RFPs: NCKRI National Seed Grant Program (US)

The NCKRI initiated a seed grant program designed to facilitate and support cave and karst research at academic and research institutions across the United States. These seed grants are intended to enable investigators to initiate new cave and karst research, encourage new scientists to enter the field, and address research needs for cave and karst resource management.

Funding Information

• NCKRI expects to fund two projects with total subawards up to $25,000 each, contingent on funding availability. Project periods may be 12 months, but funds must be fully expended before the end of the federal fiscal year (9/30/2026) regardless of project length.

Eligibility Criteria

• Principal Investigators (PIs) at any academic or research institution in the United States are invited to apply. Only one application per PI is allowed.
  • New research: Only new, unfunded projects will be considered, and seed grant funds may not be used to support existing studies. Because these grants are intended as seed money to enable new research directions, the investigator should not have published on the research or received funding for it from another agency, and should clearly describe how the proposed activity truly represents a new direction for them and their research group.
  • Clear relevance to cave and karst science: NCKRI’s goals are to conduct, support, facilitate, and promote programs in cave and karst research; thus, the research described in the proposal should be clearly relevant to cave and karst science. Basic and applied research in any field of cave and karst science will be considered.
  • Research addressing the priorities of the National Park Service (NPS): NCKRI seed grant funds are made possible by support from the NPS. While research anywhere qualifies for this grant program, proposals must address how the research helps meet the objectives of the NPS’s Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Framework focus areas. Proposals for work in a national park should include a letter of support from an appropriate authority at the park.
  • Outreach: Each project must include an outreach component. Examples of appropriate outreach projects are instructional programs in a K-12 setting, video presentations of research posted on an institutional or NCKRI video channel, collaboration with a show cave or museum (including the NCKRI museum), college-level outreach initiatives, or collaboration with an artist. Investigators or their students/postdocs should expect to spend 5-10 hours on outreach in addition to preparation time.

Selection Criteria

• Finalists will be selected based on:
  • Scientific merit and quality of the proposal
  • Relevance to cave and karst science
  • Alignment with NPS focus area priorities
  • The potential longevity of the proposed research (that is, the likelihood that pilot data obtained from the project will make the research team competitive for support from other funding agencies)

Application Requirements

• The proposal will include the following parts:
  • Title, list of PIs/Co-Is, and summary (150 words maximum) on a single page.
  • Proposal document – 5 pages maximum (1-inch margins, 12 pt. font, Times New Roman or equivalent font) which includes the following sections in no particular order:
    • Project description, including a brief background, objectives, and approach, with sufficient technical detail to pass review.
    • Significance of the proposed research to cave and karst science.
    • Description of how the proposed research addresses NPS-NRSS focus areas.
    • Description of the research team, including the roles and qualifications of the PIs and Co-PIs, graduate students, or any other personnel involved.
    • Description of outreach activity.
    • Project timeline and activity schedule (a small table or graphic is fine).
  • Literature cited.
  • Letter of commitment with F&A waiver (if provided) included for the subaward proposal.
  • Itemized budget (1 page) and justification (1 page), including salaries, supplies, equipment, etc.
  • Curriculum vitae: 2 page CV for each PI and Co-PI.
  • Letter(s) of collaboration or support.
  • Applicants are also asked to provide the name, affiliation, phone and email address of 3-6 unconflicted reviewers. Reviewers should have sufficient expertise in the subject area, and shall not have a financial, family, or strong personal relationship with the applicant, including a financial interest in the outcome of the proposal.

For more information, visit NCKRI.