Region 5 White-Nose Syndrome Grants to States and Tribes | F20AS00184

Opportunity Information: Apply for F20AS00184

The Region 5 White-Nose Syndrome Grants to States and Tribes (Funding Opportunity Number F20AS00184) is a competitive U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant program that provides financial assistance to state wildlife and natural resource agencies, the District of Columbia, and federally recognized Native American Tribes to address white-nose syndrome (WNS), a deadly fungal disease impacting bats. The program is designed to fund practical, on-the-ground management and monitoring efforts that either respond to active WNS impacts or help jurisdictions prepare for the disease where it has not yet arrived. The Service emphasizes proposals that are clearly actionable and tied to real management needs, with an expectation that funded work will strengthen bat conservation outcomes while also producing scientific information useful for Endangered Species Act (ESA) decision-making.

The opportunity exists because WNS has caused severe bat population declines across North America and is confirmed in at least 12 bat species, including multiple federally listed threatened or endangered species. The northern long-eared bat, for example, was listed as threatened largely due to WNS-driven declines, and concern over disease impacts has also prompted federal status assessments for species such as the little brown bat and tricolored bat. In this context, the Service frames these grants as a way to help partners slow the disease, improve survivorship, conserve critical habitat, and generate standardized data that can guide recovery planning and regulatory decisions. The program began supporting states in 2008 and expanded eligibility to Tribes in 2019 to better support Tribal participation in bat management and conservation.

For 2020, the Service identifies several priority activity areas it intends to support. These include implementing conservation strategies for species already affected by WNS as well as species considered vulnerable, including establishing baseline information where knowledge gaps limit management. Funds may support efforts to mitigate WNS impacts and improve bat survivorship, actions to curtail the spread of the causative fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), and population monitoring and disease surveillance aligned with local needs and national guidelines. Another key priority is long-term protection, improvement, and conservation of bat roosts, recognizing that safeguarding caves, mines, and other roost sites can be essential for stabilizing populations and supporting recovery where survivors persist.

Project design is expected to reflect the applicant's local WNS situation and be consistent with the national WNS strategy, including the WNS National Plan and related guidance such as Defeating White-Nose Syndrome: A Vision for the Future. The Service is looking for proposals that clearly connect proposed tasks to both local and national objectives, describe methods and timelines for each objective, justify why the work is needed, and spell out anticipated outcomes. The program is meant to support jurisdictions in endemic areas (where WNS is established), leading-edge areas (where it is arriving), and at-risk areas (where it is not yet detected but could spread), with the understanding that appropriate actions differ by stage of invasion.

The funding limit is relatively modest but structured to encourage targeted, high-value work. Awards are capped at $75,000 in total federal funds per proposal, including direct and indirect costs. Within that total, up to $50,000 can be used for data and information needs that inform management decisions, such as estimating bat distribution and habitat requirements, monitoring populations, conducting disease surveillance, and implementing strategies to mitigate current or future WNS impacts and limit Pd spread. Up to $25,000 can be directed toward conservation actions at significant roost sites, including restoration or enhancement actions such as gating or fencing to prevent vandalism or unauthorized entry, stabilizing entrances, correcting airflow issues that affect roost conditions, improving roost suitability for seasonal or year-round use, and installing tools like signage, cameras, or acoustic monitoring systems. The notice also encourages formal coordination among multiple applicants pursuing shared objectives across jurisdictions, with consistent descriptions of activities, methods, and timelines and a clear explanation of the cross-boundary conservation value.

Monitoring and data-sharing expectations are a central feature of this opportunity. The Service strongly encourages the use of North American Bat Population Monitoring Program (NABat) tools and protocols and requires, as a condition of award, that population monitoring data collected with grant funds be submitted (or allowed to be submitted) to NABat before the grant reporting period ends. To address sensitivity around site information, the program notes that reporting can occur at the NABat grid-cell scale (10 km by 10 km) rather than providing precise cave or roost locations or descriptive site names. Applicants are also told that NABat-generated standard reports and visualizations may be used to meet certain reporting requirements, which helps reinforce consistent, comparable monitoring across regions.

Most projects are expected to be completed within one year, though proposals may plan for up to two years. If delays occur, extensions can be considered, but extension requests must be submitted at least 60 days before the end of the performance period. All work funded under the grant must adhere to established national protocols and methodologies developed by WNS working groups for surveillance, diagnostics, population monitoring, conservation and recovery, and disease management. In addition, projects must comply with relevant federal laws and review requirements, including the ESA, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The notice also flags that some mitigation or treatment actions may require substantial regulatory compliance work, and those requirements must be completed before funds become available for certain actions. For 2020 specifically, applicants also must ensure proposed actions align with then-current COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 guidance and policies, acknowledging operational and biosafety constraints that could affect fieldwork.

Applications are reviewed competitively and awards are not guaranteed. The Service states that it will evaluate proposals based on how well they address management needs and the program priorities, their relevance to combating WNS and conserving vulnerable species, geographic scope, feasibility and urgency of need, cost efficiency, and overall project design quality. Review criteria also include the bat species and colonies expected to benefit, the magnitude of benefit to targeted species or habitat, and the extent and importance of the area monitored for population or disease status. In short, the strongest proposals are likely to be those that are technically sound, locally justified, realistic to implement within the grant period, and clearly positioned to produce measurable conservation and decision-support value.

The opportunity is also framed as supporting broader Department of the Interior priorities tied to stewardship, community trust, regulatory balance, and respect for sovereignty. The Service describes these grants as helping partners use science-driven best practices, strengthen relationships and communication with state and local leaders and Tribal communities, and provide robust scientific support for ESA decisions. Administrative eligibility conditions also matter: applicants must be in good standing on prior federal awards, with required reports and obligations up to date. The notice adds an important limitation for applicants already managing multiple active WNS awards: if an agency or Tribe has two or more open WNS projects, the Service may review why those awards remain open, and entities showing no significant action on any one of their existing awards may be deemed ineligible for additional WNS funding until the issue is resolved.

Key source details include that the program is a discretionary grant administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under CFDA 15.684, with an award ceiling of $75,000. The original closing date listed for this specific announcement was August 25, 2020, and eligible applicants are state governments and federally recognized Tribal governments. Overall, the program is best understood as targeted support for state and Tribal wildlife managers to monitor bats, track and manage disease spread, protect and improve critical roost habitats, and apply consistent national protocols so that local actions add up to a stronger coordinated response to white-nose syndrome.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Region 5 White-Nose Syndrome Grants to States and Tribes" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.684.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-06-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-08-25. (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 $75,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).

Apply for F20AS00184

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