2025 White-nose Syndrome Grants to States and Tribes | F25AS00296

Opportunity Information: Apply for F25AS00296

The 2025 White-nose Syndrome Grants to States and Tribes (Funding Opportunity Number F25AS00296) is a discretionary grant program from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (CFDA 15.684) aimed at supporting on-the-ground and science-based responses to white-nose syndrome (WNS), a devastating disease of hibernating bats caused by the invasive fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd). WNS has been confirmed in 12 bat species in North America, including several species with federal protections (three listed as endangered and one proposed for listing). Because the disease has caused major population declines in some areas while impacts remain uncertain for other species and regions (especially places newly exposed or not yet exposed), the program is designed to help close key information gaps, strengthen management capacity, and improve coordinated conservation outcomes across jurisdictions.

Funding is intended specifically for U.S. State wildlife/natural resource agencies (including the District of Columbia) and federally recognized Tribal governments that are engaged in, or are seeking to engage in, bat management and conservation. The central purpose is to provide financial assistance so these partners can implement conservation and disease-management actions that make sense for local conditions, while also contributing to broader regional and national coordination efforts. A major emphasis is active participation in the National Response to WNS and alignment with the WNS National Plan, along with engagement in the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat), which provides a shared framework for tracking bat populations and trends over time.

Projects supported under this opportunity can cover a range of practical and capacity-building activities. Eligible work includes implementing direct conservation actions for bats, conducting or supporting scientific data collection to better understand bat status and WNS impacts, training local personnel to build and maintain expertise, managing WNS and the Pd fungus where feasible, and monitoring bat populations (including hibernating species and affected sites). The program also values sustained institutional knowledge within state and tribal agencies, recognizing that long-term conservation and recovery depend on maintaining skilled staff and consistent monitoring and response capabilities.

Competitive applications are expected to present a clear, efficient plan of action that fits the current WNS situation in the applicant’s location, whether WNS is already affecting bats, Pd has recently arrived, or the jurisdiction is not yet exposed but preparing for potential arrival. Proposals should be tailored to context-specific conservation needs, demonstrating how planned activities will benefit hibernating bat species in the United States, advance the priorities of the funding opportunity and the WNS National Plan, and build upon or meaningfully advance the existing state of knowledge about bats and disease dynamics.

The notice also highlights applicant performance expectations tied to federal grant compliance and past results. To be considered, applicants must be in good standing on previously awarded federal grant agreements. That includes a track record of meeting proposed objectives and required deliverables, avoiding preventable performance delays, responding promptly and effectively to Service communications when issues arise, and demonstrating responsible and successful use of prior USFWS WNS program funds. If an applicant has previously relinquished or surrendered WNS funds, they are expected to show that the outcome was not avoidable and that they took all reasonable steps to prevent it. Applicants that already hold active WNS financial assistance awards must also show meaningful progress toward completing their current funded objectives in order to qualify for additional awards.

Key administrative details include an award ceiling of $75,000 per award and an application closing date of September 12, 2025. Overall, this opportunity is positioned as a targeted investment in coordinated bat conservation, helping state and tribal partners generate actionable information, maintain readiness, and implement management strategies that reduce risk and improve outcomes for bat species threatened by WNS.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2025 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 2025-07-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-09-12. (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 F25AS00296

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