Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA DD16 1601
Apply for CDC RFA DD16 1601
- The NCBDDD in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Population Based Surveillance of Birth Defects and Data Utilization for Public Health Action" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.073 Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities Prevention and Surveillance.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 24, 2015 and posted on Aug 24, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 26, 2015 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $9,800,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 14 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).
- Eligible applicants that can apply for this funding opportunity are listed below bull Federally recognized or state recognized American Indian/Alaska Native tribal governments bull American Indian/Alaska native tribally designated organizations bull Alaska Native health corporations bull Urban Indian health organizations bull Tribal epidemiology centers bull State and local governments or their Bona Fide Agents (this includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianna Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau)
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Opportunity Summary:
The CDC grant opportunity titled "Population Based Surveillance of Birth Defects and Data Utilization for Public Health Action" is a cooperative agreement designed to strengthen how states, territories, and eligible tribal entities track major birth defects and, just as importantly, how they use those data to take practical public health action. The program is rooted in the Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1998, which directed CDC to support the collection of birth defects data and to provide the public with prevention information. The need is framed in clear public health terms: birth defects affect about 1 in 33 babies in the United States, are a leading contributor to infant mortality (more than 20 percent of infant deaths), and drive substantial health care costs, including an estimated $2.6 billion annually in hospital costs alone, alongside lifelong disability and service needs for many affected individuals.
At its core, the funding aims to improve population-based birth defects surveillance systems so they are more timely, complete, and accurate, and so they can better describe the real-world impact of birth defects on communities. Applicants are expected to modernize and enhance surveillance methodologies. Examples emphasized in the announcement include expanding and diversifying data sources, increasing remote access to electronic medical records, piloting innovative approaches that leverage electronic health data, and adopting other process improvements that raise data quality and speed. The FOA strongly encourages recipients to align their work with the National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN) Guidelines for Conducting Birth Defects Surveillance and to meet national standards for data quality, signaling that consistency and comparability across jurisdictions are major priorities.
A major feature of this opportunity is that it does not stop at data collection. Applicants must also demonstrate meaningful data utilization by carrying out at least three activities from a specified menu. Those options include producing publications or other epidemiologic outputs that use improved surveillance to study trends, community impact, or health service utilization; implementing data-driven prevention strategies targeted to populations at risk; strengthening referral pathways to services for individuals and families affected by birth defects and evaluating whether those referrals are effective; and enhancing surveillance related to newborn screening, including critical congenital heart defects (CCHD) and other disorders, with follow-up evaluation of health outcomes for identified children. In other words, CDC is seeking programs that can move from counting cases to turning surveillance into prevention, service connection, and outcome monitoring.
The FOA also highlights why these investments matter now. Even though the overall prevalence of birth defects may be stable, specific defects vary in prevalence by place and over time, and surveillance systems need high-quality, timely data to explore potential links with modifiable risk factors. The announcement further notes that more infants born with birth defects are surviving longer, which increases the importance of tracking longer-term outcomes, quantifying public health burden beyond infancy, and generating evidence that can inform policy decisions and improve health care services and utilization. Stronger surveillance systems across more jurisdictions are positioned as a foundation for better epidemiologic research and for developing and evaluating both primary prevention (reducing occurrence) and secondary prevention (reducing complications and improving outcomes through early detection and services).
Partnerships are described as essential to success. While the FOA does not prescribe specific partners, the intent is clear: recipients should engage organizations that can support case finding, data access, referral processes, and follow-up outcomes, such as health systems, medical records and informatics partners, newborn screening programs, and service providers. The work is administered through CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) and is presented as aligned with broader national public health frameworks and priorities, including CDC Health Protection Goals, Healthy People 2020 objectives, and CDC strategic priorities.
From an administrative and funding standpoint, this was a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement mechanism (meaning CDC would have substantial involvement compared to a typical grant). The funding opportunity number is CDC-RFA-DD16-1601, under CFDA 93.073 (Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities Prevention and Surveillance). The estimated total funding was $9.8 million, with an expected 14 awards. Individual awards were projected to range from $150,000 to $250,000, and there was no cost-sharing or matching requirement. Eligible applicants included state governments and a broad range of tribal and Native organizations (including federally or state recognized tribes, tribally designated organizations, Alaska Native health corporations, urban Indian health organizations, and tribal epidemiology centers), as well as state and local governments and their bona fide agents across U.S. states, DC, and multiple U.S. territories and freely associated states. The opportunity was posted August 24, 2015, with an application deadline of October 26, 2015, and an archive date of November 25, 2015. Contact information in the announcement referenced Bill Paradies (wep2@cdc.gov) for access issues.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the purpose of the CDC cooperative agreement "Population Based Surveillance of Birth Defects and Data Utilization for Public Health Action"?
The purpose is to strengthen population-based surveillance of major birth defects and improve how those data are used for practical public health action. The opportunity emphasizes making surveillance systems more timely, complete, and accurate, and ensuring the data are actively used to support prevention efforts, improve service connections, and evaluate health outcomes.
