Federal Geographic Data Committee • www.fgdc.gov • Email: fgdc@fgdc.gov

August 2013

National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI)

Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP)

FY 2013 and 2014 CAP Reductions

The National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP) managed by the Federal 

Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Office of the Secretariat (OS) will not be soliciting projects in FY2013 or 

FY2014. As a result of sequestration budget impacts, the Federal funding portion of this cost-share program is 

no longer available. We recognize the announcement for this decision for FY2013 is delayed; this was done in 

order to explore all perceived options prior to canceling this year’s announcement. Active projects will continue 

to be supported through their scheduled completions. 2014 would have marked the 20th anniversary of this 

long-standing collaborative cost-share program between Federal and non-federal partners to advance the 

nation’s spatial data infrastructure. 

Since 1994, 707 awards representing over $22 million in 

Federal funding, matched by over $14 million in funding 

from State, county, local, and tribal government academia, 

professional consortiums, non-profit, and private sector 

organizations has helped lay the foundation and provide the 

guidance for advancing the NSDI. Truly national in scope, 

cooperative agreements were executed by all 50 States, 2 

territories, the District of Columbia, 8 tribal governments, 

and universities in 38 States. In only the past seven years, 

over 2,600 persons have been trained in metadata alone; all 

CAP developed training materials are available online, to all.

While the categories of awards have changed regularly to 

align with Federal priorities and initiatives and address areas of particular interest to the community, some 

foundational categories have consistently been supported, including: development, implementation, education,

and outreach for standards, metadata, data clearinghouses, and data services. Categories have included: 

building data stewardship; framework data services; clearinghouse integration with OpenGIS services; web 

mapping testbeds; Geo-Enabled Federal Businesses Initiative; Fifty States Initiative: Strategic and Business Plan 

Development; geographic information integration; use of 

Geospatial One-Stop map and data services; Enabling Use of 

Government Tabular Data in a Geographic Context; 

Demonstration of Geospatial Data Partnerships Across, Local, 

State, Tribal, and Federal Government; Return on Investment 

(ROI) Methodology and Business Case Development for Multiagency NSDI projects, and Geospatial Platform Cloud Service

Testbed. So far, the program has spanned 45 categories of 

awards.

Partners have continued to show their commitment to the 

advancement of the NSDI through their participation in this 

competitive, cost-share program. With current, key Federal 

priorities and initiatives laying the foundation for the NSDI’s path forward, the FGDC recognizes the importance 

of partnerships to ensuring a national approach, and the value programs such as the NSDI CAP provide to all, as 

reflected in this quote from the National States Geographic Information Council’s 2011 Measures of Progress 

Report. “The strategic and business plans implemented as part of the Fifty States initiative have brought great 

clarity and purpose to these states allowing them to better withstand economic down times.”