Wild Cervid Chronic Wasting Disease Management and Response Activities 2023 Cooperative Agreements | USDA APHIS 10028 WSNWRC00 23 0018

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA APHIS 10028 WSNWRC00 23 0018

The Wild Cervid Chronic Wasting Disease Management and Response Activities 2023 Cooperative Agreements opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number: USDA APHIS 10028 WSNWRC00 23 0018; CFDA: 10.028) is a discretionary cooperative agreement program run by USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), focused specifically on chronic wasting disease (CWD) in wild cervids. The core purpose is to support practical work that helps control, manage, and prevent CWD in free-ranging deer, elk, moose, and related species by expanding or strengthening on-the-ground surveillance, testing, management, prevention, and response activities. The emphasis is on actionable efforts that either directly reduce disease risks or build the information and tools agencies and Tribes need to make better decisions and respond more effectively.

APHIS Wildlife Services (WS) anticipated awarding about $5.5 million total under this call. While the notice does not state a fixed number of awards, it makes clear that funding is intended to be distributed across multiple collaborators and projects that align with CWD control and prevention priorities. Individual proposals may request up to $250,000 each, and an eligible applicant is allowed to submit more than one proposal as long as each request is submitted as its own separate proposal package. This structure is designed to let agencies and partners propose distinct projects (for example, one focused on surveillance expansion and another focused on targeted management actions) without forcing everything into a single plan.

Eligibility is limited to public and Tribal entities with direct responsibility for wild cervids. Specifically eligible applicants include State departments of agriculture, State animal health agencies, State departments of wildlife or natural resources, and Federally recognized Native American Tribal governments. Native American Tribal organizations or universities may also apply when they are representing Federally recognized Tribal governments, and research institutions and universities are included as eligible partners as well. A key condition is that State agencies and Tribes (or the Tribal governments being represented by a Tribal organization or university) must have regulatory oversight or direct responsibility for wild cervids to qualify, which signals that APHIS is prioritizing applicants who can implement field operations or direct disease response policy rather than purely advisory participants.

Program activities supported under this opportunity broadly cover the full CWD response pipeline. That includes developing and implementing surveillance systems (such as designing sampling plans, improving geographic coverage, or increasing the volume and consistency of sample collection), testing efforts (including laboratory capacity or logistics tied to sample handling and diagnostic throughput), and management and prevention actions intended to slow spread or reduce disease burden in wild populations. Response activities can also include measures taken when CWD is detected or suspected, such as coordinated incident planning, communication, operational mobilization, and targeted field actions that align with state or Tribal authorities and management frameworks. In addition to operational work, funds may be used to produce or deliver information and tools needed to control and prevent CWD, which can include decision-support resources, improved protocols, or other practical deliverables that strengthen real-world CWD programs.

The announcement also explicitly allows for applied research, but with a practical orientation: projects should further develop and evaluate tools, techniques, and strategies that can be used for preventing and controlling CWD in wild cervids. In other words, research is eligible when it is closely connected to implementation and improves what agencies and Tribes can do in the field, rather than purely theoretical work. This applied angle aligns with the cooperative agreement format, which typically involves substantial involvement by the federal agency in coordinating or supporting project execution and ensuring alignment with national wildlife disease priorities.

Important administrative details included in the source information are the opportunity category (Discretionary), funding instrument type (Cooperative Agreement), and activity category (Agriculture). The original closing date listed for applications was 2023-06-12, and the opportunity record shows a creation date of 2023-04-11. Overall, the grant is set up to quickly push resources to the agencies and Tribal governments responsible for wild cervid management so they can expand surveillance, improve testing and response capacity, implement management and prevention actions, and, where needed, test applied approaches that can strengthen CWD control over time.

• The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Wild Cervid Chronic Wasting Disease Management and Response Activities 2023 Cooperative Agreements" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.028.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-04-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-06-12. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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