For the purposes of this Fund, “Rapid Response” is defined as a process employed to eradicate the founding population of a non-native, potentially invasive, species in a specific location before that species begins to reproduce or spreads so widely that eradication is no longer feasible.

The current Notice of Funding Opportunity (F24AS00175) will remain open until July 15, 2024, or until the Rapid Response Fund is depleted. Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis; submitted proposals will be evaluated on a quarterly basis: Proposals submitted from November 15 - January 15 will be evaluated with an anticipated award date of March 1, 2024.Proposals submitted from January 16 - April 15 will be evaluated with an anticipated award date of June 1, 2024.Proposals submitted from April 16 - July 15 will be evaluated with an anticipated award date of September 1, 2024.

Following the conclusion of each quarterly cycle, the Rapid Response Fund Coordinator will establish a Rapid Response Review Team to evaluate each of the received proposals. The Review Teams will include ANS Task Force members, regional ANS panel members, and other subject matter experts. Review Teams will make a funding recommendation for each proposal to either fund, not fund, or defer funding until a later review cycle to assess the availability of remaining funds. The ANS Task Force chairs will work alongside Review Teams to make final funding decisions, striving to have all funding decisions finalized within six weeks after each quarterly deadline.

Proposals will be evaluated and scored using the merit criteria of potential impact of the invasion (25%), proposed approach (25%), preparedness (15%), experience and qualifications (15%), budget (10%), and post response commitment (10%).

Eligible entities are limited to federal and state agencies, U.S. territories agencies, interstate organizations, and federally recognized Indian Tribal Governments and Native American Organizations. These entities must serve as the primary applicant but may partner with or provide sub-awards to other eligible entities to assist with the response.

Non-federal applicants are strongly encouraged to apply though GrantSolutions, however, applications will also be accepted through Grants.gov. Federal applicants should submit their complete applications and any supplemental material the Rapid Response Coordinator at “anstaskforce@fws.gov" by the closing date for applications. 

Funds may be used to respond to aquatic invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.

Learn more about invasive species , specifically non-native plants or animals that reside in fresh, wetland, estuarine, or marine waters. Pathogens and harmful algal blooms are not eligible.

Responses to species for which the origin or native range are unknown are eligible for funding if there is evidence that they have not been previously detected in the area and their presence may result in adverse impacts.

Funds may be used to respond to new introductions in the United States or U.S. territories as well as range expansions in which an existing invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.

Learn more about invasive species was found in an area where it had not been previously detected.

No, occurrence on a species watch list or similar prioritization tool is not required, but proposals involving such species may be given higher consideration during the evaluation process.

Response may occur in freshwater, estuarine, wetland, or marine waters of the United States or U.S. territories.

Eligible activities are those directly associated with the planning, delineation, or deployment of response measures that target a species in a defined location.

Funding may be awarded to gather additional information about the invasion to assess potential response measures. Containment to prevent spread of the population while determining management options or acquiring permitting may also be considered for funding. Once a response plan has been developed, applicants that received assessment funding may seek additional funding for deployment of the response by submitting an updated narrative and budget before the end of their award period. Additional funding is not guaranteed. The updated information will be reviewed by the Review Team who will make a funding recommendation to the ANS Task Force.

Ineligible activities include anything outside the scope of planning, delineation, or deployment of response measures, including species identification, risk evaluations, or public outreach. Funds cannot be used for long-term management, monitoring, or remediation.

No, the fund will not have a cost share or match requirement; however, additional contribution of funds or in-kind contributions will be considered favorably in the evaluation of proposals. 

Under some circumstances, proposals selected for funding may be eligible for reimbursement for pre-award activities. To qualify, an applicant must provide a list of actions and associated costs of the pre-award activities and demonstrate that the pre-award activities were necessary and reasonable for accomplishing the overall program objectives. All costs incurred before the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service makes the award are at the recipient's risk; until pre-award costs are authorized under an approved award, the applicant has no assurance that costs will be reimbursed.

The project period for Rapid Response Fund awards shall not exceed three years. Awardees that do not achieve the management goal within three-years may re-apply for additional funding. Additional funding is not guaranteed. The new application will be reviewed by the Review Team who will make a funding recommendation to the ANS Task Force.

For general information about the fund, please email anstaskforce@fws.gov