Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CE 15 005
Apply for RFA CE 15 005
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research to Evaluate the CDC Heads Up Concussion Initiative in Youth Sports" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.136 Injury Prevention and Control Research and State and Community Based Programs.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jan 26, 2015 and posted on Jan 26, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 5, 2015 Letter of Intent Due Date 01/20/2015 Application Due Date 03/05/2015 BY 5PM EST. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $550,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $550,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments City or township governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Private institutions of higher education For profit organizations other than small businesses Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Independent school districts Small businesses County governments Special district governments Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities.
- Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government U.S. Territory or Possession Faith based or Community based Organizations Regional Organizations Bona Fide Agents Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs)
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Opportunity Summary:
The CDC grant opportunity titled "Research to Evaluate the CDC Heads Up Concussion Initiative in Youth Sports" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA CE 15 005) was a discretionary funding announcement offered through a cooperative agreement mechanism. Its main goal was to support a rigorous, real-world evaluation of how concussion education and awareness efforts are being put into practice in local youth sports settings and high school athletics, specifically when those efforts rely on CDC Heads Up training, toolkits, and related educational materials. Rather than focusing on developing new concussion resources, the emphasis was on studying implementation in the field: how leagues, clubs, schools, coaches, parents, athletes, and other stakeholders actually use the Heads Up materials, what parts of the program get adopted or ignored, and what measurable differences the education and awareness approach makes once it is introduced into everyday sports environments.
At the center of the opportunity was an implementation-and-effectiveness evaluation. The CDC was looking for projects that could document and explain what local programs are doing with Heads Up content and how well those efforts translate into improved concussion recognition, reporting, response, and overall safety practices. The primary practical payoff CDC highlighted was local improvement. By understanding how concussion education programs are implemented and whether they change knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and organizational practices, sports organizations and schools would be better positioned to identify gaps (for example, inconsistent coach training, uneven parent engagement, weak return-to-play procedures, or low athlete reporting) and make targeted changes. In other words, the evaluation was intended to produce actionable findings for community and school sports systems, not just academic conclusions.
A secondary aim expanded the scope beyond education alone by encouraging evaluation of whether rule changes and practice modifications can strengthen, reinforce, or complement the impact of education and awareness. This reflects a broader injury-prevention approach: education can improve recognition and decision-making, but reducing risk may also require changes to how a sport is played or practiced. Under this opportunity, applicants could examine how policy, rule, or training-practice adjustments interact with Heads Up education efforts, and whether combining these strategies produces stronger outcomes than education by itself.
From a funding and administrative standpoint, the opportunity was run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), under the health-focused activity category, and tied to CFDA 93.136 (Injury Prevention and Control Research and State and Community Based Programs). The CDC anticipated making a single award, with an estimated total funding amount of $550,000 and an award ceiling of $550,000 (with no stated minimum award floor). There was no cost sharing or matching requirement, which lowers the barrier for organizations that may not have the ability to contribute non-federal funds. Because the mechanism was a cooperative agreement, recipients should expect substantial federal involvement compared to a standard grant, often meaning closer collaboration, more structured guidance, and potentially more frequent reporting or coordination with CDC program staff during the project period.
Eligibility was broad and included a wide range of public, private, nonprofit, and governmental entities. Eligible applicants included state, county, city/township, special district governments, and independent school districts, as well as public and private institutions of higher education. The eligibility list also extended to federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and both nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status and those without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education). For-profit organizations other than small businesses were eligible, and small businesses were also explicitly included. The announcement also noted eligibility considerations for various institution types and organizational categories such as Hispanic Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, faith-based and community-based organizations, regional organizations, bona fide agents, federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. Taken together, this reflects an intent to attract applicants with practical access to youth sports settings (like school districts and sports organizations) as well as applicants with evaluation expertise (like universities, research centers, and public health agencies).
The timeline shows this was posted and created on January 26, 2015, with a letter of intent due January 20, 2015 and full applications due March 5, 2015 by 5 PM Eastern, and it was later archived April 4, 2015. The presence of a letter of intent deadline indicates CDC likely wanted an early read on who planned to apply and what kinds of evaluation designs or settings were being proposed, which is common for competitive research-oriented opportunities where the agency benefits from anticipating the range of submissions.
Finally, the program was housed within CDCs National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC). The listed point of contact for access issues was Paul Smutz, Ph.D., with a telephone number provided. Overall, this opportunity was designed to move beyond general support for concussion education and instead fund a careful, evidence-driven look at how CDC Heads Up materials perform in the realities of youth and high school sports, including whether pairing education with rule and practice reforms produces better safety outcomes than education alone.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the title of this CDC grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Research to Evaluate the CDC Heads Up Concussion Initiative in Youth Sports".
