EARTH MRI | USGS 19 FA 00258

Opportunity Information: Apply for USGS 19 FA 00258

The EARTH MRI grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number USGS 19 FA 00258) is a discretionary funding program run by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) within the Department of the Interior. It is offered as a Cooperative Agreement under the Natural Resources funding activity category (CFDA 15.808). The core purpose of the Earth MRI mission is to build out key baseline information needed to better understand the Nation's potential for critical minerals by collecting and updating geophysical, geologic, and topographic data in target areas where critical mineral resources may be present or underexplored.

At a practical level, this opportunity supports work that strengthens the geologic framework in places that matter for critical mineral assessment. The emphasis is on acquiring or improving foundational datasets rather than on purely academic research questions. By focusing on geophysical, geologic, and topographic data, the program is meant to fill gaps that limit mineral resource evaluation and to make the resulting information useful for a wide set of downstream users, including federal and state agencies, researchers, industry, and other public stakeholders interested in resource potential, land-use planning, and related decision-making.

A defining feature of Earth MRI is that it is explicitly collaborative. The program is framed as a multi-agency, partnership-based approach where State Geological Surveys play a central role in collecting geologic framework data, while the USGS serves as the lead for program management. In other words, the USGS coordinates planning and helps facilitate data acquisition in a way designed to benefit the broader community, using the Cooperative Agreement mechanism to reflect substantial federal involvement and coordination rather than a hands-off grant structure. The opportunity is described as part of the Earth MRI Geologic Mapping Awards (GMA) implementation model, which points to geologic mapping and related framework characterization as the operational backbone of this funding track.

Eligibility for this particular funding notice is limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. The funding details listed in the notice include an award ceiling of $125,000 and an expected number of awards of 1, indicating a relatively small, targeted competition for a single project or partnership effort under this announcement. The opportunity was created on July 11, 2019, with an original closing date of July 24, 2019, which suggests it was a short application window intended to move quickly from solicitation to award.

In summary, EARTH MRI is a USGS-led cooperative funding opportunity intended to accelerate the collection and improvement of core earth science datasets in areas with critical mineral potential, carried out through coordinated partnerships, especially with State Geological Surveys, and structured to produce broadly usable geologic framework information rather than narrowly scoped outcomes.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "EARTH MRI" 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 Jul 11, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 24, 2019. (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 $125,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

Apply for USGS 19 FA 00258

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