Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Californian CESU | G20AS00048

Opportunity Information: Apply for G20AS00048

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Californian CESU opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G20AS00048) was a competitive, discretionary research grant issued by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) within the Department of the Interior. It was offered as a cooperative agreement, meaning the project would typically involve substantial involvement from the USGS during the period of performance, such as collaboration on study design, methods, data interpretation, or coordination with stakeholders. The program area is classified under Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and it is associated with CFDA 15.808.

The purpose of the award was to support applied research on how social and civic networks influence a citys ability to protect health and well-being, especially for residents who are most vulnerable during disruptions and disasters. The core idea is that resilience is not only about physical infrastructure and emergency plans, but also about relationships and networks: community organizations, neighborhood ties, trusted messengers, mutual aid systems, and the formal and informal connections that help people get information, resources, and assistance when normal services fail. The project specifically focused on cities located in the impact zone of Californias Hayward Fault, using real-world disruption events as a lens for evaluating readiness for a larger, more complex hazard scenario such as a major earthquake.

A major emphasis of the research was on Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPSs), which are intentional power outages used to reduce wildfire risk during high-wind or high-fire-danger conditions. PSPS events can disrupt daily life in ways that resemble aspects of disaster response: loss of electricity affects communication, refrigeration for medications and food, heating and cooling, medical devices, internet access, transportation systems, and the ability of local agencies and community groups to maintain services. By studying how communities reacted to and managed PSPS-related disruptions, the project aimed to better understand community preparedness, adaptive capacity, and gaps that could become more severe during an earthquake, when damage and service interruptions may be wider, longer lasting, and harder to quickly restore.

The opportunity highlighted two focal areas to ground the research in contrasting but relevant contexts. One was the City of Cloverdale, California, which had been directly impacted by a recent PSPS event, providing a concrete case study of how a community coped with an abrupt loss of power and related cascading impacts. The other was the Fruitvale neighborhood in Oakland, California, identified as an area that would be directly impacted by a rupture on the Hayward Fault. Fruitvale is often discussed in resilience work because of its dense urban setting and the presence of populations that may face higher risk due to factors such as language barriers, housing insecurity, limited access to healthcare, or reduced ability to absorb financial shocks. By examining these locations, the research could compare how networks function in different settings and how vulnerability and capacity interact at the neighborhood and city scale.

In practical terms, a project under this opportunity would be expected to measure or evaluate the strength, reach, and effectiveness of social and civic networks, and link those findings to public health and well-being outcomes during disruption events. That could include analyzing how information flows during outages, who gets reached and who gets missed, what kinds of organizations or relationships are most effective at mobilizing support, and how local governments and community-based groups coordinate (or fail to coordinate). The intent is to generate findings that help agencies and communities understand what improves readiness and protects vulnerable residents, not just for power shutoffs but for more severe and complex disasters like an earthquake affecting the Hayward Fault corridor.

Administratively, the grant had an award ceiling of $48,000 and anticipated making a single award. Eligibility was limited to CESU partners (with the listing summarized as "Others" and clarified in the full eligibility text), which generally refers to institutions that are members of the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit network, such as certain universities, tribes, and nonprofit or research organizations that have established relationships under CESU agreements. The opportunity was created on April 2, 2020, with an original closing date of April 17, 2020, reflecting a short application window typical of targeted, partner-specific cooperative research solicitations.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Californian CESU" 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 Apr 02, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 17, 2020. (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 $48,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for G20AS00048

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