cdc-rfa-jg-26-0054-v2_For Publishing.pdf

Division of Global Health Protection

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Application due August 14, 2026

Strengthening global health security through local partnerships in Uganda Opportunity number: CDC-RFA-JG-26-0054

Contents

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 4

Basic information 5

Eligibility 9

Agency priorities 12

Program description 15

Step 2: Get Ready to Apply 35

Get registered 36

Find the application package 37

Help applying 37

Step 3: Build Your Application 38

Application checklist 39

Application contents and format 41

Step 4: Understand Review, Selection, and Award 55

Application review 56

Award notices 58

Step 5: Submit Your Application 59

Submission and deadlines 60

Step 6: Learn What Happens After Award 62

Post-award requirements and administration 63

Contacts and Support 68

Before you begin 3

Contents 2

Before you begin If you believe you are a good candidate for this funding opportunity, secure your SAM.gov and Grants.gov registrations now. If you are already registered, make sure your registrations are active and up to date.

SAM.gov registration (this can take several weeks) You must have an active account with SAM.gov. This includes having a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).

See Step 2: Get Ready to Apply

Grants.gov registration (this can take several days) You must have an active Grants.gov registration. Doing so requires a Login.gov registration as well.

See Step 2: Get Ready to Apply

Apply by the application due date Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 14, 2026.

To help you find what you need, this NOFO uses internal links. In Adobe Reader, you can go back to where you were by pressing Alt + Left Arrow (Windows) or Command + Left Arrow (Mac) on your keyboard.

Before you begin 3 https://sam.gov/ https://grants.gov/

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Build 4. Understand 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1:

Review the Opportunity

In this step

Basic information 5

Eligibility 9

Agency priorities 12

Program description 15

Basic information Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Global Health Center

Division of Global Health Protection

Making America safer, stronger, and more prosperous by strengthening global health security through surveillance, prevention, and response with a focus on preparedness, early detection, and containment of outbreaks.

Have questions?

See Contacts and Support.

Key facts

Opportunity name:

Strengthening global health security through local partnerships in Uganda

Opportunity number:

CDC-RFA-JG-26-0054

Assistance listing:

93.318: Protecting and Improving Health Globally: Building and Strengthening Public Health Impact, Systems, Capacity, and Security

NOFO version:

Original

Key dates

Application submission deadline:

August 14, 2026

Expected award and start date:

September 30, 2026

We will inform you of your application status by the end of August 2026.

Summary The purpose of this NOFO is to continue expanding Uganda’s capacity to effectively and efficiently respond to health threats. This NOFO focuses on addressing the gaps outlined by the 2023 Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of Uganda’s Global Health Security (GHS) capacities to keep Americans safer, stronger, and more prosperous by improving public health globally. These capacities include Health Emergency Management, Human Resources, National Laboratory Systems, and Surveillance in response to Uganda’s second National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS II). Activities focus on strengthening Uganda’s ability to rapidly contain diseases and manage the risk of disease from coming to the U.S.

Additional activities under this NOFO include utilizing real-time funding for health emergencies, strengthening the national border health program, strengthening workforce personnel at all levels, and deploying the National Integrated Surveillance System (NISS) to guarantee a One Health approach.

Funding details Funding type: Cooperative agreement

Expected total NOFO funding for Year 1: $15,000,000 This is the expected total Year 1 funding for all awards made under this NOFO.

Expected awards: 1-3 The number of awards is subject to available funds and program priorities.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 5

Exact amounts for each award under this NOFO will be determined upon award.

We plan to award projects for five 12-month budget periods for a five-year period of performance.

Funding strategy

Funding amounts We encourage you to submit an application that includes a budget and work plan for each required component, consistent with the applicable component ceilings. For Year 1, applicants must submit separate budgets and work plans for all three components, not exceeding each component ceiling, although only Component 1 core activities are expected to be funded initially and Components 2 and 3 may be approved but unfunded pending future availability of funds.

Funding amounts for Years 2 through 5 will be set at continuation. We will continue funding based on:

• Availability of funds.

• Evidence of satisfactory progress, as documented in your required reports.

• The determination that continued funding is in the best interest of the federal government.

Component funding Overview

We fund all Global Health Security (GHS) cooperative agreements using component funding. You must apply for all components and include a budget and work plan for each. Note: For the purposes of this NOFO, component 1 is considered the core component, meaning it supports baseline GHS activities that are not dependent on emergency funding. This does not change the requirement that applicants apply for all components.

Component funding allows us to provide funding as it becomes available. To do so, we fund sets of activities by project (such as emergency or routine), when necessary.

CDC may fund one or more of your components to start the budget period, and then consider other components based on available funding later. If we can’t yet fund your other components, we will designate the remaining components as “approved but unfunded.” This allows us to award more

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 6 funding later. We include approved but unfunded components for public health emergencies in all awards. These components are funded when a disease outbreak or other public health emergency requires additional funding.

