Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated with Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G23AS00110

Opportunity Information: Apply for G23AS00110

This opportunity is a discretionary federal funding announcement from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), specifically the Fort Collins Science Center, and it is being offered as a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant. The project sits in the Science and Technology/Research and Development category (CFDA 15.808) and is issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Program, with eligibility limited to organizations that are official partners in the Rocky Mountain CESU network. In practical terms, that means the competition is not open to the general public or all universities by default; applicants must already be affiliated with, and eligible through, the Rocky Mountain CESU partnership structure, which is designed to streamline collaboration among federal agencies, universities, and other partners for applied research, technical support, and education.

The research focus is the overwintering biology and long-term demography of imperiled bumble bees, emphasizing two species that were historically widespread but have experienced dramatic population declines over roughly the last two decades: the rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) and the western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis). The core idea is to improve scientific understanding of how these species survive through winter and how their populations change over time, which can include survival rates, reproduction, recruitment, and other demographic factors that drive population growth or decline. Because overwintering is often a critical bottleneck for bumble bee persistence, studies in this area can directly inform conservation actions and management decisions aimed at stabilizing or recovering declining populations.

The award is capped at $499,999 (the stated award ceiling). The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates that USGS expects to have substantial involvement during the project, such as collaboration on study design, data collection approaches, analyses, or reporting, rather than simply providing funds and receiving final deliverables at the end. The opportunity number is G23AS00110, and it was created on December 13, 2022, with an original application closing date of January 13, 2023. Overall, the announcement is essentially a targeted call for a Rocky Mountain CESU partner to work with USGS on applied, conservation-relevant research that fills key knowledge gaps about winter survival and population dynamics in two high-concern bumble bee species.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated with Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-12-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-01-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $499,999.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G23AS00110

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