White-Nose Syndrome Research Grants 2017 | F17AS00181

Opportunity Information: Apply for F17AS00181

The White-Nose Syndrome Research Grants 2017 opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F17AS00181) is a discretionary grant program offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service to support research that directly helps managers respond to white-nose syndrome (WNS) and conserve bat populations affected by the disease. The program is aimed at answering high-priority, management-relevant questions about WNS so that agencies and partners have better tools and information to slow impacts, reduce spread, and protect vulnerable species. It sits within the Natural Resources funding activity category (CFDA 15.657) and is framed as a targeted research investment for fiscal year 2017.

The need for this funding is tied to the rapid spread and severe ecological consequences of WNS. As of March 10, 2017, WNS had been confirmed in bats in 30 states, and the causative fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), had also been detected in two additional states even where the disease itself had not yet been confirmed. The announcement emphasizes that the disease is affecting a broad range of species, noting that 12 North American bat species and 21 Eurasian species had been confirmed with WNS or found carrying Pd. Continued surveys in contaminated areas were showing population declines at most affected sites in North America, underscoring why management-focused research was being prioritized.

For 2017, the Fish and Wildlife Service indicated it had targeted up to $1.2 million total for this open research funding opportunity, with funds internally directed for the fiscal year. Individual awards could be as large as $250,000, and the agency anticipated making around 25 awards. In practical terms, this structure suggests the program was designed to fund multiple projects across different topics, methods, and geographies, rather than concentrating all resources into a small number of large awards.

Eligibility is broad and includes many of the groups most likely to be positioned to carry out applied wildlife disease research. Eligible applicants include state governments; local governments such as city or township governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status); and for-profit organizations (other than small businesses). The opportunity is explicitly described as open to non-governmental, university, and private researchers, as well as state and federal agencies and tribes, reflecting an intent to draw proposals from across the research and wildlife management community.

Key administrative details include a posting/creation date of March 31, 2017, with an original application closing date of May 30, 2017. The award instrument type is a grant. Additional information about WNS and related projects was directed to the white-nose syndrome information portal at http://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/, which functions as a central hub for status updates, coordination, and visibility into ongoing work.

Finally, the announcement places this opportunity within a broader set of WNS-related funding efforts in 2017. It notes three companion opportunities: (1) the Bats for the Future Fund, run in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service (www.nfwf.org/bats); (2) a WNS Grants to States program listed separately on grants.gov as Funding Opportunity F17AS00166 and open through May 15, 2017; and (3) smaller grants for communications and WNS research anticipated for fall 2017 in partnership with the Wildlife Management Institute. This framing signals a coordinated funding strategy that supports both research and on-the-ground actions, with different programs tailored to different audiences and project types.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "White-Nose Syndrome Research Grants 2017" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.657.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 31, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 30, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses.

Apply for F17AS00181

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