (WARC, Gainesville, FL) is seeking research and technical assistance relevant to: "DWH Gulf of America Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Community Restoration: husbandry protocol development in support of the Coral Propagation Technique Development Project". The USGS conducts ecological studies to support restoration plans for the Gulf of America, in conjunction and coordination with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as well as other state and federal partners. Studies conducted by USGS scientists, and their research partners improves understanding of Gulf benthic communities, continued environmental change, and responses to restoration actions in the Gulf. USGS"s scientific focus provides valuable information, which is used to guide informed decisions during planning, restoration, and adaptive management throughout the duration of long-term restoration projects. The USGS is offering a cooperative-agreement opportunity to CESU partners with the capacity to develop, modify, and enhance husbandry techniques to promote coral holding and juvenile rearing, with scientific expertise in conducting and analyzing data from experiments with live organisms, with the final goal of identifying the best practices for ex-situ soft coral propagation. It is anticipated that there will be one sampling year, followed by one or two years of analysis and synthesis.

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, G27AS00066, which is open now.

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