Public Health Preparedness and Response (PHPR) Cooperative Agreement for All-Hazards Public Health Emergencies: Zika 2016 | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Public Health Preparedness and Response (PHPR) Cooperative Agreement for All-Hazards Public Health Emergencies: Zika 2016 (Funding Opportunity Number CDC RFA TP16 1602) was a discretionary cooperative agreement issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (HHS-CDC-OPHPR). It was designed to rapidly strengthen public health readiness for a potential outbreak of Zika virus disease (ZVD) in the continental United States, Hawaii, U.S. territories, and freely associated states. The core idea behind the opportunity was to pair CDC guidance and hands-on technical support with targeted funding so that health departments could close immediate preparedness gaps and be ready to move quickly if local transmission occurred or expanded.

CDC announced a total of 25 million dollars to be distributed across 53 state, territorial, and local health departments. The selection and distribution approach was tied to the conditions at the time of the announcement, including where Zika transmission was already occurring, which jurisdictions were most likely to be affected next, and what historical patterns of arboviral disease (mosquito-borne viruses) suggested about risk. Individual awards could be as high as 5,000,000 dollars (award ceiling), reflecting the expectation that some jurisdictions would need more intensive capacity-building due to higher risk, larger populations, or more complex operational needs. Applications were due June 13, 2016, with the funding opportunity posted and created on May 11, 2016. The CFDA number associated with the program was 93.069, and eligible applicants included state governments, county governments, city or township governments, and other entities as clarified in the full eligibility guidance.

Because this was a cooperative agreement, the relationship was not simply a pass-through grant where recipients operate independently. Cooperative agreements typically involve substantial federal involvement, meaning CDC would actively provide direction, coordination, and technical assistance as jurisdictions refined plans, tested response functions, and aligned their efforts with national guidance. The funding was explicitly meant to accelerate preparedness planning and operational readiness rather than to duplicate work already supported under other federal awards. A key restriction was that funds could not be used for activities already covered by other federal grants or cooperative agreements, which pushed recipients to focus on unmet needs, overlooked operational details, and short-term readiness improvements that could make the difference during a fast-moving public health event.

The expected outcomes emphasized practical, operational deliverables rather than broad or theoretical planning. A major priority was further refinement of jurisdictional Zika response plans, including identifying gaps and ensuring coordinated planning with CDCs Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) for Infectious Diseases cooperative agreement activities. In practice, this meant health departments were expected to sharpen how they would detect cases, manage data, coordinate lab testing capacity, and integrate epidemiology and laboratory functions so that surveillance and confirmation could happen quickly and reliably. The opportunity also called for establishing jurisdictional incident management teams specifically for Zika response, including clear points of contact for the U.S. Pregnancy Registry, reflecting the serious maternal and infant health consequences associated with Zika and the need for tight coordination around pregnancy-related monitoring and follow-up.

Another prominent outcome area was exercising response plan components, which signals that CDC wanted jurisdictions to do more than write plans. Exercises, whether tabletop or functional, are used to reveal weak handoffs, unclear roles, missing authorities, and logistical bottlenecks before a real incident forces systems to perform under pressure. Closely tied to operational readiness was the development of risk communication plans and culturally appropriate messaging to inform the public about ZVD risks and protective measures. That focus on cultural appropriateness matters in outbreak settings because messaging has to reach diverse communities with different languages, trust levels, media habits, and risk perceptions, especially when prevention involves personal behaviors like mosquito avoidance, sexual transmission prevention, and pregnancy-related decision-making.

The program also expected jurisdictions to identify and organize resources across several response pillars: human surveillance, vector surveillance and control, and maternal-child health services, including comprehensive services for families impacted by ZVD. This reflects the reality that a Zika response is not only about finding infections; it also involves monitoring mosquito populations and implementing vector control strategies, while simultaneously ensuring that pregnant people, infants, and families have access to coordinated clinical referrals, supportive services, and long-term follow-up when needed. On the administrative side, recipients were expected to implement preparedness guidelines that enable rapid execution of service contracts, which is a practical but often underestimated requirement during emergencies. The ability to quickly activate contracts for services, supplies, or specialized support can determine whether a response scales in days versus weeks.

Finally, the funding opportunity highlighted the provision of public health emergency management expertise and coordination across all areas of the response. The intent was to address operational gaps, synchronize jurisdictional resources, and align activities with other federal funding streams without duplicating them. In other words, this opportunity aimed to create a more integrated, mission-ready posture where health departments could manage incident command functions, surveillance and lab coordination, communications, vector control, and maternal-child health activities in a unified way, supported by CDC technical assistance and consistent national guidance.

Browse more opportunities from the same agency: HHS-CDC-OPHPR

Browse more opportunities from the same category: Health

Next opportunity: Revision Applications for U.S-South Africa Program for Collaborative Biomedical Research (R01)

Previous opportunity: Revision Applications for U.S-South Africa Program for Collaborative Biomedical Research (U01)

USGrants.org Applicant Portal:

Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.

Apply for CDC RFA TP16 1602

 

[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?

Applicants also applied for:

Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (CDC RFA TP16 1602) also looked into and applied for these:

 

Grant application guides and resources

It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!

Apply for Grants

 

 

Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers

Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.

If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.

Subscribe to Leads

 

Request more information:

Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "CDC RFA TP16 1602", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:

Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.