Funder: Geological Survey
Due Dates: May 28, 2025, 6:00 pm EDT (All proposals)
Funding Amounts: Estimated $4M–$7M total; typical awards $30,000–$120,000; 50–70 new awards/year; no maximum per project
Summary: Supports research on earthquake hazards, earthquake physics, occurrence, and safety policy to advance earthquake science and risk mitigation.
Key Information: Open to most organizations and individuals; U.S. federal agencies and employees are ineligible; proposals must be submitted via Grants.gov.
Description
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program (EHP) offers annual competitive grants to support research that advances the understanding of earthquake hazards, earthquake physics, earthquake occurrence, and earthquake safety policy. The program aims to reduce loss of life and property from earthquakes and improve public safety and community resilience. Funded projects are expected to contribute to the science underlying USGS earthquake hazard products, develop new data, methods, or tools, and improve the effectiveness of information dissemination for earthquake risk mitigation.
Research priorities span a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:
- National and regional earthquake hazard assessments
- Earthquake information, monitoring, and notification (including early warning)
- Research on earthquake occurrence, physics, effects, impacts, and risks
- Earthquake resilience, safety policy, communication, and user engagement
Proposals must address one of ten research areas (five regional, five topical), as detailed in the annual priorities document. Both basic and applied research are supported, and collaboration with USGS scientists or other organizations is encouraged (with specific requirements for collaborative proposals).
Due Dates
- Proposal Deadline: May 28, 2025, 6:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time
- All proposals must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov by the deadline.
- Anticipated Award Date: January 1, 2026
- Project Start Dates: Must be between January 1, 2026, and September 1, 2026
Funding Amount
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $4,000,000–$7,000,000 for FY2026
- Typical Award Size: $30,000–$120,000 per project
- Number of Awards: Approximately 50–70 new awards per year
- Award Duration: 12 or 24 months (no awards for less than 12 months)
- No maximum award amount, but requests must be well justified
- No cost sharing required
Eligibility
- Eligible Applicants: Open to all individuals and entities except:
- U.S. Government agencies and employees
- Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs)
- Proposals for regional seismic monitoring or establishing data centers
- Proposals for long-term operation of geodetic networks or instruments
- Proposals with subcontracts ≥50% of total direct costs
- Proposals with real or apparent conflicts of interest
- Proposals principally for procurement of products, equipment, or services
- International Applicants: Allowed, but must comply with U.S. sanctions and local regulations; research must be relevant to U.S. seismogenic zones
- Excluded Parties: Applicants and key personnel must not be listed in the SAM.gov Exclusions database
Application Process
- Submission: All applications must be submitted via Grants.gov
- Required Registrations:
- All organizations (except individuals) must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and active SAM.gov registration
- Grants.gov registration is required (allow up to 30 days for new registrations)
- Application Components:
- SF-424, SF-424A, and other standard federal forms
- Proposal Information Summary (see template)
- Project Abstract Summary (plain language, 1 page)
- Project Narrative (max 15 pages, including figures/tables/appendices)
- Budget Summary and Detailed Budget (see template)
- Data Management Plan (required, up to 4 pages)
- Biographical Sketches (see DOI template)
- Current and Pending Support (see DOI template)
- Letters of Support (if applicable)
- USGS Collaboration/Commitment Statement (if collaborating with USGS scientists; template)
- Panel Selection: Proposals must be submitted to one of ten research panels (see priorities document for details)
- Collaborative Proposals: Each institution must submit a separate proposal and budget; USGS collaboration requires a signed statement (not a letter of support)
- Review Process: Proposals are peer-reviewed for scientific merit, relevance, PI/team competence, and budget appropriateness
Additional Information
- Reporting: Final technical report due within 90 days of project end; annual progress and financial reports required for multi-year awards
- Data Sharing: All data, products, and code must be made publicly available; a data management plan is required
- No pre-award costs are authorized
- No-cost extensions are discouraged and require strong justification
- Indirect Costs: Capped at 10% if no negotiated rate agreement is in place
- Award Terms: See 2026 EHP Award Terms and Conditions
External Links
Contact Information
| Role/Topic | Name/Title | Email | Phone |
|---|
| Programmatic/Technical | Jill Franks, Associate Program Coordinator | jfranks@usgs.gov | 571-294-1718 |
| Program Administration | Margaret Eastman, Contracting Officer | mrussell@usgs.gov | 703-648-7366 |
| General USGS Inquiries | USGS Answers | USGS Contact Form | 1-888-275-8747 |
For panel-specific questions or to discuss proposal fit, see the research priorities document for coordinator contacts.