Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with Gulf Coast 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 partner organizations conducting avian microbiome research on behalf of the U.S. Geological Survey. Applicants must be participating members of the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. Funded work focuses on bioinformatic analysis of existing avian microbiome datasets, with emphasis on wildlife and zoonotic pathogens. The research involves taxonomic identification, microbial diversity analysis, and development of reproducible workflows for metatranscriptomic data.
Research collaboration is required with USGS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA APHIS, Native Alaskan communities, and state wildlife authorities in Nebraska, Wyoming, and Texas. Awardees must publish findings in peer-reviewed journals and deposit data products in public repositories like NCBI or ScienceBase.
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Program description
The Eastern Ecological Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is soliciting applications from CESU partners for research focused on the bioinformatic analysis of existing and upcoming avian microbiome metatranscriptomic datasets. These datasets have already been generated or are in the process of being generated under ongoing projects conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Ecological Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Native Alaskan communities, and state game and wildlife authorities in Nebraska, Wyoming, and Texas.
Proposed research should focus on genome assembly-based identification of viruses, prokaryotic, and eukaryotic microorganisms, with particular emphasis on wildlife and zoonotic pathogens. Funded work will involve comprehensive analysis of shotgun metatranscriptomic data derived from avian microbiomes, including taxonomic identification across microbial domains, estimation of microbial diversity and abundance across host species, tissues, and geographic regions, and development of reproducible bioinformatic workflows. Awardees will be expected to collaborate on joint peer-reviewed scientific publications and ensure that derived data products are made publicly available through appropriate repositories, such as the National Center for Biotechnology Information or ScienceBase.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- Project narrative/research proposal
- Budget and budget justification
- Organizational documentation of CESU partnership status
- Letters of collaboration from USGS, USFWS, and state wildlife partners
- Curriculum vitae of key personnel
- Data management plan for public repository submission
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
-
$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
-
$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 is eligible to apply for this grant?
Only participating partners of the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) may apply. Organizations must already be CESU members.
What geographic areas does this grant cover?
The research focuses on avian microbiome datasets from Nebraska, Wyoming, and Texas. Collaboration with state wildlife authorities in these states is required.
What types of research activities are funded?
Bioinformatic analysis of avian microbiome data, genome assembly, virus and pathogen identification, and development of reproducible workflows. Data must be shared publicly.
Is this a competitive grant?
Yes, applications are competitive. CESU partners compete for funds. Proposals demonstrating strong collaborative relationships and methodological rigor are favored.
What is the typical funding range?
Awards range from $1 to $459,000 depending on project scope. The total program pool is $459,000.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Confirm your organization is an active Gulf Coast CESU partner before investing application effort. Ineligible organizations will be rejected outright.
- Emphasize existing relationships and collaboration capacity with USGS, USFWS, USDA APHIS, and state wildlife agencies. Prior joint work is a strong advantage.
- Detail your bioinformatic expertise and pipeline development experience. Reviewers expect rigorous, reproducible computational methods.
- Commit early to public data sharing and peer-reviewed publication. These are non-negotiable deliverables in the evaluation criteria.
- Align your budget request with project scope. Justify staffing, computing resources, and data management costs clearly.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applying without confirming CESU partnership status—ineligible applicants are automatically rejected. Proposing new data collection rather than analysis of existing metatranscriptomic datasets. Failing to detail collaboration plans or underestimating publication and data-sharing commitments.
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