These grants focus on regional and interstate water resources problems beyond those of concern only to a single state. Research priorities for 104(g) grants are set jointly by the National Institutes for Water Resources  (NIWR) and the U.S. Geological Survey. Any investigator at an institution of higher learning in the United States is eligible to apply for a grant through a Water Resources Research Institute.

All 104(g) grants must be matched by at least one non-federal dollar for each federal dollar. Awards are made only after joint state and federal priority setting and reviews for regional and national relevancy and technical merit. 

For the 2023 National Competitive Grants Program, proposals must address one of the priority areas:

• National-scale evaluation of water budget: Retrospective or predictive analyses using hydroclimate-forcing data sets, with emphasis on CONUS404, which was developed in a USGS- NCAR collaboration.
  • Additional guidance includes: Emphasis on prediction of water-budget components through a variety of interpretive approaches; Incorporation of how uncertainty in hydroclimate-forcing propagates to water budget component; Consideration of both retrospective and projected conditions.

• Socieoeconomics: Integrate ongoing USGS research and data collection in order to assess socioeconomic and ecological vulnerability to compounding extreme events and develop adaptation measures. This proposed project should undertake new research (e.g., Water Use and Social and Economic Drivers Program) to understand the vulnerability of urban (e.g., trans-basin diversions), agricultural (e.g., reservoir management), and ecological (e.g., endangered species) water-use sectors to drought and compounding hazards such as wildfire.
  • Additional guidance includes: Provide a quantifiable portfolio of risk for water-use sectors (including ecological and socio-economic); Develop climate futures and planning scenarios for relevant institutions: management, communities, and other institutions.

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Institutes for Water Resources, requests proposals for research projects to address aquatic invasive species. For the 2023 National Competitive Grants Program, proposals must address one of three priority areas:

• Effects: Research that improves our understanding of the effects of aquatic invasive species on lakes, rivers, and associated tributaries in the upper Mississippi River basin, including changes to water quantity, water quality, and ecosystem dynamics.

• Characteristics: Research that identifies physical, biological, and chemical characteristics of water bodies that infer resistance and resilience to the distribution, establishment, and effects of aquatic invasive species in the upper Mississippi River basin. Research is needed to better understand these interactions to guide management decisions that will improve invasive species management and result in positive effects on aquatic ecosystems.

• Management: Research on assessment of the detection, spread, and management of aquatic invasive species in the upper Mississippi River basin and the connections to human dimensions, both socially and economically. Note that this does not include physical control of AIS.