Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA OH 14 009
Apply for RFA OH 14 009
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Assessment of Elastomeric Respirators in Healthcare Environments (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.262 Occupational Safety and Health Program.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 16, 2014 and posted on May 16, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 30, 2014. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $1,200,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: For profit organizations other than small businesses Small businesses Independent school districts 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 Special district governments City or township governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education County governments Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) State governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).
- Higher Education Institutions Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education Private Institutions of Higher Education Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education Nonprofits (Other than Institutions of Higher Education) For Profit Organizations Small Businesses For Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses) Governments State Governments County Governments City or Township Governments Special District Governments Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government U.S. Territory or Possession Other Independent School Districts Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Faith based or Community based Organizations Regional Organizations Bona Fide Agents Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs)
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Opportunity Summary:
The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled "Assessment of Elastomeric Respirators in Healthcare Environments (R21)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA OH 14 009) is a CDC discretionary funding opportunity focused on occupational safety and health in healthcare settings. The program is designed to support research that looks closely at how elastomeric respirators actually perform in day-to-day clinical environments, not just in theory or in laboratory conditions. In practical terms, the FOA is asking applicants to generate real-world evidence on whether elastomeric respirators are workable, acceptable, and sustainable for healthcare workers and healthcare organizations, and how they compare to more commonly used filtering facepiece respirators.
The core purpose of the opportunity is to evaluate elastomeric respirator use in healthcare environments by studying healthcare worker "use factors" and the downstream effects of those factors. This includes issues like tolerability and comfort, but it also goes further into how the respirators influence work practices. For example, projects might examine whether the devices interfere with communication, patient interactions, mobility, task completion, or compliance over long shifts, and whether certain roles or clinical units experience different challenges. The FOA also explicitly highlights operational and economic aspects, indicating that CDC is interested not only in whether elastomeric respirators protect workers, but also what it takes to implement them at scale in a healthcare facility. That can include cleaning and disinfection workflows, storage, maintenance, replacement of parts such as filters, training burdens, fit-testing logistics, supply chain resilience, and overall costs to the organization.
A major theme embedded in the announcement is comparative assessment. Applicants are encouraged to assess the strengths and weaknesses of elastomeric respirators relative to filtering facepiece respirators from multiple angles: the user experience (comfort and tolerability), operational feasibility (deployment, reprocessing, and program administration), and economic impact (cost effectiveness, resource utilization, and potential savings or added costs over time). This framing reflects a broader preparedness and workforce protection concern, especially relevant for situations where disposable filtering facepiece respirators may be scarce or where reusable options might offer logistical advantages. The FOA is essentially seeking evidence that can inform policies and purchasing decisions in healthcare systems, especially around respiratory protection programs and emergency readiness.
The funding mechanism is a cooperative agreement, meaning CDC expects an active partnership role rather than a completely hands-off grant relationship. Cooperative agreements typically involve substantial programmatic involvement by the agency, such as coordination, technical input, or collaboration on dissemination and alignment with federal priorities. The activity category is Health, and the program falls under CFDA 93.262, the Occupational Safety and Health Program.
From a funding and scale standpoint, CDC anticipated making about 2 awards under this announcement, with an estimated total funding amount of $1,200,000. The award ceiling is $300,000, with no stated award floor, and there is no cost sharing or matching requirement. The FOA was posted on May 16, 2014, with an original and final application due date of June 30, 2014, and it was archived on July 30, 2014. While the dates indicate this specific opportunity is historical, the details still clearly describe the types of studies and deliverables CDC was looking to fund at the time.
Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of organizational types. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education (including HBCUs, TCCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, and Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian-serving institutions), nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities), for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other than small businesses), and multiple levels of government such as state, county, city or township, special districts, and tribal governments (both federally recognized and other than federally recognized). The eligibility list also includes independent school districts, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, U.S. territories or possessions, eligible federal agencies, faith-based and community-based organizations, regional organizations, bona fide agents, and FFRDCs. This broad eligibility suggests CDC was aiming to attract proposals from academic researchers, healthcare systems, occupational health groups, industry partners, and public agencies that can access real healthcare settings and operational data.
Administrative support and contact information are routed through CDCs Procurement and Grants Office, Technical Information Management Section (TIMS), with a phone contact provided for applicants who have trouble accessing the full announcement electronically. The listing notes that the additional information link is not active on the summary page and directs users to open the full announcement for complete details, which is typical of archived federal opportunity listings.
Overall, this FOA is best understood as a targeted research call to answer a practical implementation question: if healthcare organizations were to rely more on elastomeric respirators, how well would that work for the people wearing them and the systems supporting them, and how do those outcomes compare to standard disposable respirators when you consider comfort, workflow impact, program operations, and total costs. The intention is to produce applied, decision-relevant findings that healthcare leaders and occupational safety programs can use to shape respiratory protection strategy in routine operations and in high-demand situations.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title and funding opportunity number for this FOA?
The FOA is titled "Assessment of Elastomeric Respirators in Healthcare Environments (R21)" and the Funding Opportunity Number is RFA OH 14 009.
