Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with the Southern Appalachian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)
🏛 Geological Survey (DOI-USGS1)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Oct 8, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for research organizations partnering with the Southern Appalachian CESU to address invasive vine spread in the Southeast and Caribbean.
Eligible applicants must be current, participating partners of the Southern Appalachian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit Program. Universities, government agencies, nonprofits, and research institutions meeting CESU partnership requirements can apply.
Funded projects focus on invasive vines in the southeastern U.S., Puerto Rico, and Caribbean regions. Activities include building databases, creating predictive maps, synthesizing management strategies, and engaging regional partners to support science-based ecosystem stewardship and infrastructure resilience.
Awards range from $1 to $330,000. Cost sharing is not required. Applicants should align work with Administration priorities including water security, infrastructure resilience, and natural hazard preparedness.
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Program description
Invasive climbing plants, or vines, are spreading rapidly throughout the southeastern United States and the U.S. Caribbean, smothering local vegetation, altering forest structure, increasing infrastructure maintenance costs, and complicating management efforts for natural and working landscapes. Their expansion is influenced by disturbances such as hurricanes, flooding, uprooted trees, landslides, and wildfires, yet information is currently fragmented across jurisdictions, ecosystems, and stakeholders. This project will build a database with information on species status, traits linked to their spread, and the locations of recent disturbances to better understand the causes of vine expansion. The database will also feature maps showing where different species could spread in the future, covering species from the mainland U.S., Puerto Rico, and other parts of the world, categorized by whether they are already present or have not yet been detected in the region. Managers can use these maps to identify areas most at risk for invasive vine spread in coming decades. By assembling a regional database, synthesizing management strategies, and engaging partners, this project will provide a clear framework for detecting and effectively responding to invasive vines.
This work supports EO 14313 – Establishing the President’s Make America Beautiful Again Commission) by advancing science-based stewardship of natural resources and strengthening the capacity of agencies and communities to safeguard vulnerable ecosystems from biological degradation. This work also supports EO14303 (Restoring Gold Standard Science) and SO3441 (Implementing the Requirements of Executive Order 14303, Restoring Gold Standard Science) by strengthening American leadership in adaptation science and providing credible, reliable, and impartial scientific evidence to reduce the economic damages caused by proliferating vines.
Projects supported under this cooperative agreement should advance Administration priorities, including, but not limited to, American energy dominance, critical mineral development, water security, infrastructure resilience, and natural hazard preparedness. Research and activities may incorporate scientific expertise in areas such as hydrology, geology, geospatial science, biosecurity, and near-earth space science, including extreme events such as drought, flooding, wildland fire, coastal erosion, severe storms, and geologic hazards, to develop actionable science, data, and tools that support informed decision-making by resource managers and stakeholders.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
Demographic focus
How to apply
Application links
Required documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- Project Narrative
- Budget and Budget Justification
- Indirect Cost Rate Documentation (if applicable)
- Letters of Support from Regional Partners
- Data Management Plan
- CESU Partner Verification
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
-
$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 8 awards $247.1M
- CA 22 awards $72.6M
- AK 15 awards $34.2M
- FL 6 awards $22.8M
- 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.
| 2024 | $125,066,719 | |
| 2025 | $54,713,074 | |
| 2026 est. | $60,000,000 |
FAQ
Who is eligible to apply for this grant?
Only current participating partners of the Southern Appalachian CESU can apply. Check the program website to confirm your organization's partner status before preparing an application.
What is the funding range and deadline?
Awards range from $1 to $330,000. The deadline is October 30, 2026. Cost sharing is not required.
What types of activities are supported?
Projects should build invasive vine databases, create predictive maps, synthesize management strategies, and engage regional stakeholders. Work must address vine spread in southeastern U.S., Puerto Rico, or Caribbean regions.
How competitive is this funding?
Competitiveness depends on project quality and alignment with Administration priorities like water security and infrastructure resilience. Focus on actionable science and tools for resource managers.
What is a Cooperative Agreement?
This award type involves substantial collaboration between USGS and your organization throughout the project. Expect regular communication and coordination with federal partners.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Verify your organization is a formal partner of Southern Appalachian CESU before investing application effort. Partnership status is mandatory.
- Build your project around predictive science and decision support for managers. Emphasize tools, maps, or databases that advance practical management outcomes.
- Connect your work explicitly to Administration priorities like infrastructure resilience, water security, or natural hazard preparedness. Generic ecology proposals are less competitive.
- Engage regional stakeholders and partners early. Show how your database or findings will be shared and used across jurisdictions and ecosystems.
- Clearly show how your invasive vine work reduces economic damages or ecosystem degradation. Tie science directly to resource manager needs.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applying without confirming partner status with Southern Appalachian CESU; most rejections stem from ineligibility. Submitting projects that lack focus on actionable science or manager decision support. Failing to connect work to Administration priorities like resilience, water security, or hazard preparedness.
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