Assistance Listing 15.981
Water Use and Data Research
U.S. Geological Survey · Department of the Interior
The verdict for a small nonprofit
Rarely funds nonprofits directly. 100% of awards go to governments and other applicants, so look for a subrecipient or partner role instead.
Based on 5 new awards in FY2022–24. The median award is $119,687. Expect about 117 days between posting and deadline.
- First-time winners
- 60%
- of new awards, last 3 FYs
- Nonprofit share
- 0%
- 14% higher ed · 79% gov't
- Under-$1M orgs
- n/a
- revenue join unavailable
- Median award
- $120K
- $120K – $120K middle half
- New awards, FY2024
- 2
- $120K committed to them
- Usually posts
- Dec
- irregular · 117-day window
Open right now under this program
Nothing open · from Grants.gov, checked every 10 minutes
Who won in FY2024
Largest recipients by dollars. From USAspending.
| Recipient | Type | State | Awards | Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Natural Resources | Government | GA | 2 | $250,000 |
| Department of Water Resources Oregon | Government | OR | 2 | $207,277 |
| Colorado State University | Higher ed | CO | 1 | $980,701 |
| State of Delaware, Dnrec | Government | DE | 1 | $124,642 |
| Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | Government | WI | 1 | $123,378 |
| West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection | Government | WV | 1 | $119,687 |
| Economic and Community Affairs, Alabama Department of | Government | AL | 1 | $114,398 |
| Natural Resources & Conservation, Montana Dept of | Government | MT | 1 | $94,702 |
| North Dakota Department of Water Resources | Government | ND | 1 | $67,232 |
| University of Illinois | Higher ed | IL | 1 | $24,000 |
New awards by fiscal year
Awards first made in each fiscal year; dollars are the total committed to that year's new awards over their life.
| FY | New awards | Committed | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 8 | $1.6M | $104K | $88K – $117K |
| 2022 | 1 | $125K | $125K | $125K – $125K |
| 2023 | 3 | $272K | $123K | $74K – $124K |
| 2024 | 2 | $120K | $120K | $120K – $120K |
Past rounds
Every announcement under this listing that Grants.gov still lists. Use it to plan next year.
| Posted | Closed | Window | Announcement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-12-13 | 2024-04-11 | 120 d | G24AS00194 · USGS Water Use Data and Research Program Announcement for Fiscal Year 2024 |
| 2022-12-14 | 2023-04-13 | 120 d | G23AS00463 · USGS Water Use Data and Research Program Announcement for Fiscal Year 2023 |
| 2022-05-04 | 2022-06-03 | 30 d | G22AS00311 · USGS Water Use Data and Research Program Announcement for Fiscal Year 2022, Round 2 |
| 2021-12-07 | 2022-03-31 | 114 d | G22AS00089 · USGS Water Use Data and Research Program Announcement for Fiscal Year 2022 |
| 2021-02-26 | 2021-05-13 | 76 d | G21AS00258 · USGS Water Use Data and Research Program Announcement for Fiscal Year 2021 |
| 2020-04-09 | 2020-06-11 | 63 d | G20AS00053 · 2020 Water Use Data and Research Program - Round 2 |
| 2019-11-01 | 2020-01-30 | 90 d | G20AS00013 · 2020 Water Use Data and Research Program |
| 2019-03-22 | 2019-05-31 | 70 d | G19AS00008 · 2019 Water Use Data and Research Program |
| 2018-09-12 | 2018-09-25 | 13 d | USGS-18-FA-0265 · Notice of Intent |
| 2018-09-12 | 2018-09-25 | 13 d | USGS-18-FA-0266 · Notice of Intent |
| 2018-03-21 | 2018-05-03 | 43 d | G18AS00016 · 2018 Water Use Data and Research Program |
| 2017-02-15 | 2017-04-18 | 62 d | G17AS00032 · 2017 Water Use Data and Research |
| 2016-05-19 | 2016-07-18 | 60 d | G16AS00062 · 2016 WUDR |
Common questions
How hard is it to win a grant under 15.981?
Rarely funds nonprofits directly. 100% of awards go to governments and other applicants, so look for a subrecipient or partner role instead. Based on 5 new awards in FY2022–24. The median award is $119,687. Expect about 117 days between posting and deadline.
How much does Water Use and Data Research award?
In FY2024 the median new award was $120K; the middle half ran from $120K to $120K. 2 new awards were made, with $120K committed to them.
When does 15.981 usually post?
Over the last several years, new rounds most often posted in Dec with about 117 days to apply. The most recent round posted Dec 13, 2023.
Who runs this program?
Department of the Interior (U.S. Geological Survey). Assistance Listing 15.981 on SAM.gov describes the authorizing statute and standard terms.
Sources: USAspending FY2021–25 award archive (2026-10-06); Grants.gov Search2 (fetched 2026-10-28); IRS EO BMF (fetched 2026-10-28). Award counts are new awards by fiscal year of first action. Shares are computed from award counts, not dollars. Recipient type comes from the award record's business-type codes. Always confirm details in the official announcement.