2. What is the funding opportunity number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA CE 15 005.
3. What kind of funding mechanism did CDC use for this opportunity?
This was offered through a cooperative agreement, which generally means CDC expected to have substantial involvement during the project (for example, closer coordination and more structured engagement than a typical grant).
4. What was the main purpose of this funding opportunity?
The main purpose was to support a rigorous, real-world evaluation of how concussion education and awareness efforts are implemented in local youth sports and high school athletics when those efforts rely on CDC Heads Up training, toolkits, and related educational materials.
5. Was the focus on creating new concussion education materials?
No. The emphasis was not on developing new concussion resources. It was focused on evaluating how existing CDC Heads Up materials are used in the field and what impact they have in real sports environments.
6. What settings were the evaluations expected to focus on?
The opportunity emphasized local youth sports settings (such as leagues and clubs) and high school athletics.
7. What did CDC mean by an "implementation-and-effectiveness evaluation"?
CDC was looking for projects that could (1) document and explain how Heads Up content was implemented locally and (2) evaluate how well those efforts translated into improvements in concussion recognition, reporting, response, and broader safety practices.
8. Who were the stakeholders of interest in the evaluation?
The announcement highlighted real-world use across stakeholders such as leagues, clubs, schools, coaches, parents, athletes, and other local decision-makers involved in youth and high school sports.
9. What kinds of outcomes was CDC interested in measuring?
CDC emphasized outcomes like improvements in concussion recognition, reporting, response, and overall safety practices, as well as changes in knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and organizational practices after Heads Up education and awareness efforts are introduced.
10. What practical value was CDC hoping to get from the evaluation?
The practical payoff highlighted was local improvement. The intent was to produce actionable findings that help sports organizations and schools identify gaps (such as inconsistent coach training, uneven parent engagement, weak return-to-play procedures, or low athlete reporting) and make targeted changes.
11. Did the opportunity include evaluation of policy or rule changes?
Yes, as a secondary aim. Applicants were encouraged to evaluate whether rule changes and practice modifications could strengthen, reinforce, or complement the impact of education and awareness efforts, and whether combining these strategies produced stronger outcomes than education alone.
12. Which CDC program area housed this opportunity?
The program was housed within CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC).
13. What CFDA number was associated with this opportunity?
This opportunity was tied to CFDA 93.136 (Injury Prevention and Control Research and State and Community Based Programs).
14. What was the activity category for this funding opportunity?
The activity category was listed as health.
15. How many awards did CDC anticipate making?
CDC anticipated making a single award.
16. What was the estimated total funding amount?
The estimated total funding amount was $550,000.
17. What was the award ceiling?
The award ceiling was $550,000.
18. Was there a minimum award amount stated?
No minimum award floor was stated in the information provided.
19. Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
20. Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included many types of public, private, nonprofit, and governmental entities, including:
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Independent school districts
- Public and private institutions of higher education
- Federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status
- Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education)
- For-profit organizations other than small businesses
- Small businesses
21. Were any specific institution types called out as eligible?
Yes. The eligibility considerations referenced institution and organization categories such as Hispanic Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, as well as faith-based and community-based organizations, regional organizations, bona fide agents, federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions.
22. Why was eligibility so broad?
Based on the description, the broad eligibility appears intended to attract applicants with practical access to youth sports settings (such as school districts and sports organizations) as well as applicants with evaluation expertise (such as universities, research centers, and public health agencies).
23. When was the opportunity posted/created?
It was posted and created on January 26, 2015.
24. Was a letter of intent required, and when was it due?
A letter of intent was included in the timeline, with a due date of January 20, 2015.
25. When were full applications due?
Full applications were due on March 5, 2015 by 5 PM Eastern.
26. Is this opportunity still open?
No. It was later archived on April 4, 2015.
27. Who was the listed point of contact?
The listed point of contact for access issues was Paul Smutz, Ph.D., with a telephone number provided in the announcement.
28. What does "real-world evaluation" imply in this context?
It implies studying what happens in everyday practice in community and school sports systems: how Heads Up materials are actually used (or not used), what elements are adopted or ignored, and what measurable differences appear once the approach is introduced into routine operations.
29. What kinds of implementation gaps did CDC expect evaluations might uncover?
The opportunity specifically suggested gaps could include things like inconsistent coach training, uneven parent engagement, weak return-to-play procedures, and low athlete reporting.
30. What is the central theme of the opportunity in plain terms?
Rather than funding more educational content, CDC intended to fund a careful evaluation of how well the CDC Heads Up concussion education approach works when put into practice in youth and high school sports, including whether pairing education with rule and practice reforms improves safety outcomes.
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