Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G21AS00578

Opportunity Information: Apply for G21AS00578

This grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G21AS00578) is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) cooperative agreement aimed at strengthening science communication for the USGS Grand Canyon Uranium Project. Led by the USGS Fort Collins Science Center in collaboration with the Columbia Environmental Research Center and the Colorado Water Science Center, the project is focused on improving how USGS communicates research findings about potential uranium exposure risks in the Grand Canyon region and the broader Southwest. The core idea is that better communication, not just better data, is essential for turning scientific results into information that communities, resource managers, and decision-makers can actually use.

The funded work centers on translating complex research about uranium exploration and mining into clear, actionable messages for non-scientists. The opportunity highlights several exposure pathways that can be difficult to explain to the public without slipping into technical language, including wind-borne dust, surface water and groundwater, soil and sediment, and food-chain routes. Because these pathways operate across large landscapes and interconnected ecosystems, the grant emphasizes the need to communicate risk at multiple scales, from localized sites to watershed-wide impacts. In practical terms, the intent is to help USGS describe what the science means for real-world concerns in the Grand Canyon watershed, including the Colorado River and the natural and human systems that depend on it.

A major motivation behind the award is the recognition that scientists often struggle to communicate beyond scientific audiences. The opportunity description directly calls out common barriers like jargon, overly technical explanations, and the tendency to focus on methodology rather than the bottom-line relevance of results. The cooperative agreement is meant to build capacity and tools that help scientists convey the "so what" of their findings, making the information more accessible and useful to stakeholders who are not trained scientists but who still need to understand the implications for health, environment, and resource management.

The expected outcome is the development and broader adoption of communication methods and tools that increase the visibility, reach, and practical impact of USGS science. While the immediate application is the Grand Canyon Uranium Project, the opportunity also emphasizes that the approaches developed should be adaptable to other scientific topics and contexts, effectively serving as a model that can be reused across USGS and similar science programs. The long-term goal is to make USGS science more societally relevant and more likely to inform policy discussions and management decisions.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, which is designed to support partnerships that provide research, technical assistance, and education. The eligible applicants are limited to organizations that are official participating partners of the Colorado Plateau CESU. The award instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically means substantial involvement and collaboration with USGS during the project rather than a hands-off grant structure. The maximum award amount listed is $200,000, the CFDA number is 15.808, the original closing date was July 30, 2021, and the opportunity was created on June 30, 2021.

• 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 Partner with Colorado Plateau 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 2021-06-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-07-30. (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 $200,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G21AS00578

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