The
U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the National Institutes for Water
Resources requests proposals for matching grants to support research on the
topic of improving and enhancing the nation's water supply, including
evaluation of innovative approaches to water treatment, infrastructure design,
retrofitting, maintenance, management, and replacement; exploration and
advancement of our understanding of changes in the quantity and quality of water resources in response to a changing
climate, population shifts, and land use changes; development of methods for
better estimation of water supply, both surface and groundwater, including estimation of the physical supply and of
the economic supply of water; development and evaluation of processes and
governance mechanisms for integrated surface/ground water management; and the
evaluation and assessment of conservation practices. Any investigator at an
accredited institution of higher learning in the United States is eligible to
apply for a grant through a Water Research Institute or Center established
under the provisions of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984, as amended (http://water.usgs.gov/wrri/institutes.html).
Proposals involving substantial collaboration between the USGS and university
scientists are encouraged. Proposals may be for projects of one to three years
in duration and may request up to $250,000 in federal funds. Successful
applicants must match each dollar of the federal grant with one dollar from
nonfederal sources. Approximately $1 million is available under this program in
FY 2015. The Government's obligation under this program is contingent upon the
availability of funds. 

Proposals must
be filed on the Internet at https://niwr.net/
by 5 p.m., Eastern Time, Thursday, February 19, 2015. For
New Hampshire applicants, a submission on the NIWR website is NOT considered
complete unitl the application has been approved by the New Hampshire Water Resources Research Center.  Approval requires an applicant to
provide a matching commitment letter and proof of administrative approval by
the applicant’s institution of higher education. 

Applicants should note
that there is language on the NIWR website and in the RFP on submitting a
Federal Form SF-424 via Grants.gov.  Applicants do NOT need to be
concerned with this step. The University of New Hampshire and the NH WRRC will prepare the SF-424
and submit it on behalf of applicants to Grants.gov.

To obtain a
copy of the RFP, please go to https://niwr.net.
On the blue menu on the left side of the page select “rfps”. You will be taken
to the page “Current and Recent Requests for Proposals.” Under the NIWR heading
on the main content part of that page click on the link "This RFP for the
104(g) Competitive Grant applies for FY2015.”