The Pennsylvania Water Resources Research Center cooperates with the National Institutes of Water Resources, the U.S. Geological Survey, and Penn State Institute of Energy and the Environment to support, coordinate and facilitate research and education initiatives through several programs as described below.  Learn more about projects that have been funded by NIWR and PAWRRC here.

State-Focused Grants via USGS 104b.  The U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Water Resources Research Center supports occasional small grant opportunities.  Primary goals are to facilitate research on water resources issues of importance in Pennsylvania, to help train new scientists through participation in research, and to promote dissemination and application of water resources research. USGS provides further information about the state program.  Requests for FY24 project proposals under the 104b program are currently open until April 12, 2024, 5pm EST.  Additional information can be found and project proposals submitted through this website.  Project proposals not following the general rules below and/or not adhering to the proposal and budget templates will not be given consideration.

Nationally- or Regionally- Focused Grants via USGS 104g.  The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Institutes of Water Resources (NIWR), solicits an annual request for proposals under the National Competitive Grants Program (104g General, PFAS and Aquatic Invasive Species). Any investigator at an institution of higher learning is eligible to apply for these grants with research that focuses on priorities of regional and national importance. All applications from Pennsylvania-based institutions must be submitted through the Pennsylvania Water Resources Research Center (PAWRRC).  USGS has not yet released its annual RfP for FY24, although interested researchers are encouraged to regularly check this website and the USGS website, as the solicitation is anticipated near the end of March.

For more information about USGS funding opportunities, see: https://water.usgs.gov/wrri/how-to-apply-for-grants-internships.php.

Some general rules for 104b and 104g proposal preparation:

1. The PI must be eligible to lead a proposal according to the policies of their college or university in Pennsylvania. Due to limited funds, an investigator can lead only one USGS 104b and one 104g proposal submission to PAWRRC per year.
2. Budgets and budget justifications must be prepared in advance of the proposal submission to PAWRRC, by the PI’s home Department or Unit, according to the protocols of their sponsored programs office.  All proposals must be submitted by an authorized accounting representative, like any other federal proposal.  Any proposal, including related budget and supporting materials, that does not strictly follow provided templates and guidelines will not be accepted for submission.
3. Check this website and in the solicitations for the PAWRRC deadlines. The completed proposal for each competition must be submitted to PAWRRC priorto the national deadlines (typically 4 weeks in advance). This allows PAWRRC and PSU sufficient time to coordinate activities and prepare the submission according to the protocols of Penn State and NIWR.

Seed Grants for Penn State researchers.  Penn State Institute of Energy and the Environment’s seed grant programs foster basic and applied research focused on strategic research themes.  See the IEE seed grant program opportunities.

Student Internships.  The Pennsylvania Water Resources Research Center supports occasional student internship grants through the Penn State Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program and through the NIWR/USGS Student Internship Program.  The goals are focused on student training and mentoring.  NIWR internships must be fully sponsored by a USGS partner office in collaboration with an eligible PI at a College or University in Pennsylvania.  Proposals must be submitted with at least 9 months of lead time for the preparation and award process.

Other Funding Resources.  See many funding opportunities from:  Penn State, CESU, EPA,  Grants.Gov, NSF, NIFA, NASA, NOAA SeaGrant, PA SeaGrant.

Join the PWARRC email list (to receive RFPs and other announcements by email).