OpportunityTitle: F24AS00295 White-nose Syndrome Grants to States and Tribes - 2024
CategoryExplanation: This is a recurring, discretionary funding opportunity for the white-nose syndrome National response.
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: Eligible applicants for this competitive grant program include fish and wildlife or natural resources agencies in all States and the District of Columbia and Federally recognized Tribes.Applicants must be in good standing on previously awarded Federal grant agreements, with no outstanding reports or obligations.  Applicants in good standing have records of successful use of previously awarded funds from the Service&#8217;s white-nose syndrome program (if applicable), with no or minimal record of surrendered funds as a result of avoidable project or administrative delays. When an applicant is carrying two or more active white-nose syndrome projects 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. Applicants that have taken no significant action on any one of their two or more preexisting awards will not be considered eligible to receive new funds from the white-nose syndrome program until progress on those awards is clearly demonstrated
Description: White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a disease of hibernating bats caused by the invasive fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd). WNS is confirmed in 12 bat species in North America, including three that are federally listed as threatened or endangered and one that is proposed to be listed. WNS has led to severe declines in multiple hibernating species of bats, although impacts vary among affected species and locations. Severity of the disease is unclear for multiple recently or not yet exposed species.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is offering financial assistance to wildlife and natural resource management agencies and departments of states, the District of Columbia, and federally-recognized Native American Tribes for efforts related to the management of WNS. Since 2008, funding through the WNS Grants to States has led to critical information and resources for maximizing the benefits of bat conservation efforts. In 2019, this funding opportunity was extended to Tribes engaged in or seeking to engage in bat management and conservation efforts. The goal of this funding opportunity is to help our State and Tribal partners fulfill information needs, implement management actions for WNS and susceptible bat species, and actively engage in the National Response to WNS. Supported activities will include monitoring bat populations, implementing conservation actions for bats, supporting scientific information gathering, training personnel, managing WNS and the causative fungus, and maintaining expertise in bat conservation and management. Proposals for this program will be plans of action relevant to the current status of WNS in the applicants&#8217; locations, and will address context-specific conservation needs of bats as well as the ecosystem as a whole. Funding priorities are intended to frame relevant projects in State or Tribal jurisdictions whether WNS is already affecting resident bats or the fungus has recently or not yet arrived. Successful applications to this funding opportunity will present effective and efficient plans to meet the following objectives: Benefit bat species that are known, assumed, or anticipated to be affected by WNS.Advance the stated priorities of this funding opportunity and the WNS National Plan.Build upon or advance the current state of knowledge of bats.
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 11:59 PM., ET, on the listed application due date.