2. What public health problem is this funding intended to address?
The funding targets the burden of birth defects in the United States. The announcement notes that birth defects affect about 1 in 33 babies, contribute to more than 20 percent of infant deaths, and drive major health care costs (including an estimated $2.6 billion annually in hospital costs alone), along with lifelong disability and service needs for many affected individuals.
3. What type of funding mechanism is this opportunity?
This opportunity uses a cooperative agreement mechanism. That means CDC is expected to have substantial involvement in the work compared with a typical grant.
4. What is the funding opportunity number and CFDA number?
The funding opportunity number is CDC-RFA-DD16-1601. The CFDA number is 93.073 (Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities Prevention and Surveillance).
5. How much funding was available and how many awards were expected?
The estimated total funding was $9.8 million, with an expected 14 awards.
6. What was the projected award size per recipient?
Individual awards were projected to range from $150,000 to $250,000.
7. Was cost-sharing or matching required?
No. The announcement states there was no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
8. Who was eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants included state governments and a broad range of tribal and Native organizations, including federally or state recognized tribes, tribally designated organizations, Alaska Native health corporations, urban Indian health organizations, tribal epidemiology centers, and also state and local governments and their bona fide agents across U.S. states, Washington, DC, and multiple U.S. territories and freely associated states.
9. What kinds of systems or capabilities is CDC seeking to improve through this program?
The program aims to improve population-based birth defects surveillance systems so they are more timely, complete, and accurate, and better able to describe the real-world impact of birth defects on communities.
10. What kinds of surveillance modernization activities were encouraged?
Examples highlighted include expanding and diversifying data sources, increasing remote access to electronic medical records, piloting innovative approaches that leverage electronic health data, and adopting other process improvements that increase data quality and speed.
11. Are applicants expected to follow any national surveillance guidelines or standards?
Yes. The funding announcement strongly encourages recipients to align their work with the National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN) Guidelines for Conducting Birth Defects Surveillance and to meet national standards for data quality. This reflects a priority for consistency and comparability across jurisdictions.
12. Does the program focus only on data collection?
No. A central feature of the opportunity is data utilization. Applicants are expected not only to improve surveillance, but also to use the improved data to support public health action.
13. What data utilization activities were required?
Applicants were required to carry out at least three activities from a specified menu described in the announcement. These activities focus on translating surveillance data into outputs and actions such as epidemiologic analyses, prevention strategies, service referrals, and newborn screening-related surveillance and outcomes evaluation.
14. What are examples of acceptable data utilization activities listed in the announcement?
The menu of options included: (1) producing publications or other epidemiologic outputs using improved surveillance data to study trends, community impact, or health service utilization; (2) implementing data-driven prevention strategies targeted to populations at risk; (3) strengthening referral pathways to services for individuals and families affected by birth defects and evaluating referral effectiveness; and (4) enhancing surveillance related to newborn screening (including critical congenital heart defects (CCHD) and other disorders) with follow-up evaluation of health outcomes for identified children.
15. How does newborn screening relate to this opportunity?
The announcement includes enhancing surveillance related to newborn screening as an allowable data utilization activity, explicitly referencing critical congenital heart defects (CCHD) and other disorders, along with follow-up evaluation of health outcomes for children identified through screening.
16. Why did the announcement emphasize timely and high-quality data?
The announcement notes that while overall prevalence of birth defects may be stable, the prevalence of specific defects varies by place and over time. Timely, high-quality surveillance data are needed to understand these patterns and to explore potential links with modifiable risk factors.
17. Does the announcement address outcomes beyond infancy?
Yes. It notes that more infants born with birth defects are surviving longer, increasing the importance of tracking longer-term outcomes, quantifying public health burden beyond infancy, and generating evidence that can inform policy decisions and improve health care services and utilization.
18. What kinds of prevention does the program aim to support?
The announcement positions strengthened surveillance as a foundation for developing and evaluating primary prevention (reducing occurrence) and secondary prevention (reducing complications and improving outcomes through early detection and services).
19. Are partnerships required or encouraged?
Partnerships are described as essential to success. While the announcement does not prescribe specific partners, it indicates recipients should engage organizations that support case finding, data access, referral processes, and follow-up outcomes, such as health systems, medical records and informatics partners, newborn screening programs, and service providers.
20. Which CDC center administered this opportunity?
The work is administered through CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD).
21. How does this opportunity connect to broader public health priorities?
The announcement describes the program as aligned with broader national public health frameworks and priorities, including CDC Health Protection Goals, Healthy People 2020 objectives, and CDC strategic priorities.
22. What were the key dates for this funding opportunity?
The opportunity was posted on August 24, 2015. The application deadline was October 26, 2015. The archive date was November 25, 2015.
23. Who was listed as a contact for access issues?
The announcement referenced Bill Paradies (wep2@cdc.gov) for access issues.
24. What was the legal or legislative basis mentioned for this program?
The program is rooted in the Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1998, which directed CDC to support the collection of birth defects data and to provide the public with prevention information.
25. What is meant by "population-based" birth defects surveillance in this announcement?
Based on the announcement language, population-based surveillance refers to systems intended to track major birth defects across a jurisdiction's population (such as a state, territory, or eligible tribal entity) to produce complete, accurate, and timely information that can be used to describe community impact and guide public health action.
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