Strengthening Public Health Responses and Accelerating HIV/AIDS Program for the Sustainable Provision of Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Services in Tigray Regional State of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia under PEPFAR | CDC RFA GH21 2178

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH21 2178

The grant opportunity titled "Strengthening Public Health Responses and Accelerating HIV/AIDS Program for the Sustainable Provision of Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Services in Tigray Regional State of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia under PEPFAR" is a CDC cooperative agreement (Funding Opportunity Number CDC RFA GH21 2178) designed to re-establish and reinforce support to the Tigray Regional Health Bureau (TRHB) to deliver comprehensive HIV services in Ethiopia's Tigray Region. The overarching purpose is to accelerate progress toward the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets, meaning improving the share of people living with HIV who know their status, the share of diagnosed individuals who are on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and the share of people on ART who achieve viral load suppression. The opportunity sits within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Center for Global Health (CGH), and aligns with PEPFAR priorities focused on epidemic control through high-impact service delivery and stronger public health systems.

The funding details emphasize a cooperative agreement structure, which typically indicates substantial involvement by the CDC in program direction, technical assistance, monitoring expectations, and performance accountability. For Year 1, the notice lists an award ceiling of 0 (none), while also stating CDC anticipates an approximate total fiscal year funding amount of 5,000,000 for Year 1, contingent on available funds. In practical terms, that "no ceiling" notation generally signals CDC is not setting a firm maximum per award in the announcement itself, but it still provides an anticipated budget total for the first year. The opportunity anticipated making a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1), suggesting a primary implementing partner arrangement rather than multiple parallel awards. The CFDA numbers associated with the announcement are 93.067 and 93.318, both of which reflect CDC global health and HIV-related assistance authorities.

Programmatically, the NOFO is rooted in the epidemiological and service delivery context of the Tigray Region. The announcement cites that Tigray accounts for an estimated 56,863 people living with HIV and 42,110 people currently on ART, underscoring both the scale of need and the importance of continuity and quality of treatment services. The intent is to strengthen TRHB capacity across the health system, not only by expanding direct service delivery outputs, but also by improving the management backbone that makes those services sustainable: planning, coordination, supportive supervision, workforce mentoring, supply and service readiness, data quality, and routine performance monitoring.

The core technical focus areas highlighted are the set of interventions most closely linked to epidemic control and the 95-95-95 goals. First is targeted HIV testing services (HTS), with an emphasis on directing testing toward the geographies and populations most affected by HIV so that resources produce the greatest yield and impact. Second is strengthening linkage to care and rapid initiation of ART, recognizing that testing alone does not reduce morbidity, mortality, or transmission unless newly diagnosed clients quickly start effective treatment. Third is retention in treatment, which includes addressing barriers that cause interruptions in care such as weak follow-up systems, stigma, access challenges, or inconsistent service quality. Fourth is improving HIV viral load (VL) suppression, which depends on consistent medication adherence, timely viral load testing, and clinical action when treatment failure is suspected, including adherence counseling and regimen optimization when appropriate.

A major theme running through the opportunity is improving operational efficiency and outcomes by concentrating efforts where HIV burden is highest and where gaps in the cascade are most pronounced. That means the funded approach is expected to be data-driven, using surveillance and program monitoring to identify priority woredas, facilities, and vulnerable groups, then tailoring interventions accordingly. Just as importantly, the NOFO explicitly frames the work as capacity strengthening of TRHB at all levels of the system, implying that success is measured not only by near-term service outputs but also by the regional bureau's improved ability to manage, oversee, and sustain comprehensive HIV programming over time.

Administratively, the opportunity was created on March 23, 2021, with an original closing date of April 22, 2021, and required electronic submission by 11:59 pm ET on the due date. Eligibility is listed as "Others" with further clarification referenced in the full announcement's eligibility section, indicating that applicants needed to consult the NOFO text to confirm specific eligibility conditions and any limitations on who could apply. Overall, the opportunity is structured as a single, sizable cooperative agreement to re-establish comprehensive HIV service support in Tigray, strengthen the regional health bureau's management and monitoring capacity, and drive measurable improvements across the HIV testing-to-treatment-to-suppression cascade in line with PEPFAR and UNAIDS epidemic control goals.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - CGH in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strengthening Public Health Responses and Accelerating HIV/AIDS Program for the Sustainable Provision of Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Services in Tigray Regional State of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia under PEPFAR" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.067, 93.318.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 23, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 22, 2021 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 pm ET on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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).

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