The Educational Component of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program
Grant Opportunity Analysis
The U.S. Geological Survey is seeking proposals for the Educational Component of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (EDMAP), a cooperative agreement program that supports training the next generation of geologic mappers. The work funds graduate and upper-level undergraduate student projects that contribute to the creation of geologic maps and related analysis of field, geophysical, borehole, and remote sensing data, with proposals structured around faculty-led student mappers and associated mapping deliverables. The budget materials indicate a university-based geological mapping project with costs for faculty and student personnel, travel, supplies, contractual support, and other direct costs such as drilling and sample analytics, with indirect costs capped at 18% and recipient matching included. Eligibility is limited to faculty in geoscience or related departments at accredited U.S. colleges and universities, and prior EDMAP recipients must remain in good standing and within active project limits. Applications are due May 26, 2026, with electronically submitted proposals due by 5:00 PM ET, and the opportunity lists a total estimated program funding of $1.5 million and an award ceiling of $180,000.
Eligible Applicants
Additional Information on EligibilityProposals may be submitted by a faculty member (including adjunct faculty) affiliated with geoscience or related departments or programs at an accredited university or college in the United States. However, faculty or adjunct faculty members who are also employed by the Federal government may neither submit a proposal nor serve as PI or co-PI on an EDMAP project.Only one proposal will be accepted from an individual Principal Investigator (PI; faculty advisor). Multiple proposals can be accepted from a single institution if authored by different PIs. PIs may submit proposals containing multiple sub-projects (i.e., proposal can support multiple Primary Student Mappers) so long as a different geologic map deliverable is proposed for each project/Primary Student Mapper. The PI is required to write and submit the proposal.PIs that have been previously funded under EDMAP must comply with the requirements specified in the previous EDMAP award(s) and must be in good standing (i.e., no delinquent deliverables still pending on a previous award without a Program-approved extension). Additionally, a PI may only have two active EDMAP Projects at any given time. As an example to help clarify this – in order to be eligible for EDMAP funding in FY2026, a PI must have no more than one currently active EDMAP project at the time that FY2026 EDMAP funding decisions are made.EDMAP Primary Student Mappers should be graduate (Master"s and Doctoral) students and/or upper level (junior and senior) undergraduate students. Graduate and undergraduate students must have received appropriate geoscience or related training prior to the time that they begin the proposed project.A Primary Student Mapper may be supported by no more than a total of 36 months of EDMAP funding or no more than three EDMAP awards during their academic career. Students may be funded on consecutive EDMAP awards, or a student may be supported by an EDMAP award from different institutions, degrees, or PIs. However, a given student is only eligible for 36 months of cumulative funding.An EDMAP request may not exceed $45,000 per 12 months for each Graduate Primary Student Mapper ($3,750 per month). An EDMAP request may not exceed $25,000 per 12 months for each Undergraduate Primary Student Mapper ($2,083 per month). An EDMAP award may not exceed 24 months ($90,000 maximum per Graduate Primary Student Mapper; $50,000 per Undergraduate Primary Student Mapper). These maximum requests include ALL associated costs: tuition, field work, laboratory analyses, stipend, etc.