USGS 104g Program

National Competitive Grants

The U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the National Institutes for Water Resources supports an annual call for proposals to focus on water problems and issues that are of a regional or interstate nature or relate to a specific program priority identified by the Secretary of the Interior and the Institutes. For FY2026, the 104g General competition focuses specifically on improving the observation, estimation, prediction, and transparency of water use by data centers and other water-intensive industries that rely on public water supply systems.

FY2026 Program Goals:

  • The program supports research on water resources in each State or Territory served by the Water Resources Research Institutes under the Water Resources Research Act.
  • Recipients are also encouraged to prioritize projects that support the celebration of America’s 250th birthday (America250), including projects that recognize and honor the nation’s founding, history, and cultural heritage.

Research Priorities

The FY2026 104g General competition has a substantially different and more focused research priority than previous years. Proposals should address water use associated with data centers and other water-intensive industries that rely on public supply systems.

The program seeks innovative methodologies for observing, estimating, validating, and forecasting industrial water use, with particular emphasis on reducing uncertainty and improving the accuracy, transparency, and timeliness of publicly available water-use information.

Potential research topics include:

  • Developing, testing, and demonstrating innovative methods for observing, estimating, and validating water use by data centers and other industries drawing from public water supply systems.
  • Identifying variables that enable accurate prediction of data-center water use and quantifying uncertainty associated with those predictions.
  • Forecasting future scenarios of industrial water use.
  • Integrating diverse data sources, including utility records, operational data, environmental conditions, and publicly reported metrics.
  • Applying artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to improve data transparency and traceability and to identify bias and uncertainty in existing datasets.
  • Quantifying water reuse from onsite or municipal wastewater treatment facilities.
  • Characterizing self-supplied withdrawals from wells, reservoirs, or rivers.
  • Evaluating seasonal variability in industrial water demand.

 

More information about the FY2026 USGS 104g Funding Opportunity Announcement.

Full Proposals due to USGS by November 12, 2026, EST 5:00 pm.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PROCESS:

Email one-page proposal ASAP synopsis to Ashley Helton (860-486‑1259), Director, Connecticut Institute of Water Resources for approval to submit a full proposal.

IF PROPOSAL IDEA IS APPROVED BY CTIWR DIRECTOR:

  1. Complete all proposal documents and submit through your Grants Office for approval (UConn PIs will submit directly to SPS). Forms are available here.
  2. Email approved proposal documents to Ashley Helton, Director, Connecticut Institute of Water Resources by November 04, 2026.
  3. Proposal information will be entered into grants.gov by UConn Office of Sponsored Program Services.

Funding

For FY2026, estimated total program funding is $462,500, with approximately four awards anticipated. There is a cap of $120,000 of federal funds per project and a maximum duration of 3 years. Federal funds must be matched at least 1:1 with non-federal dollars. The matching requirement applies to the overall application and must be met during each 12-month budget period and each Federal Fiscal Year.

Anticipated Project Start Date: 05/01/2027
Anticipated Project End Date: 04/30/2030

NOTE: The Government’s obligation under this program is contingent upon the availability of funds.

Eligibility

  • Only Water Resources Research Institutes established under the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 are eligible to apply.
  • All proposals by PIs at a Connecticut institution of higher learning must submit their proposal to the Connecticut Institute of Water Resources (CTIWR).
  • Proposals are entered into grants.gov by the University of Connecticut (regardless of PI home institution), home of the CTIWR.
  • Funds are awarded directly to the CTIWR and dispersed to the PIs institution (as a subaward if outside UConn).

Additional information and a list of previously funded projects can be found at the WRRI website.