OpportunityTitle: White-nose Syndrome Research for Conservation Grants
CategoryExplanation: .
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: This funding opportunity is open to domestic and foreign applicants. Additional information for foreign entities is included below. To be eligible, the following conditions must be met:    Proposed projects must clearly address one or more priorities identified by the WNS program, as identified above.  Applicants must be in good standing on previously awarded Federal grant agreements, with no outstanding reports or obligations, and a record of successful use of funds from previous WNS grants (if applicable).   When an applicant is carrying two or more active WNS awards while applying for another, the Service has an administrative obligation to verify that there are no correctable problems in implementing the existing awards. The Service will review the reasons why those grants are still open before proceeding with further consideration. Previous recipients that demonstrate their effective use of WNS funds will not be affected. Previous recipients that have taken no significant action on any one of their two or more preexisting awards will not be considered eligible to apply for new funds from the WNS program until the issue is resolved.
Description: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is pleased to announce the availability of funding for research and conservation in 2021 to support issues related directly to the management of white-nose syndrome (WNS). The Service provides financial and technical assistance to non-governmental, university, and private researchers, as well as state and local governments, Native American tribes, and federal agencies, for the management of WNS and conservation of bats. Funded projects will investigate priority questions to improve our ability to manage the disease and implement management actions that will help to conserve affected bat species. As of May 10, 2021, WNS is confirmed or suspected in bats in 38 states and seven Canadian provinces, and evidence of the causative fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), has been detected in at least two additional states without additional sign of the disease. Numerous North American and Eurasian species of bats have been confirmed with WNS or detected carrying Pd. For information on WNS and previously funded projects, please see: http://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/ Funding through WNS Research for Conservation Grants provides critical information and resources for maximizing the benefits of conservation efforts for bats. These actions are focused on minimizing the impacts of WNS and compounding stressors on federally listed species, prioritizing actions to conserve species that are susceptible to the disease, including those that may be assessed for listing due to the impacts of WNS, and understanding how different species are likely to respond when exposed to the pathogen. Projects submitted tor this opportunity should concentrate on efforts where there is the greatest need and benefit. Priorities for this funding opportunity are designed to develop and apply tools that maximize persistence of WNS-affected bat populations, minimize the range and impacts of Pd, support collaborative actions of the WNS National Response, and inform management decisions in preparation for, or in response to, WNS. Scientific research conducted in collaboration with management authorities is encouraged. Funding in 2021 will support projects that address the following objectives and priorities: Objective: Support research to produce critical knowledge relevant to management decisions and actions for hibernating bats. Understand mechanisms of survival between and within bat species, including variability in susceptibility to WNS and non-lethal effects to health and reproduction. Mechanisms may involve environmental, physiological, behavioral, genetic and other factors affecting hosts, pathogen, and environments, as well as interactions among them. Understand effects of non-disease factors influencing viability of hibernating bats. Factors may include stressors (e.g. prey scarcity, contaminants, etc.) that introduce additive or compounding impacts to populations and should produce information needed to enact comprehensive management strategies for bats. Develop tools to improve survival and persistence of WNS-affected or WNS-vulnerable species; especially tools that can be applied during summer. Vulnerable species include hibernating bats likely to be susceptible to WNS in the future even if they have not yet been exposed to Pd. Objective: Leverage resources (expertise, funds, partnerships, etc.) to implement adaptive management efforts aimed at building resiliency and promoting recovery in hibernating bat populations. Implement strategies to support biological and ecological needs of hibernating bats, including establishing baseline information relevant to implementing management actions and monitoring their effects. Implement adaptive management programs to improve survival and persistence of species impacted by or vulnerable to WNS using existing options for management. This priority includes work with species that are not yet confirmed to be susceptible to WNS but can reasonably be anticipated to be in the future. Through this funding opportunity, we aim to support research to inform management decisions for WNS, and to implement those strategies for the greatest benefit to affected and vulnerable species. Due to the urgency of this threat to bats and the rapid progress of related science, we seek to fund projects that are likely to produce impactful results within a two year project period. The WNS Research for Conservation Grants opportunity accompanies two additional funding opportunities from the Service&#8217;s WNS National Response in 2021: 1) WNS Grants to States and Tribes 2021 (through June 1, 2021: www.grants.gov); and 2) Bats for the Future Fund (managed by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; closed April 29, 2021: www.nfwf.org/bats). Contact the Service WNS coordinator in your region (below) for more information about these funding opportunities. NOTE: Grantees are encouraged to use or allow use of the data management infrastructure of NABat prior to completion of the grant reporting period, if appropriate. Projects involving population monitoring are not required to occur with the specific monitoring protocols of NABat, nor in the highest priority grid cells. Contribution of data entails providing locations only at the resolution of the NABat grid cell (10 km x 10 km), and not precise locations of data or descriptive site names. Standard reports including data visualization outputs generated by NABat are accepted to fulfill award reporting requirements for project activities funded through this opportunity. The use of grant funds requires adherence to established protocols and methodologies developed or espoused by the national WNS working groups for surveillance, diagnostics, population monitoring, conservation and recovery, and disease management (for more information contact the appropriate Service WNS coordinator), as well as the Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and National Environmental Policy Act. All proposed actions must be in line with the most current guidance, policies, and information related to the COVID-19 pandemic and SARS-CoV-2. The Service&#8217;s White-nose Syndrome program is coordinated and funded through the branches of Ecological Services and Science Applications, and will be working with the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program (WSFR) to administer these WNS Research for Conservation Grants. Grants will be competitively awarded based on merit review of proposed projects for their applicability and feasibility to address priorities identified in this notice and for their overall contribution to meeting the objectives of the WNS national plan (White-Nose Syndrome Response Plans).
GrantorContactEmailDescription: Jonathan_Reichard@fws.gov
GrantorContactText: Jonathan Reichard&lt;br/&gt;Jonathan_Reichard@fws.gov
CloseDateExplanation: Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.  The Notice of Funding Opportunity will be open for at least 60 days. All proposals submitted by 5:00 PM, Eastern Time on July 24, 2021, will be considered for funding. Proposals may be submitted prior to the deadline.  Applications submitted by 11:59 PM on July 1, 2021, will be evaluated prior to the July 24 deadline and may be selected for awards. Highest quality proposals submitted by July 1, 2021 may be notified of award decisions by August 1, 2021, based on criteria identified below. A total of no more than two thirds of the available funds for this opportunity will be awarded prior to the final deadline. No eligible proposals will be declined prior to the final deadline, and all eligible proposals that are not selected for earlier funding will be evaluated along with eligible proposals submitted during the open period. Applicants that are not selected for early notification will be notified of award decisions by November 1, 2021. Applicants are encouraged to notify the regional WNS coordinator in their region or national assistant coordinator (see below) when applications are submitted.