Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH15 1509
Apply for CDC RFA GH15 1509
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Establishment of a Strategic Partnership to Strengthen the Council of Ministries of Health of Central America (COMISCA) in the Central America Region under the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.067 Global AIDS.
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 23, 2014 and posted on Sep 23, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 25, 2014. (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 $418,824.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Assistance will be provided only to the Secretara General del Sistema de la Integracin Centroamericana (SG SICA) / Consejo de Ministros de Salud de Centroamrica (COMISCA). SG SICA/COMISCA is the entity that represents all of the Ministers of Health of Central America. It is both a political and a technical entity. SG SICA/COMISCA is uniquely positioned, in terms of legal authority and support from all Ministries of Health in Central America, to collaborate with CDC Central America Region (CAR) to enhance sustainable public health surveillance and laboratory networks in the region.
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Opportunity Summary:
This funding opportunity (CDC RFA GH15-1509) is a PEPFAR-supported cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention focused on strengthening regional public health systems in Central America by working through COMISCA, the Council of Ministries of Health of Central America, housed within the Secretaria General del Sistema de la Integracion Centroamericana (SG SICA). The grant is designed around the idea that COMISCA is the one body with both the technical credibility and the political mandate to coordinate cross-country public health action, since it represents all Central American Ministers of Health and can align national priorities into regional plans. Rather than funding a broad set of applicants, eligibility is limited to SG SICA/COMISCA, reflecting CDCs intent to formalize a strategic partnership with the regions official ministerial health coordinating entity. The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, meaning CDC would expect close collaboration and substantial involvement in implementation, technical direction, and monitoring.
At its core, the opportunity aims to help COMISCA strengthen and coordinate regional public health networks, especially laboratory systems and HIV surveillance. The FOA frames laboratory improvement as a structured, measurable process that creates practical learning opportunities for laboratories, supports continuous quality improvement, identifies training and resource gaps, and provides a way to measure and recognize laboratory competency and reliability. A central tool for this is SLMTA (Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation), a widely used program that helps laboratories build quality management systems and move toward recognized standards. The grant also emphasizes surveillance capacity: COMISCA is expected to evaluate HIV surveillance systems, guide the creation of multi-year surveillance strategies, and help countries standardize procedures that ensure people diagnosed with HIV are linked quickly and reliably to treatment and care.
The FOA sets out concrete, time-bound objectives that COMISCA would help drive across participating countries. On the laboratory side, by the end of year three (March 2018), two national reference laboratories already enrolled in SLMTA are expected to achieve a top performance rating of 5 stars on laboratory evaluations, signaling major progress in quality systems. In addition, laboratories from three regional hospitals across two countries are to be newly enrolled in SLMTA by March 2018, expanding quality improvement beyond national reference labs to hospital-level services. The grant also calls for establishing an international certification body for the Central America region by March 2017, which signals an ambition to institutionalize quality recognition and oversight regionally rather than relying solely on external or ad hoc mechanisms. Complementing these steps, the FOA requires the development of five-year national laboratory strategic plans in two countries by March 2017, helping translate quality improvement and network strengthening into longer-term planning, budgeting, and workforce development.
On the HIV surveillance side, the objectives focus on strengthening case-based surveillance and improving the quality, timeliness, and usefulness of HIV data for decision-making. By March 2016, COMISCA is expected to support national HIV surveillance system evaluations in two countries, with the explicit purpose of strengthening HIV case-based surveillance. Also by March 2016, two countries are to develop five-year national surveillance strategies designed to generate and disseminate high-quality, timely surveillance and survey information. These strategies are intended to support monitoring of HIV prevalence and incidence as well as HIV-related risk behaviors, and to feed directly into evidence-based program management and policy formulation. Finally, by March 2017, COMISCA is expected to help develop national standard operating procedures, in coordination with key stakeholders, that formalize how individuals who test HIV positive are linked from HIV testing and counseling programs into prevention, treatment, care, and support services. Unlike some objectives that apply to only two countries, this SOP linkage objective is region-wide, covering all seven countries in Central America, underscoring the grants focus on harmonization and consistent service pathways across borders.
Administratively, the opportunity was posted September 23, 2014, with an original and final closing date of November 25, 2014, and it was archived December 25, 2014. It is listed under CFDA 93.067 (Global AIDS), does not require cost sharing or matching, and anticipated a single award. The listed award ceiling is $418,824, with no stated floor, indicating the maximum expected federal funding level for the project period or budget period as defined in the announcement. For applicants or partners needing access help, the CDC Procurement and Grants Office Technical Information Management Section was the listed point of contact (pgotim@cdc.gov, 770-488-2700). Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted investment in regional coordination: building durable lab quality systems, creating regional certification infrastructure, strengthening HIV surveillance and strategic planning, and standardizing the operational steps that move people from diagnosis to treatment across Central America.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - CDC RFA GH15-1509 (COMISCA / Central America)
1) What is CDC RFA GH15-1509?
CDC RFA GH15-1509 is a PEPFAR-supported funding opportunity from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is structured as a cooperative agreement focused on strengthening regional public health systems in Central America by working through COMISCA (the Council of Ministries of Health of Central America), which is housed within the Secretaria General del Sistema de la Integracion Centroamericana (SG SICA).
