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NSF GeoPRISMS Program (NSF 15-564) - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the NSF GeoPRISMS Program?

GeoPRISMS (Geodynamic Processes at Rifting and Subducting Margins) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant opportunity focused on understanding how continental margins are created, evolve, and are reshaped through time. The program emphasizes how deep Earth processes (geodynamics) interact with surface processes (like erosion, sediment transport, and landscape evolution) and climate, especially across the land-sea boundary.

2) What kinds of scientific questions does GeoPRISMS support?

The program supports research that improves understanding of how continental margins develop their structure and stratigraphy, how and where resources can accumulate, and how tectonic settings generate hazards such as earthquakes, volcanism, tsunamis, and slope failures. It also covers related environmental management challenges tied to these hazards and margin processes.

3) What are the two main science initiatives within GeoPRISMS?

GeoPRISMS is organized around two major integrated initiatives:

• Subduction Cycles and Deformation - focused on the dynamics of subduction margins, deformation associated with plate convergence, and cycling of materials and fluids through subduction systems.
• Rift Initiation and Evolution - focused on processes that begin and sustain rifting, including how continents break apart, how rifts mature into new ocean basins, and how deformation, magmatism, and surface processes interact during extension.

4) What does "across the land-sea boundary" mean in this program?

It means GeoPRISMS is specifically interested in coupled systems that span onshore and offshore environments, where tectonics, sediment transport, erosion, ocean processes, and climate-related surface processes interact to shape margins through time.

5) Does GeoPRISMS fund subduction-zone research?

Yes. One of the two core initiatives is Subduction Cycles and Deformation, which targets how subduction margins work, including deformation due to convergence and the movement (cycling) of materials and fluids through subduction systems.

6) Does GeoPRISMS fund rifting and continental breakup research?

Yes. The second core initiative is Rift Initiation and Evolution, which covers how rifts start, how they evolve, how continents break apart, and how rifts can transition into new ocean basins. It also emphasizes interactions among deformation, magmatism, and surface processes during extension.

7) Are proposals required to be tied to specific locations?

Not necessarily. The program encourages both:

• Place-based studies at designated primary focus sites, and
• Broader thematic studies that provide context or enable comparisons across different margins and tectonic environments.

8) What are the major scientific themes NSF associated with GeoPRISMS?

NSF framed GeoPRISMS around five overarching scientific topics (noted for the 2011-2020 planning horizon) where coordinated investment was expected to drive major advances:

1. Origin and evolution of continental crust
2. Fluids and magmas, including how they interact with each other and with surrounding rocks
3. Feedbacks among climate, surface processes, and tectonics (for example, how climate and erosion can influence deformation and how tectonics can influence surface conditions relevant to climate)
4. Geochemical cycles, meaning movement and transformation of key elements and compounds through Earth systems
5. Plate boundary deformation and geodynamics, covering mechanics and physical behavior of plate margins

9) Do proposals need to connect to the five themes?

Proposals are generally expected to connect clearly to one or more of the five overarching themes while advancing the broader goals of the program.

10) What funding opportunity number identifies this solicitation?

The funding opportunity is identified as NSF 15-564.

11) What is the CFDA listing associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is within the Geosciences CFDA area 47.050.

12) How much funding is available through GeoPRISMS?

The estimated total funding level is about $4,000,000 per year for the foreseeable future (as described for the solicitation period).

13) Is there a minimum award amount?

Yes. The listed award floor is $500,000.

14) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No cost sharing or matching requirement is stated for this opportunity.

15) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is oriented toward U.S.-based research and education institutions and closely related organizations. Eligible applicants include:

• Accredited U.S. universities
• Two- and four-year colleges (including community colleges) applying on behalf of their faculty
• Non-profit, non-academic organizations such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies tied to educational or research activities

16) Can non-profit, non-university organizations apply?

Yes. Non-profit, non-academic organizations (for example, independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies) may be eligible when they are tied to educational or research activities.

17) Are federal agencies or FFRDCs eligible?

Other federal agencies and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) may be eligible, but they are instructed to contact the appropriate program before preparing a proposal.

18) What are the Principal Investigator (PI) requirements?

Principal Investigators must be employed by an eligible institution type.

19) What is the focus on hazards within GeoPRISMS?

The program supports work that improves understanding of how tectonic settings generate hazards such as earthquakes, volcanism, tsunamis, and slope failures, and it acknowledges related environmental management challenges associated with these hazards.

20) Where could applicants find additional program planning details?

Additional program planning details (including the science plan, focus sites, and thematic study areas) were provided through the GeoPRISMS program website and the NSF publication associated with the solicitation (NSF 15-564).

21) What were the listed closing dates for this solicitation?

The solicitation text indicates an original closing date of July 15, 2015 and a later current closing date of July 15, 2016.

22) Is this solicitation still active?

The opportunity was ultimately archived in August 2019. The description and structure reflect the intended scope of GeoPRISMS awards during the period described.

23) What is meant by "discretionary" in the funding description?

The opportunity is described as a discretionary NSF grant program within the Geosciences CFDA area, meaning awards are made through NSF's competitive grantmaking process under that program structure (as reflected in the solicitation description).

24) What types of research approaches fit GeoPRISMS based on the program description?

Based on the description, projects that explicitly link deep Earth processes to surface processes and climate, especially at continental margins and across the onshore-offshore system, are central. Studies can be organized around subduction systems or rift systems and can either target designated focus sites or address broader thematic comparisons across different margins.