Community Approaches to Reducing Sexually Transmitted Diseases (CARS) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the Community Approaches to Reducing Sexually Transmitted Diseases (CARS) opportunity?

CARS is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cooperative agreement focused on public health work to reduce sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) through community-based approaches. It is positioned as a health-focused assistance opportunity supporting community-oriented STD prevention and control activities.

2) Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?

This opportunity is issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

3) What type of funding mechanism is used (grant vs. cooperative agreement)?

The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement. This generally means CDC is expected to have substantial involvement in supported activities beyond what is typical for a standard grant.

4) What does "substantial involvement" mean in a cooperative agreement context?

Based on how cooperative agreements typically operate, CDC involvement may include ongoing technical assistance, collaboration on program strategy, shared planning, and performance monitoring with the awardee. The intent is more active partnership than a traditional grant relationship.

5) What is the opportunity category and what does it imply?

The Opportunity Category is "Continuation." This signals the notice is meant to continue or extend previously supported work, rather than serve as a brand-new, open competition for entirely new applicants.

6) What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this announcement?

The Funding Opportunity Number is CDC RFA PS14-140603CONT16.

7) What does the "CONT" marker in the opportunity number suggest?

The presence of "CONT" and the continuation category typically indicate the primary audience is existing recipients or prior program partners continuing work under an established CDC initiative, rather than organizations applying for the first time under a new competition.

8) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is listed under CFDA 93.941.

9) What is the activity category for this opportunity?

The activity category is Health, aligning it with prevention and control efforts in public health.

10) What kinds of activities might be supported under a community-based STD reduction approach?

The summary describes community-level strategies that typically include surveillance-informed interventions, outreach, linkage to testing and treatment, partner services support, and other community-based approaches to reduce transmission and improve sexual health outcomes.

11) Who is eligible to apply?

The synopsis fields list eligibility as "Others" and direct applicants to consult the additional eligibility section in the full announcement for details. This phrasing commonly indicates a limited or specialized applicant pool (for example, existing recipients or entities meeting defined program criteria), which is consistent with a continuation notice.

12) Is this opportunity intended for brand-new applicants?

Based on the "Continuation" category and the continuation indicator in the funding opportunity number, it is likely intended to support continued work by current or prior CDC program partners rather than invite broad new participation. Final determination would depend on the eligibility section in the full announcement.

13) What are the key dates (posted and closing)?

The opportunity was created and posted on March 7, 2016. The original closing date and the current closing date are both May 6, 2016.

14) What is the application deadline?

The closing date listed is May 6, 2016 (also shown as the original closing date).

15) What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?

The Award Ceiling is listed as 0 in the public synopsis. In some federal postings, a zero ceiling can appear when award levels are determined by other factors (such as continuing award amounts under existing agreements) or when financial details are provided in the full announcement rather than the high-level listing.

16) How many awards does CDC expect to make?

The "Expected Awards" field is blank in the synopsis. This generally means the posting does not state a projected number of awards in the public summary.

17) Does a blank or zero funding field mean there is no funding?

Not necessarily. The synopsis indicates that key financial specifics may be determined under existing agreements or provided in the full announcement rather than the top-level listing.

18) Where should applicants look for complete eligibility and funding details?

The synopsis indicates that eligibility is explained in an additional eligibility section in the full announcement. The same approach may apply to funding specifics, especially since the public listing shows an award ceiling of 0 and does not list expected awards.

19) What is the overall purpose of this continuation notice?

The notice represents CDC support for continued community-oriented STD reduction work delivered through cooperative agreements, with eligibility and funding specifics likely dependent on the underlying, earlier CARS funding announcement referenced by this continuation.