The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Wildlife Services (WS) is announcing the availability of around $500,000 in cooperative agreement funding to further develop and implement wild cervid chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance, testing, management, and response activities, including further development and evaluation of techniques and strategies to prevent or control CWD in wild cervids on lands owned or managed by Tribal entities.
Donor Name: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/12/2023
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 12 months
Details:
This funding opportunity is provided to control and prevent CWD in wild cervids, including the development and/or implementation of CWD surveillance, testing, management, prevention, and response activities on lands owned or managed by Tribal entities.
The overall objectives of the funding opportunity are to control, manage, and/or prevent CWD in wild cervids. Through this funding opportunity, APHIS WS is soliciting collaborators who will further develop and implement wild cervid CWD surveillance, testing, management, prevention, and response activities, including the use of funds for providing the information or tools needed to control and prevent CWD.
Goals
USDA APHIS Strategic Goal 2: Safeguard American agriculture
- Objective 2.2: Manage plant and animal pests and diseases once established in the United States to promote plant and animal health.
- Objective 2.4: Manage conflicts caused by wildlife, detect, and control wildlife disease, and protect agriculture and natural resources.
- Objective 2.6: Provide and coordinate timely diagnostic laboratory support and services.
Priorities
Eligible applicants are encouraged to develop project proposals that directly support at least one of the five funding priorities described below:
- Improve the management of CWD-affected wild cervid populations
- For the purpose of this priority, management means effectively controlling CWD in affected cervid populations or preventing the introduction or spread of CWD from affected or endemic populations to nonaffected wild cervid populations by implementing or improving upon current guidance, such as the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) Best Management Practices.
- Improve the management of wild cervid CWD-affected areas
- For the purpose of this priority, management means managing the environment to effectively control CWD in wild cervid affected areas (CWD endemic areas) to control or prevent the spread of CWD by implementing or improving upon current guidance, such as the AFWA Best Management Practices.
- Conduct research on amplification assays in wild cervids and other new test methods
- Amplification assays are test methods that identify CWD by amplifying small amount of prion protein to levels that are detectable [e.g., Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification (PMCA), realtime quaking induced conversion (RT-QuIC)]. Specifically, this funding opportunity is interested in novel proposals which further the use of amplification assays as diagnostic or environmental tests
- Development and/or application of predictive genetics for wild cervids
- Research to support the use of genetics to determine and understand the susceptibility of wild cervids to CWD on the landscape. Current and ongoing research supports the use of whole genome predictive genetics to determine the susceptibility of cervids to CWD, which may provide the foundation for a genomics based CWD control or eradication program in the future.
- Develop and/or deliver educational outreach materials or programs to wild cervid stakeholders or Tribal entities
- For purposes of this priority, educational outreach means the methods, processes, or actions that provide education and facilitate learning of critical knowledge necessary to control and/or prevent CWD and it’s spread in wild cervids, including the study of human dimensions on CWD prevention and control. Behavioral messaging research may also be included as part of an outreach program.
Considerations
Each proposal should describe how the project will leverage existing resources through partnerships with local, State, and/or Federal government agencies4 , Native American Tribal governments and Native American Tribal organizations, industry organizations, professional associations, producer groups, and/or non-profit organizations with direct and/or significant interest in the control or prevention of CWD in wild cervids.
While all proposals meeting the administrative eligibility criteria listed in Section C.4 will be considered for funding, APHIS WS may give priority to proposals submitted by an eligible entity (1) in Tribal lands that has either experienced recent incidents of CWD in wild cervids or that have wild cervid populations bordering a CWD endemic area; and, (2) has a Tribal CWD control program that includes, but is not limited to, monitoring and surveillance, or that proposes to create a control program. Eligible applicants not meeting these criteria are encouraged to apply and their proposals may still be considered for funding.
Funding Information
APHIS WS anticipates awarding approximately nine cooperative agreements and typically range from $10,000 to $100,000 each.
Period of Performance
Projects must be completed no later than twelve months after the start date.
Eligible Applicants
The following entities are eligible for funding through this opportunity, provided they have regulatory oversight or direct responsibility for wild cervids: 1. Federally recognized Native American Tribal governments.
Note: This list does not preclude award recipients from collaborating with other entities who may have direct and significant interest in the control or prevention of CWD in wild cervids, such as land grant or other universities, State or national livestock, wildlife, sporting groups, conservation organizations, or a Federal Agency. Any application with a proposed subaward over $10,000 must complete an additional Financial Plan for the subaward portion as part of the proposal package.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