Which agency is offering this opportunity?
This is a CDC discretionary funding opportunity.
What program area and CFDA number does this funding fall under?
The program falls under occupational safety and health, with CFDA 93.262 (Occupational Safety and Health Program).
What is the main purpose of the FOA?
The main purpose is to support research that evaluates how elastomeric respirators perform in real-world healthcare environments, focusing on actual day-to-day clinical use rather than only theoretical or laboratory performance.
What types of respirators are the focus of the research?
The FOA focuses on elastomeric respirators in healthcare settings and encourages comparisons to filtering facepiece respirators.
What does the FOA mean by studying "use factors" for healthcare workers?
"Use factors" refers to practical, real-world aspects of wearing and using elastomeric respirators, such as tolerability and comfort, and how those factors affect healthcare work and downstream outcomes.
What kinds of day-to-day clinical issues can projects examine?
Projects may examine whether elastomeric respirators interfere with communication, patient interactions, mobility, task completion, or compliance over long shifts, and whether challenges differ by role or clinical unit.
Is CDC interested only in worker protection, or also in implementation issues?
CDC is interested in both. The FOA highlights operational and economic aspects in addition to protective performance, including what it takes to implement elastomeric respirators at scale in a healthcare facility.
What operational topics are specifically called out in the FOA?
Examples include cleaning and disinfection workflows, storage, maintenance, replacement of parts such as filters, training burdens, fit-testing logistics, supply chain resilience, and overall organizational costs.
Does the FOA encourage comparing elastomeric respirators to other options?
Yes. A major theme is comparative assessment, encouraging applicants to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of elastomeric respirators relative to filtering facepiece respirators.
What comparison dimensions does CDC emphasize?
The FOA emphasizes comparisons across user experience (comfort and tolerability), operational feasibility (deployment, reprocessing, and program administration), and economic impact (cost effectiveness, resource utilization, and potential savings or added costs over time).
Why does the FOA emphasize real-world evidence instead of only lab testing?
The FOA is aimed at decision-relevant evidence for healthcare settings, focusing on whether elastomeric respirators are workable, acceptable, and sustainable in routine clinical conditions and how they affect real workflows.
How does preparedness or respirator scarcity relate to this FOA?
The FOA framing reflects preparedness and workforce protection concerns, including scenarios where disposable filtering facepiece respirators may be scarce and reusable options might offer logistical advantages.
What type of funding mechanism is used?
The funding mechanism is a cooperative agreement.
What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?
A cooperative agreement indicates CDC expects an active partnership role rather than a fully hands-off relationship. This can include coordination, technical input, collaboration on dissemination, and alignment with federal priorities.
What is the activity category for this opportunity?
The activity category listed is Health.
How many awards were anticipated?
CDC anticipated making about 2 awards under this announcement.
What was the estimated total funding amount?
The estimated total funding amount was $1,200,000.
What is the award ceiling?
The award ceiling is $300,000.
Is there an award floor?
No award floor is stated.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
When was the FOA posted and when were applications due?
The FOA was posted on May 16, 2014. The original and final application due date was June 30, 2014.
Is this opportunity still open?
No. The FOA was archived on July 30, 2014, and the due dates indicate it is a historical opportunity listing.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes public and private institutions of higher education (including HBCUs, TCCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, and Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian-serving institutions), nonprofit organizations (501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other than small businesses), and multiple levels of government (state, county, city or township, special districts, tribal governments federally recognized and other than federally recognized).
Are any additional applicant types listed as eligible?
Yes. The eligibility list also includes independent school districts, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, U.S. territories or possessions, eligible federal agencies, faith-based and community-based organizations, regional organizations, bona fide agents, FFRDCs, and others listed in the FOA summary.
What kinds of organizations does the broad eligibility suggest CDC wanted to reach?
The broad eligibility suggests CDC aimed to attract proposals from academic researchers, healthcare systems, occupational health groups, industry partners, and public agencies able to access real healthcare settings and operational data.
What is the key research question this FOA is trying to answer?
The FOA is centered on a practical implementation question: if healthcare organizations rely more on elastomeric respirators, how well does that work for the people wearing them and the systems supporting them, and how do outcomes compare to disposable filtering facepiece respirators when considering comfort, workflow impact, program operations, and total costs.
What kinds of outputs or findings was CDC looking for?
The FOA sought applied, decision-relevant findings that can inform policies and purchasing decisions in healthcare systems, especially for respiratory protection programs and emergency readiness.
Where is administrative support and contact information handled?
Administrative support and contact information are routed through the CDC Procurement and Grants Office, Technical Information Management Section (TIMS).
What should an applicant do if they cannot access the full announcement electronically?
The listing provides a phone contact for applicants who have trouble accessing the full announcement electronically, routed through the CDC Procurement and Grants Office TIMS.
What if the additional information link on the summary page is not active?
The summary notes that the additional information link is not active and directs users to open the full announcement for complete details, which is typical for archived federal opportunity listings.
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