Building Capacity for National Public Health Institutes | CDC RFA GH20 2107

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH20 2107

Building Capacity for National Public Health Institutes (CDC RFA GH20-2107) is a CDC global health funding opportunity designed to help countries strengthen or establish National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) as a practical, sustainable way to deliver essential public health functions. The core idea behind the grant is that when a country consolidates public health expertise, systems, and coordination inside a credible national institute, it can improve efficiency, accountability, and overall impact. CDC positions this work as an extension of its own long-standing role as the United States NPHI, emphasizing that stronger national institutions, paired with stronger local detection and response, makes it easier to recognize health threats early and respond effectively.

The opportunity focuses on building public health capacity in areas that are central to health security, especially surveillance, laboratory systems, and outbreak detection and response. Rather than treating these capabilities as separate projects, the NOFO frames them as interconnected functions that work best when organized through an NPHI that can coordinate technical expertise, set standards, support data-driven decision-making, and guide preparedness and response across the public health system. A recurring theme is institutional credibility: CDC states it intends to strengthen NPHIs so they are technically expert, apolitical, and consistently oriented toward protecting the public’s health.

This is a discretionary grant offered as a cooperative agreement, meaning recipients should expect substantial CDC involvement beyond standard grant oversight, typically through collaboration, technical guidance, and joint planning. The administering agency is the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, under CDC’s global health portfolio (Agency: CDC - CGH). The activity category is health, and the CFDA (now often referenced as Assistance Listing) number is 93.318.

Funding details indicate an award ceiling of up to $3,000,000 per award, with an expected total of 15 awards. The posting date in the source information is March 2, 2020, and the original application deadline was May 4, 2020, with applications due electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations that could plausibly support national public health institutional development. Listed eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other entities as further described in the opportunity’s additional eligibility text. In practical terms, this wide eligibility aligns with the program’s emphasis on partnerships, since NPHI strengthening often involves governments, academic institutions, implementing partners, and technical organizations working together with Ministries of Health and existing national institutes.

Overall, the grant is aimed at expanding and deepening CDC-supported efforts to help countries build strong NPHIs and, through them, improve the foundational public health capabilities that underpin global health security. The expected outcome is not only better outbreak response in the short term, but also stronger national systems over time that can reliably detect threats, produce trustworthy public health information, and coordinate effective interventions without political interference.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - CGH in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Building Capacity for National Public Health Institutes" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.318.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 02, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 04, 2020 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (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 $3,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification), Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for CDC RFA GH20 2107

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