USGS Earthquake Hazards Program External Research Support — FY2027

Who qualifies

• Open to all U.S. entity types: universities, nonprofits, state geological surveys, for-profit companies, small businesses, and consulting firms (unrestricted eligibility code 99 + small business code 23)
• Lead applicant must be a U.S.-based entity; international subcontracting is permitted
• Active SAM.gov registration with UEI required prior to application submission
• Research must address earthquake hazard science aligned with NEHRP goals (geophysics, fault mapping, ground-motion characterization, induced seismicity, seismic monitoring)
• For-profit applicants reimbursed under federal cost principles; profit above indirect rates is not allowed
• No cost-sharing or matching funds required

What it covers

How to apply

1. 1

   Register in SAM.gov

   Obtain or verify your UEI (Unique Entity Identifier) in SAM.gov. Registration must be active at time of application and award. New registrations take 7–10 business days; allow at least 2–3 weeks. Annual renewal is required. Private firms that have never received a federal grant should begin SAM.gov registration immediately — this is the most common cause of application disqualification.

   ~4 hrs

2. 2

   Register in Grants.gov

   Create an Applicant account in Grants.gov and associate it with your organization's SAM.gov registration. The Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) must be designated and approved by the E-Biz POC in SAM.gov. Allow 3–5 business days for AOR approval. Download and install the required workspace tools (ADOBE or Workspace).

   ~4 hrs

3. 3

   Contact USGS EHP program coordinator

   USGS Earthquake Hazards Program staff welcome pre-application discussions. Contact the EHP External Research Program Coordinator (listed in the full announcement) to confirm your research topic aligns with USGS EHP priorities. For private firms, a brief conversation can also help understand how to frame regulatory and applied science components. USGS distinguishes between 'internal' (USGS-led) and 'external' (university/private) research; proposals from private firms should emphasize data collection, analysis, or applied methods development.

   ~4 hrs

4. 4

   Prepare the application package

   USGS external research grants use the standard Grants.gov SF424 application package. Core components: (a) SF424 cover page with project title, award period, and SAM.gov UEI; (b) Project Narrative / Technical Proposal (typically 10–20 pages) covering objectives, methods, expected results, and significance to NEHRP/EHP goals; (c) Project Timeline and Milestones; (d) Budget (SF424A or modular if under $250K total) with line-item justification; (e) CVs or biosketches for all key personnel; (f) Facilities and equipment description; (g) Subcontract agreements if applicable; (h) Data Management Plan (required per USGS open data policy — all data generated must be shared with USGS promptly). Proposals exceeding $250K may require a detailed budget rather than modular.

   ~4 hrs

5. 5

   Submit through Grants.gov before June 4 deadline

   Submit all required forms and attachments through the Grants.gov Workspace by 11:59 PM Eastern on June 4, 2026. Verify your submission with the Grants.gov tracking number and check for errors within 48 hours. USGS cannot accept late submissions — submit at least 48 hours early to address technical issues. Grants.gov sends automated confirmation emails; contact USGS grants staff if you don't receive confirmation.

   ~4 hrs

6. 6

   Merit review and award

   USGS EHP conducts merit review of submitted proposals using internal USGS scientists and, for some topics, external expert reviewers. Review criteria typically include: scientific/technical merit, relevance to NEHRP/EHP goals, qualifications of the PI and team, reasonableness of the budget, and feasibility of the proposed timeline. Awards for FY2027 typically begin in October 2026, the start of the federal fiscal year. USGS sends award documents through Grants.gov; the awardee's Authorized Organization Representative signs the award.

   ~4 hrs

Deadline & timing

Single application deadline for FY2027 funding. Announcement G27AS00075 opened April 29, 2026 and closes June 4, 2026. USGS typically releases the Earthquake Hazards Program external research announcement annually between March and May, with deadlines in late May or early June. Projects funded under FY2027 announcements typically begin work in October 2026 (the start of federal FY2027). Prior-year USGS EHP announcements (G25AS00240, G24AS00292, G23AS00249) followed the same annual pattern.

Programs that stack well

• NSF EAR (Earth Sciences) Grants For Complementary Fundamental Research Components
• FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program For Applied Community Resilience Extensions
• DOE Office Of Science Seismic Monitoring Grants
• State Geological Survey Cooperative Agreements For Multi State Hazard Mapping
• USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (STATEMAP) For Fault Characterization Components
• NEHRP Agency Grants From NIST, FEMA, And NSF For Multi Hazard Engineering Applications

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