Establish a Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System for the Nation | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The grant opportunity titled "Establish a Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System for the Nation" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA DP 15 004) is a CDC cooperative agreement intended to build a modern, nationwide system for tracking vision and eye health in the United States. The core aim is to develop, test, and implement an ongoing surveillance system that does not start from scratch, but instead smartly combines and leverages information already being collected through existing population surveys, administrative datasets, and electronic data sources. In practical terms, the CDC is looking for projects that can pull together multiple data streams into a coherent system that can regularly produce reliable, comparable estimates of vision loss and visual function, the burden of eye diseases, and the ways these outcomes differ across populations and places.

A central feature of the opportunity is its emphasis on producing useful public health intelligence at multiple geographic levels. The envisioned surveillance system is meant to generate population-based estimates not only nationally, but also at state and community levels where feasible. The focus goes beyond simply counting diagnoses: the system is expected to characterize vision loss and function, monitor eye disease patterns, identify disparities (for example, differences by race/ethnicity, age, income, disability status, geography, or other relevant factors), and shed light on the real-world barriers and facilitators that shape access to vision and eye care. Those access-related measures could include things like affordability, availability of providers, insurance coverage, transportation, referral pathways, and other factors that influence whether people can get screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care.

The CDC frames the purpose of this surveillance work in strongly action-oriented terms. The data produced by the system should be usable for prioritizing interventions, informing policy decisions, and improving public communications about vision and eye health. An important expectation is dissemination: the resulting surveillance findings should be shared in ways that make them readily usable by existing public health programs, with the idea that better data will lead to more targeted public health action and measurable improvements in vision and eye health outcomes across the country.

Mechanically, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement, which typically means substantial involvement from the CDC in shaping, coordinating, or guiding the funded work compared with a more hands-off grant. The opportunity sits within the health category and is tied to CFDA 93.068 (Chronic Diseases Research, Control, and Prevention). The estimated total funding amount listed is $4,000,000, with an award ceiling of $1,000,000, and the CDC anticipated making about four awards. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which lowers the barrier for applicants that may not have non-federal funds available to contribute.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based public and private entities. 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 tribal governments and other tribal organizations; U.S. territories or possessions; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses; and eligible federal agencies. The notice specifically encourages applications from certain types of higher education institutions that are often underrepresented in federal funding, including Hispanic-serving institutions, historically Black colleges and universities, tribally controlled colleges and universities, and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions. It also allows "bona fide agents" to apply on behalf of a state or local government, but only with a legal, binding agreement documenting that status. At the same time, the opportunity draws a firm boundary around international participation: foreign organizations are not eligible to apply, foreign components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and applicants may not include collaborators or consultants from foreign institutions.

Key administrative details reflect that this was a time-limited solicitation. The FOA was posted December 16, 2014, with a letter of intent due January 5, 2015, and applications due February 5, 2015. The archive date is listed as March 7, 2015. For support accessing the full announcement, the CDC points applicants to its Technical Information Management Section (TIMS) within the Procurement and Grants Office, including phone and email contact information.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as an investment in shared infrastructure: a national vision and eye health surveillance capability that brings together surveys and electronic/administrative data to create consistent, decision-ready estimates. The intended payoff is not just better statistics, but a practical foundation for targeting resources, reducing inequities, improving access to care, and strengthening communication and program planning in vision and eye health across the United States.

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