Chronic Wasting Disease Cervid Management and Response Activities 2026

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Veterinary Services (VS) and Wildlife Services (WS) is announcing the availability of around $12,050,000 in cooperative agreement funding to control and prevent CWD in farmed and wild cervids of which up to $2,000,000 may be awarded through non-competitive cooperative agreements as needed to address CWD outbreaks in farmed cervids. The amount available is based on the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Congressional appropriations language and directions. Applications must be submitted through ezFedGrants using the funding opportunities highlighted below. Please refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) attached or the CWD Funding Opportunity website for additional information and hyperlinks to the work plans and the financial plan templates. Wild Cervid: $5,500,000 ezFedGrants Opportunity USDA-APHIS-10025-WSNWRC00-26-0001 Proposals may include, but are not limited to, the development and implementation of wild cervid CWD surveillance, testing, management, and response activities, including further development and evaluation of techniques and strategies to prevent or control CWD in wild cervids. Wild Cervid – Tribal Nations Only: $500,000 ezFedGrants Opportunity USDA-APHIS-10025-WSNWRC00-26-0002 Proposals may include, but are not limited to, the development and implementation of wild cervid 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. Farmed Cervid: $6,050,0004 ezFedGrants Opportunity USDA-APHIS-10025-VSSPRS00-26-0007 Proposals may include, but are not limited to, the development and/or implementation of CWD surveillance, testing, management, and response activities. Proposals can include the use of funds for the indemnification and removal of CWD-affected farmed cervid herds and CWD-exposed cervids, as part of an overall CWD management plan and in accordance with 9 CFR Part 55.2. If assistance is needed with locating application materials, please reach out to VS.FiOps.ASC.Agreements@usda.gov for farmed cervid or APHIS-WS.CWD_Agreements@usda.gov for wild cervid and wild cervid Tribal Nations, at least 72 hours prior to the application deadline. All applicants are...

This competitive opportunity is open to the following entities: State departments of agriculture; State animal health agencies; State departments of wildlife or natural resources; Federally recognized Native American Tribal governments and Native American Tribal organizations or universities representing Federally recognized Native American Tribal governments; and research institutions and universities. State agencies and Tribes, or in the case of Native American Tribal organizations, the Native American Tribal governments they are representing, must have regulatory oversight or direct responsibility for farmed cervids to be eligible for the farmed cervid opportunity, or regulatory oversight or direct responsibility for wild cervids to be eligible for the wild cervid opportunities. Federally recognized Native American Tribal governments are listed on the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior; Indian Entities Recognized by and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs website. Universities include the 1994 Tribal colleges and universities, the 1890 land-grant institutions, land-grant colleges and universities, and other accredited universities. Research institute is an establishment founded for conducting research that has published peer reviewed articles in the field and that currently employs one or more investigators who will work on the project with relevant experience in applied research on the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.

Fiscal year 2025: *Proactively prepare for and respond to animal health emergencies *Manage national programs to prevent, control, or eliminate animal diseases *Provide or facilitate animal disease testing services *Ensure pure, safe, potent, and effective veterinary biologics *Facilitate the safe trade of animals and animal products *Represent the United States in international animal health standard-setting activities *Conduct surveillance, monitoring, risk analysis, and modeling to strengthen animal health infrastructures *Provide training and information to a nationwide network of accredited veterinarians, State and Federal officials, and other animal health partners who are the first line of defense for animal and public health Fiscal year 2026: Animal Care: Zoo and Aquarium All Hazards Partnership (ZAHP) to advance preparedness in the Exotic Animal Industry (EAI) Animal Care - Supporting USDA licensees in contingency planning, preparedness, response, and recovery before, during, and after adverse events Horse Protection for SCAR research Soring Fiscal year 2027: One Health - Protecting animal and plant health intersects with some of the most pressing issues of our time:...