USGS Cooperative Landslide Hazard Mapping and Assessment Program | G25AS00032

Opportunity Information: Apply for G25AS00032

The USGS Cooperative Landslide Hazard Mapping and Assessment Program is a competitive federal grant opportunity run by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) through its Landslide Hazards Program (LHP). The program is designed to strengthen how communities understand and reduce landslide risk by supporting practical work like landslide hazard mapping, field and remote data collection, hazard and risk assessments, and the coordination and communication efforts that make those technical products usable for planning and decision-making. In plain terms, it is meant to help governments build or improve the real-world information base needed to identify where landslides are likely, what assets and people could be affected, and what steps can be taken to lower the risk.

This funding opportunity is authorized under the National Landslide Preparedness Act (Public Law 116-323) along with congressional appropriations provided to USGS. That law emphasizes building nationwide capability for landslide preparedness, including better mapping and assessments, and it specifically directs USGS to provide grants on a competitive basis to state, territorial, local, and Tribal governments. The core objective is to enable those governments to research, map, assess, and collect landslide hazard data within their own jurisdictions, filling gaps that often prevent communities from taking effective mitigation actions or incorporating landslide hazards into land-use planning, infrastructure management, and emergency preparedness.

The announcement solicits what USGS calls "Risk Reduction Proposals," meaning proposals should be oriented toward outcomes that reduce landslide impacts rather than purely academic studies. While the technical details can vary by applicant and location, the focus generally aligns with activities such as producing or updating landslide inventory maps, susceptibility maps, hazard assessments, and related datasets; improving local monitoring or data-collection methods; and creating coordination frameworks that help agencies share information and apply it in permitting, infrastructure design, watershed management, road maintenance, and public safety planning. Communication and coordination are explicitly included because hazard data only reduces risk when it is translated into decisions, policies, and on-the-ground actions.

Eligibility is geared toward government entities: state governments, counties, cities or townships, special district governments, and federally recognized Tribal governments, with territorial governments also included. A notable detail is that a university may submit an application on behalf of a state geological survey or another state office if that state entity is organized under a university system, which is common in some states. This structure allows state geologic surveys housed within universities to act as the applicant while still meeting the intent of funding government-led risk reduction work.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category, listed under CFDA (Assistance Listing) 15.821, with the agency identified as the Geological Survey (USGS). The funding opportunity number is G25AS00032. The posted award ceiling is $250,000, indicating the maximum expected award size per grant under this announcement, although actual awards may be smaller depending on the scope, budget, and the number of projects selected. The opportunity was created on 2024-09-25, and the original application closing date is 2025-01-15, which sets the key deadline for submitting proposals for consideration.

Overall, this program is best understood as a targeted investment in actionable landslide risk information at the state, local, territorial, and Tribal levels. It supports the technical backbone of landslide preparedness (maps, inventories, assessments, and data systems) while also encouraging the coordination and communication needed to ensure those products directly inform hazard mitigation, emergency management, and safer long-term development.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "USGS Cooperative Landslide Hazard Mapping and Assessment Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.821.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-09-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-01-15. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Others.

Apply for G25AS00032

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