The slow the spread (of spongy moth) foundation is an insect and disease management group that provides coordination among various federal, state and university partners

The Department of Agriculture Forest Service R8-Southern Region awarded $6.945 million to the Gypsy Moth Slow The Spread Foundation Inc. on April 28, 2026, under the Forest Health Protection program (CFDA 10.680) to deploy trap-and-treat and aerial application activities targeting spongy moth suppression across an 11-state transition zone spanning from southeast Virginia through northeast North Carolina to the North Shore of Minnesota.

The foundation coordinates with state and university partners to execute trapping and survey programs, implement aerial application contracts for larvicides, and distribute subawards to state agricultural agencies. Award funds will address time-sensitive early spring 2027 needs anticipated before fiscal 2027 appropriations become available, supporting trap-setting operations and subawards to member states facing spring outbreak conditions.

The five-year award runs through April 27, 2031, with place of performance in North Carolina. Sub-recipients include Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (mating disruption research), and state agricultural agencies from Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin executing trap-and-treat field operations. The foundation functions as the pass-through administrator and primary recipient under this project grant, coordinating federal, state, and university resources across the transition zone's 11-state corridor on federal, state, and private lands.

The foundation oversees the funding allocation and programmatic direction of the national slow the spread program. This grant provides the foundation funding to work with its state and university partners to deploy trapping and survey programs, as well as implement aerial application contracts to slow the spread of spongy moth along the leading edge of its invaded range on federal, state, and private lands. This transition zone spans 11 states from coastal forests in southeast virginia/northeast north carolina to the north shore of minnesota.