Closed · G26AS00118 · CFDA 15.808 · Discretionary
Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)
Federal grant opportunity posted by Geological Survey, cataloged on Grants.gov.
- $1-$120K
- Award range
- Closed
- Status
- May 30, 2026
- Close date
- 1
- Expected awards
The verdict
Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) is a closed discretionary listing from Geological Survey that offered $1 -- $120,000 across 1 expected award. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number.
- $1-$120K
- award range
- Closed
- application status
- 1
- expected award
- 15.808
- CFDA program
Opportunity snapshot. This Grants.gov announcement - Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) - is cataloged under number G26AS00118 and tied to CFDA assistance listing 15.808, posted by Geological Survey. Grants.gov currently shows the opportunity as closed, first posted on May 1, 2026. The funding category is Discretionary, delivered as a cooperative agreement.
Award economics. The award range on file is $1 -- $120,000. The agency has projected $120,000 in total estimated funding for this announcement. It expects to issue 1 award. If the agency funds the expected 1 award from the $120,000 estimated pool, the average award works out to roughly $120,000. Cost sharing is not required, so applicants do not need to commit matching funds to be competitive on this opportunity. Federal award ranges are often upper bounds; actual allocations reflect program appropriations, the strength of the applicant pool, and the evaluation committee's scoring.
Deadline and action path. This opportunity closed on May 30, 2026. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number, so monitoring the parent program page is the most reliable way to catch re-announcements. Every Grants.gov submission requires an active SAM.gov registration and a Unique Entity ID. Review the Eligibility section below carefully, federal eligibility categories (nonprofit, state or local government, tribal, individual, educational institution, small business) have distinct registration and reporting requirements. Pre-application outreach to the listed agency contact is permitted and often welcomed, it helps clarify scope and scoring priorities. Before acting on the deadline or award figures above, verify them directly on the official Grants.gov listing, amendments can change dates and amounts after this page was last refreshed.
Award Range
$1 -- $120,000
Close Date
May 30, 2026
Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM, ET, on the listed application due date
Posted
May 1, 2026
Est. Total Funding
$120,000
Expected Awards
1
Instrument
Cooperative Agreement
Description
The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research on the utility of the Skydio Dock for X10 to (1) fly remotely beyond visual line of site (BVLOS), (2) collect image velocimetry (IV) data, (3) upload IV data via the Skydio Cloud and satellite communications (SatComms), and (4) develop a workflow for processing camera imagery to compute IV-derived discharge.The cost to operate stream gages in gage-poor or hard-to-access basins is both costly and a potential safety risk. The Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS) is seeking to trial and develop a workflow that is reliable and capable of transmitting camera imagery via SatComms and compute IV-derived discrete discharge that is equivalent to USGS standard methods.The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Resources Mission Area (WMA) is interested in partnering with the CESU to evaluate the operational readiness of near-field remote sensing of the Skydio Dock platform. The Skydio Dock has been developed to operate remotely by remote pilots; however, the application to collect camera imagery that can be processed and to compute river discharge is novel. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Green Mountain Reservoir is an ideal test bed for this technology given that two USGS streamgages are co-located within the proposed flight volume of the Skydio Dock. The streamgages will offer verification data that can be used to assess the efficacy of various image velocimetry algorithms, which will be used to compute river discharge remotely. Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist with identifying water masks and vegetation will be a valuable contribution to accurately compute image velocimetry-based river discharge.Under Executive Order 14179 – Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence (January 23, 2025) by the USGS NGWOS program is authorized and encouraged to conduct structured pilots of AI-enabled sensing systems that improve safety, performance, and mission delivery. The proposed project will serve as a pilot for BVLOS, dock-scheduled operations with AI computer vision for image velocimetry, enabling safe, repeatable discharge estimation at hazardous monitoring locations, and providing crucial information for technical readiness assessments.
Eligibility
Grants.gov lists this opportunity under eligibility category code 25. These codes correspond to applicant types (state/local government, tribal organization, nonprofit, educational institution, individual, small business, etc.) defined in Grants.gov's own eligibility reference. See the current Grants.gov eligibility categories or check the official listing below for this opportunity's exact eligibility statement.
Official Listing on Grants.gov
View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.
Agency Contact
Katie Calder katherine_calder@ios.doi.gov
Key Dates
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| Sources | the SAM.gov Assistance Listings and Grants.gov |