Strengthening sustainable public health capacity in the Eastern Mediterranean Region for polio eradication and routine immunization activities | CDC RFA GH16 160103CONT17

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH16 160103CONT17

This funding opportunity, titled "Strengthening sustainable public health capacity in the Eastern Mediterranean Region for polio eradication and routine immunization activities," is a continuation grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), specifically the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the Center for Global Health (CGH). The opportunity is designed to sustain and strengthen public health capacity across countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, with a primary focus on advancing polio eradication efforts while also reinforcing routine immunization systems. In practice, the emphasis is on maintaining the operational, technical, and workforce capabilities needed to prevent poliovirus transmission and to ensure that routine vaccination programs function reliably, even in challenging settings.

The opportunity is issued as a Cooperative Agreement, which signals that the CDC anticipates having substantial involvement in the work beyond simply providing funding. Under cooperative agreements, recipients typically collaborate closely with CDC subject matter experts on planning, implementation approaches, monitoring, and technical guidance. This structure is commonly used for complex public health programs like polio eradication, where coordination, standardized methods, rapid response capacity, and shared accountability are crucial. The continuation nature of the opportunity also indicates it is intended to extend or build upon existing work previously supported under the same or related funding, rather than launching an entirely new initiative from scratch.

Administratively, the funding opportunity number is CDC RFA GH16-160103CONT17, and it is categorized as a Continuation opportunity within the Health activity category. It is listed under CFDA number 93.318, a CDC assistance listing associated with global health efforts. The opportunity was created on March 17, 2017, with an original closing date of May 17, 2017, reflecting the application window for this continuation cycle. The listing notes an expectation of 10 awards, suggesting multiple implementing partners or awardees working across different geographies, components, or program functions within the region.

The award ceiling is shown as 0, which generally means the ceiling amount was not specified in the public synopsis or is determined by other constraints such as available appropriations, negotiated budgets, or continuation funding levels tied to prior-year awards. In continuation grants, the funding amounts are often based on previously approved project periods and are influenced by performance, evolving program priorities, and the availability of funds, rather than a single fixed maximum listed upfront.

Eligibility is identified as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," meaning the eligible applicant types are not limited to the standard categories shown in many federal notices (such as state governments or universities) and instead depend on additional eligibility language in the full announcement. In CDC global health cooperative agreements, this can include a range of organizations such as non-profit entities, international organizations, NGOs, and other institutions that have the technical capability and on-the-ground presence to deliver surveillance, immunization support, and outbreak response functions in the targeted region.

Programmatically, the core intent is capacity strengthening for polio eradication and routine immunization. That typically involves bolstering surveillance systems to detect poliovirus and other vaccine-preventable diseases, improving immunization program management, supporting high-quality supplementary immunization activities when needed for polio, strengthening cold chain and vaccine logistics where relevant, enhancing data quality and use for decision-making, and building workforce competencies through training, supervision, and embedded technical assistance. Because the focus is on sustainability, the work generally aims to ensure that capabilities developed for polio eradication can be transitioned and leveraged to support broader immunization and public health goals, reducing dependency on emergency-style campaigns over time.

In summary, this CDC continuation cooperative agreement opportunity supports ongoing, collaborative public health work in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to push polio eradication closer to completion while simultaneously reinforcing routine immunization systems. It is administered by CDC CGH, tied to CFDA 93.318, expected to result in around 10 awards, and was open for applications in spring 2017, with exact funding levels not publicly capped in the synopsis.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - CGH in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strengthening sustainable public health capacity in the Eastern Mediterranean Region for polio eradication and routine immunization activities" 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 17, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 17, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for CDC RFA GH16 160103CONT17

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: