OpportunityTitle: F24AS00175- Rapid Response Fund for Aquatic Invasive Species
CategoryExplanation: This Notice of Funding Opportunity requests proposals for projects that support efforts to plan a response or deploy response measures to a new detection of a potentially invasive species. Response efforts must target an aquatic invasive species, defined as non-native plants or animals that reside in fresh, wetland, estuarine, or marine waters. A list of &#8220;Eligible Activities&#8221; is below. Activities not listed, including species identification, risk evaluations, or public outreach are not eligible for funding from this award. Projects to plan a response to a species that has not yet been detected in the area of concern are also not eligible. Funds also cannot be used for long-term management, monitoring, or remediation.This award is open to Federal or State agencies, U.S. territory agencies, interstate organizations, Federally recognized Indian Tribal Governments or Native American Organizations. Non-federal applicants are strongly encouraged to apply through GrantSolutions. However, applications will also be accepted through Grants.gov. Federal applicants should submit their complete applications and any supplemental material to the Rapid Response Coordinator at &#8220;anstaskforce@fws.gov&quot; by the closing date for applications. (See section D7 for further instruction).This Notice of Funding Opportunity will remain open until July 15, 2024, or until the Rapid Response Fund is depleted. Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis. Submitted proposals will be evaluated on a quarterly basis. See section D4 for the evaluation periods and anticipated award dates.
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: Federal and state agencies, U.S. territory agencies, interstate organizations (as defined by 16 USC &#167; 4702(10)), and Federally recognized Indian Tribal Governments and Native American Organizations authorized by Indian tribal governments (as identified within the Federal Register Notice &#8220;Indian Entities Recognized by and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs&#8221;) may apply for funding.Additional Eligibility information is identified in section C3 below.
Description: Background: The Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force (ANSTF) was established by the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act (NANPCA) of 1990, 16 U.S.C. 4721-28, as amended. The ANSTF serves to develop and implement a program for waters of the United States to prevent introduction and dispersal of ANS (also known as aquatic invasive species or AIS), monitor, control, and study such species, and disseminate related information. Co-chaired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the ANSTF consists of Federal agency representatives and ex-officio representatives that work in conjunction with six regional panels and issue-specific subcommittees to coordinate efforts related to AIS across the Nation.Although prevention is the most cost-effective approach to eliminating or reducing the threat of invasive species, Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR) serves as a fail-safe when prevention measures are ineffective or unavailable. The Department of the Interior (DOI or the Department) in coordination with federal agencies, states, tribes, territories, and other partners published &#8220;Safeguarding America&#8217;s Lands and Waters from Invasive Species &#8211; A National Framework for Early Detection and Rapid Response&#8221; in 2016. This report called for a focus on coordination and partnerships, science and technology, and strategic on-the-ground actions to detect invasive species that pose the greatest risk and swiftly respond to eradicate them before they establish, spread, and cause adverse impacts. As part of strategically implementing funding made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, DOI identified advancing a National EDRR Framework as a priority and took steps to invest in supporting some of the institutional components of such a framework. To that end, DOI is working with partners to identify, enhance, and collaborate on EDRR activities, build new tools, and support coordinated processes to proactively find and eradicate new invasive species before they establish, spread, and cause harm. Specifics include identifying high risk invasive species and invasion hotspots across the nation to inform early detection efforts, developing molecular tools to aid detection capabilities, expanding capacity for on-the-ground rapid response actions, including the establishment of a pilot Rapid Response Fund for aquatic invasive species, and creating an online clearinghouse where managers can share current information to guide implementation.The Rapid Response Fund addresses the need for readily available financial resources to assess and support response actions for quick containment or eradication of newly detected species. The Fund is a critical component of a National EDRR Framework and a priority need identified within the ANSTF&#8217;s Strategic Plan for 2020-2025 (Objective 3.3, https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ANSTF-Strategic-Plan-2020-2025.pdf).Accordingly, the ANSTF&#8217;s Rapid Response Fund Working Group developed &#8220;The Model Process: Rapid Response Fund for Aquatic Invasive Species&#8221; (https://www.fws.gov/media/model-process-rapid-response-fund-aquatic-invasive-species) in 2023 to outline a structure and process for a Rapid Response Fund for AIS. On July 19, 2023, the Model Process was unanimously approved by the 13 Federal agencies and 13 non-federal ex-officio members that serve on the ANSTF. This Notice of Funding Opportunity follows this process as detailed in the sections below. General information about the Fund and a list of Frequently Asked Questions can be found at: https://www.fws.gov/story/2023-08/rapid-response-fund-aquatic-invasive-species.In Fiscal Year 2023, BIL funds were directed to establish a pilot Rapid Response Fund for AIS within the existing authorities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service&#8217;s Fish and Aquatic Conservation program, to be coordinated though the ANSTF. Accordingly, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, on behalf of the ANSTF, invites proposals to support the rapid response to a new species introduction within freshwater, estuarine, or marine waters of the United States, including the U.S. territories.For the purposes of this Federal Rapid Response Fund, &#8220;Rapid Response&#8221; is defined as a process employed to eradicate the founding population of non-native, potentially invasive, species in a specific location before that species begins to reproduce or spreads so widely that eradication is no longer feasible. Eradication is defined as the removal or destruction of an entire population of an invasive species within a specified area. Eligibility requirements for this Rapid Response Fund are described in section C3 below, additional information on these requirements, as well as definitions, can be found in the ANSTF document &#8220;The Model Process: Rapid Response Fund for Aquatic Invasive Species&#8221; (https://www.fws.gov/media/model-process-rapid-response-fund-aquatic-invasive-species).
GrantorContactEmailDescription: susan_pasko@fws.gov
GrantorContactText: Susan Pasko&lt;br/&gt;susan_pasko@fws.gov
CloseDateExplanation: Quarterly, see belowThis Notice of Funding Opportunity will remain open until July 15, 2024, or until the Rapid Response Fund is depleted. Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis; submitted proposals will be evaluated on a quarterly basis:&#8226; Proposals submitted from November 15 - January 15 will be evaluated with an anticipated award date of March 1. &#8226; Proposals submitted from January 16 &#8211; April 15 will be evaluated with an anticipated award date of June 1. &#8226; Proposals submitted from April 16 &#8211; July 15 will be evaluated with an anticipated award date of September 1.All proposals submitted for the Rapid Respond fund will be evaluated using the merit criteria described in section E1. Each cycle will end on 11:59 pm ET on the end dates listed above.  For applicants selected for funding, every effort will be made to ensure the award is made expeditiously. Applicants not selected for funding will be notified via email, and allowed to resubmit the proposal for consideration in future quarters.