F22AS00398 - MENTOR-Bat Program | F22AS00398

Opportunity Information: Apply for F22AS00398

The F22AS00398 MENTOR-Bat Program is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) International Affairs funding opportunity built around the idea that strengthening conservation leadership and practical, on-the-ground skills can reduce both biodiversity loss and the risk of wildlife disease spillover. It is funded under the American Rescue Plan Act (passed in 2021), which set aside resources for the Service to help address wildlife disease outbreaks before they become pandemics through research and extension style activities. Within that larger goal, bats are treated as a high-priority focus because of their well-documented role as reservoir hosts for a variety of pathogens and because human-driven pressures on bat habitats can increase the likelihood of pathogen shedding and human contact, raising zoonotic disease risk. The opportunity sits squarely within the Service mission of conserving fish and wildlife and advancing international cooperation, including the conservation of threatened or endangered species abroad as encouraged under the Endangered Species Act.

At its core, this award supports a MENTOR-model fellowship program, meaning it is not just a research grant and not simply a one-off training workshop. The MENTOR approach is a structured, multi-part capacity development program that USFWS has already used in other regions and species contexts. A lead recipient organization works with USFWS to co-design the program, then recruits and convenes a transdisciplinary cohort of emerging conservation leaders (typically teams of eight to ten Fellows). The Fellows go through rigorous training that blends academic learning and applied field experience, covering technical conservation skills alongside leadership-centered competencies like team building, conflict management, environmental governance, communications and outreach, and practical problem-solving. Training is delivered through a mix of virtual and in-person formats, and the Fellows use adaptive management principles to design pilot conservation projects that they implement together over roughly 8 to 12 months. Mentors provide both technical guidance and professional development support so Fellows improve critical thinking and applied decision-making rather than simply completing a checklist of activities. The full program length is described as about 18 months, and it is designed so Fellows can earn a recognized post-graduate credential (a certificate, diploma, or degree) from a national or regional university or college.

The specific subject matter for this round, MENTOR-Bat, focuses on the intersections between bat health, human behavior, and environmental conditions that shape spillover risk and broader pandemic prevention. The program rationale is that bats often tolerate pathogens without becoming ill, but disturbances to caves, forests, and roosts can disrupt bat physiology and ecology in ways that may increase viral shedding, shift movement patterns, and raise the frequency of bat-human or bat-livestock contact. The notice points to the general evidence base linking landscape change (including fragmentation) to disease emergence risk, with an example referencing Ebola associations with forest fragmentation in West and Central Africa. From this perspective, improving coexistence, reducing harmful disturbance, and shaping safer human practices are viewed as practical interventions that can protect bat populations while also lowering risk to people.

USFWS is looking for proposals that directly engage with key drivers of bat-related zoonotic risk and the human dimensions that often determine whether conservation actions succeed. The opportunity highlights several thematic areas applicants might address: how habitat disturbance affects bat stress and health and how that could influence spillover risk; how bat health status relates to viral shedding and therefore zoonotic hazard; how bat consumption and trade may increase transmission risk through direct contact; how public attitudes and messaging about bats can drive persecution, risky contact, or safer coexistence; whether education and outreach on safer practices can change interactions in ways that reduce transmission risk; and how communicating the ecosystem services and economic value of bats (such as pest control, pollination, and seed dispersal) can influence policy choices, habitat management, and public perception. The overall goal is framed as promoting healthier environments where bats and humans can coexist while reducing disease transmission risk.

A notable structural feature of the MENTOR model, and something that matters for implementation planning, is the role of broader networking and peer-learning events called MENTOR Forums. These forums bring together Fellows from different MENTOR programs to share technical approaches, compare lessons learned, build long-term professional connections, and strengthen a pipeline of conservation leaders who can collaborate across borders and sectors. The notice emphasizes that in-person convenings have been important for building durable relationships and collaboration capacity. It also mentions the use of species celebration days as a tool that can support outreach campaigns and policy engagement, showing that public-facing communication is viewed as a legitimate and valuable component of program strategy rather than an optional add-on.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity issued by the Fish and Wildlife Service under CFDA 15.664, using a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument, which typically implies substantial involvement and collaboration with the agency during project design and delivery. The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $1,000,000, with an original closing date of 2022-09-09, and it anticipates making awards (the exact number is not clearly specified in the excerpt). Eligibility is broad and includes individuals, multi-national secretariats, foreign national and local government agencies, non-profit and non-governmental organizations, for-profit organizations, public and private institutions of higher education, and U.S. territorial governments, reflecting the global and partnership-heavy nature of the MENTOR approach and the International Affairs portfolio.

Taken together, MENTOR-Bat is essentially a capacity building and conservation leadership investment designed to produce measurable, practical outcomes: better-trained conservation professionals, implemented pilot projects, improved governance and outreach around bat conservation, and reduced risk pathways for zoonotic spillover by addressing the shared space between bat ecology, habitat change, and human behavior. The program is built to create a sustained network of practitioners who can continue collaborating after the fellowship ends, with the expectation that leadership development, evidence-based interventions, and community-relevant messaging are central to long-term success.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "F22AS00398 - MENTOR-Bat Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.664.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-07-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-09-09. (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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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