2) What is the main purpose of this grant?
The opportunity is designed to strengthen and coordinate regional public health networks in Central America, with a particular focus on laboratory systems improvement and HIV surveillance. It emphasizes measurable laboratory quality improvement (including the use of SLMTA) and stronger, more standardized HIV surveillance and linkage-to-care processes across countries.
3) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to SG SICA/COMISCA. The funding opportunity is not open to a broad pool of applicants, reflecting CDC's intent to formalize a strategic partnership with the region's official ministerial health coordinating entity.
4) Why is eligibility limited to SG SICA/COMISCA?
The announcement frames COMISCA as the body with the technical credibility and political mandate to coordinate cross-country public health action, because it represents all Central American Ministers of Health and can align national priorities into regional plans. The limited eligibility aligns with the goal of working through the official regional health coordination mechanism.
5) What type of award mechanism is used?
The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement. This means CDC expects close collaboration and substantial involvement in implementation, technical direction, and monitoring.
6) What are the main technical focus areas?
The two main focus areas are:
- Strengthening regional laboratory networks and laboratory quality systems (including SLMTA participation and performance improvements).
- Strengthening HIV surveillance capacity, including evaluation of surveillance systems, development of multi-year surveillance strategies, and standardization of procedures that support timely linkage from HIV diagnosis to treatment and care.
7) What is SLMTA and how is it used in this opportunity?
SLMTA (Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation) is described as a widely used program that helps laboratories build quality management systems and move toward recognized standards. In this opportunity, SLMTA is a central tool for structured, measurable laboratory improvement, including identifying training and resource gaps and creating a way to measure and recognize laboratory competency and reliability.
8) What laboratory outcomes are expected by the end of year three (March 2018)?
By March 2018, the FOA expects:
- Two national reference laboratories already enrolled in SLMTA to achieve a top performance rating of 5 stars on laboratory evaluations.
- Laboratories from three regional hospitals across two countries to be newly enrolled in SLMTA, expanding quality improvement beyond national reference laboratories to hospital-level services.
9) What does the "5-star" laboratory rating refer to in this FOA?
The FOA describes the 5-star rating as a top performance rating on laboratory evaluations, used as a signal of major progress in laboratory quality management systems, competency, and reliability.
10) Is there an objective related to regional laboratory certification?
Yes. The FOA calls for establishing an international certification body for the Central America region by March 2017. This reflects an intent to institutionalize quality recognition and oversight regionally.
11) Are national laboratory strategic plans part of the required work?
Yes. The FOA requires the development of five-year national laboratory strategic plans in two countries by March 2017. These plans are intended to translate laboratory quality improvement and network strengthening into longer-term planning, budgeting, and workforce development.
12) What HIV surveillance activities are expected under the award?
The FOA emphasizes strengthening HIV case-based surveillance and improving the quality, timeliness, and usefulness of HIV data for decision-making. COMISCA is expected to support evaluation of national HIV surveillance systems, guide the creation of multi-year surveillance strategies, and help countries standardize procedures to ensure people diagnosed with HIV are linked quickly and reliably to treatment and care.
13) What HIV surveillance objectives are due by March 2016?
By March 2016, the FOA states that:
- COMISCA is expected to support national HIV surveillance system evaluations in two countries, with the purpose of strengthening HIV case-based surveillance.
- Two countries are to develop five-year national surveillance strategies designed to generate and disseminate high-quality, timely surveillance and survey information.
14) What should the five-year national surveillance strategies cover?
The FOA indicates these strategies are intended to support monitoring of HIV prevalence and incidence and HIV-related risk behaviors, and to feed directly into evidence-based program management and policy formulation.
15) Is there a requirement related to linking people diagnosed with HIV to care?
Yes. By March 2017, COMISCA is expected to help develop national standard operating procedures (SOPs), in coordination with key stakeholders, that formalize how individuals who test HIV positive are linked from HIV testing and counseling programs into prevention, treatment, care, and support services.
16) Does the linkage-to-care SOP objective apply to all Central American countries?
Yes. Unlike certain objectives that apply to only two countries, the SOP linkage objective is region-wide and covers all seven countries in Central America, highlighting the FOA's emphasis on harmonization and consistent service pathways across borders.
17) How many awards were anticipated?
The opportunity anticipated a single award.
18) What is the maximum funding amount listed?
The listed award ceiling is $418,824. No award floor is stated.
19) Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA states that cost sharing or matching is not required.
20) What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 93.067 (Global AIDS).
21) When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on September 23, 2014. The original closing date and the final closing date were both November 25, 2014.
22) What does it mean that the opportunity is archived?
The listing indicates the opportunity was archived on December 25, 2014, which typically means the announcement is no longer active for applications under that posting.
23) Who was the listed point of contact for access help?
The listed point of contact for access help was the CDC Procurement and Grants Office Technical Information Management Section. The contact details provided were pgotim@cdc.gov and 770-488-2700.
24) What is the overall strategy behind this funding opportunity?
The FOA describes this as a targeted investment in regional coordination through COMISCA: building durable laboratory quality systems (including SLMTA-driven improvement), creating regional certification infrastructure, strengthening HIV surveillance and strategic planning, and standardizing operational steps that move people from diagnosis to treatment across Central America.
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