Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with Great Rivers Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
🏛 Geological Survey (DOI-USGS1)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Nov 13, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for CESU (Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units) partners of the Great Rivers CESU only. Eligible recipients must have an active partnership agreement with this specific unit. The project supports fish ecology and resource management research across the Great Lakes basin and tributaries. Funding covers research, data analysis, and assessment approaches addressing fish populations, habitat, and restoration effectiveness. Multi-year projects (up to five years) are supported.
Geographic scope is limited to the Great Lakes basin. The agreement requires applied research that advances management and recovery planning. Collaborative, science-based work is prioritized.
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Program description
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research addressing the ecology, behavior, population dynamics, and resource management of fish across the Great Lakes basin and their tributary systems. The Great Lakes constitute the largest system of freshwater lakes on Earth and support exceptionally diverse native fish assemblages of significant ecological, economic, and cultural importance. These systems are subject to ongoing and interacting environmental stressors, including habitat alteration, invasive species, nutrient loading, and contaminants. Decades of management efforts have produced measurable improvements at many sites, yet substantial knowledge gaps remain in our understanding of fish population responses to these stressors and to restoration and remediation actions. Sound, science-based management of Great Lakes fish resources requires robust, current, and spatially explicit data on fish ecology across all five lakes and their connected tributary networks.
USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) has been tasked with developing a cooperative research program capable of addressing a broad range of fish-related questions across the Great Lakes basin. Research may span individual lakes or tributary systems and may address topics including, but not limited to, population connectivity, movement ecology, habitat selection, community dynamics, behavioral ecology, and restoration effectiveness. Data analysis, reporting, and conceptual development of assessment approaches under this agreement will advance understanding of current environmental conditions across the Great Lakes basin and support evidence-based management and recovery planning over the next five years.
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- CESU Partnership verification or letter of affiliation
- Project Narrative describing research objectives and methods
- Budget and budget narrative
- Timeline and milestones (multi-year format)
- References to relevant management plans and recovery initiatives
Program contact
- 👤 Geological Survey
- 📧 katherine_calder@ios.doi.gov
- 📞 916-278-9331
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 15.808 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
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$240,000,000
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$11,148,115
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$10,533,234
-
$10,055,533
-
$8,476,627
-
$8,454,102
-
$7,659,261
-
$6,894,612
-
$6,800,079
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$6,644,228
Top States by Funding
- CO 9 awards $247.6M
- CA 24 awards $73.6M
- AK 17 awards $35.1M
- FL 7 awards $23.2M
- WA 4 awards $16.6M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 15.808). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2021 | $35,000,000 | |
| 2022 | $157,201,151 | |
| 2023 | $263,107,440 | |
| 2024 | $125,066,719 | |
| 2025 est. | $110,000,000 | |
| 2026 est. | $60,000,000 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this funding?
Only current partners of the Great Rivers CESU can apply. You must have an active partnership agreement with the unit before submitting.
What research topics are eligible?
Research on Great Lakes fish ecology, population dynamics, movement, habitat, community composition, and restoration effectiveness. Work on invasive species, contaminants, and habitat alteration impacts is also supported.
What is the typical funding amount?
Awards range from $1 to $475,000 depending on project scope. No cost-sharing is required.
When is the deadline?
The deadline is fixed at December 7, 2026. There is no rolling acceptance.
What geographic area must the project cover?
Projects must address research questions within the Great Lakes basin and connected tributary systems across multiple lakes or specific tributaries.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Clarify your CESU partnership status early; non-partners cannot apply regardless of project quality.
- Focus on knowledge gaps that directly support Great Lakes management and recovery planning decisions.
- Use existing Great Lakes data and connect your work to regional environmental stressors (invasive species, nutrients, contaminants).
- Build in collaboration with USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) staff; they guide research priorities.
- Plan multi-year work; the agreement funds projects through five years, so structure scope and milestones accordingly.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applying without confirmed CESU partner status; non-partners are ineligible. Submitting purely academic research without clear management applications or recovery planning relevance. Limiting scope to single lakes or systems when broader Great Lakes basin perspective strengthens competitiveness.
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