Component 1 is for activities related to core global health security priorities.

When funding is available, this NOFO will support activities for a moderate (component 2) or a substantial (component 3) response to a disease outbreak or other public health emergency.

This NOFO also supports activities to combat other emerging infectious disease threats (component 4) and respond to humanitarian emergencies (component 5). The emergency components follow the same logic model, with identical overarching strategies and activities.

Setting up components

You must set up your components in your application. While preparing your application:

• Review the expectations for Year 1 activities in the strategies and activities section.

• Group your activities under the anticipated components. Only include the activities planned for Year 1.

• Component 1: Core Global Health Security Priorities

◦ Component 1 Ceiling: $5,000,000

• Component 2: Rapid Response for Small-Scale Infectious Disease Outbreaks or Other Public Health Emergencies.

◦ Component 2 Ceiling: $10,000,000

• Component 3: Rapid Response for Large-Scale Infectious Disease Outbreaks or Other Public Health Emergencies.

◦ Component 3 Ceiling: $15,000,000

• Component 4: Emerging Infectious Disease Threats

◦ Component 4 Ceiling: $15,000,000

• Component 5: Humanitarian Emergency

◦ Component 5 Ceiling: $20,000,000

For information on how to incorporate component funding into your application, see the following sections:

• Budget narrative

• Component funding instructions for SF-424A

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 7

Local partner funding preference This NOFO includes a funding preference for local partners. Your organization will receive 15 extra points during the selection process if you both:

• Meet the local partner definition.

• Document your status as a local partner.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 8

Eligibility Statutory authority This program is authorized under:

• Section 307 of the Public Health Service Act [42 USC 242l].

• Section 301(a) [42 USC 241(a)] of the Public Health Service Act.

Eligible applicants Only these types of organizations may apply.

• State governments.

• County governments.

• City or township governments.

• Special district governments.

• Independent school districts.

• Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education.

• Native American tribal governments (federally recognized).

• Public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities.

• Native American tribal organizations, other than federally recognized tribal governments.

• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education.

• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education.

• Private institutions of higher education.

• For-profit organizations other than small businesses.

• Small businesses.

• Foreign or non-U.S. based entities.

Other required qualifying factors

Delivery location You must conduct the project in Uganda.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 9

Responsiveness criteria We will review your application to make sure it meets these requirements.

These are the basic requirements you must meet to move forward in the competition. We won’t consider an application that:

• Is from an organization that doesn’t meet all eligibility criteria. See requirements in Eligibility.

• Is submitted after the deadline.

• Proposes research activities. See the definition of research.

• Requests funding that exceeds the applicable Year 1 component ceilings described in the Funding Strategy section.

• Exceeds the 60-page limit for the project narrative (see the Project narrative section for what counts toward the page limit).

• Does not include all components.

• Is not in English.

• Includes a budget or budget narrative that uses a currency other than U.S. dollars.

• Does not respond to or is outside the scope of this NOFO.

See the Application checklist to understand which elements of your application are part of the responsiveness criteria.

Application limits You must follow these limits on the number of applications your organization can submit.

Under this NOFO, you may submit only one application under your organization’s UEI.

Cost sharing and matching funds This program has no cost-sharing or matching funds requirement. We will not consider cost-sharing fund contributions during your application review.

However, if you submit voluntary cost-sharing funds and we fund your project, we will require you to report on these funds.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Build 4. Understand 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 10 https://www.cdc.gov/grants/additional-requirements/ar-31.html

Post-award requirements Before you apply, make sure you understand the requirements that come with an award.

See Step 6: Learn What Happens After Award for information on regulations that apply, reporting, and more.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 11

Agency priorities Required alignment with CDC priorities The recipient of this award must implement any funds awarded under this NOFO to effectuate program goals or agency priorities in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Priorities when authorized (for a full description of the CDC Priorities, please follow the provided hyperlink).

Funded activities must:

• Align with CDC’s core priorities by demonstrating a commitment to gold-standard science, transparency, and evidence-based practices.

• Support CDC’s mission to protect Americans from infectious and chronic diseases, strengthen public health systems, and advance innovation in health data and infrastructure.

• Contribute to rapid, science-driven responses to health threats, promote global health leadership, and adhere to principles of integrity, accountability, and compliance with applicable laws and federal priorities.

Consistent with CDC’s values, in carrying out any project funded under this NOFO, the recipient must adhere to the following principles where consistent with the authority and scope of the award and its activities:

• A commitment to gold-standard science and ensuring trust, transparency, and credibility: To build trust and improve CDC’s ability to lead during health crises, CDC will increase transparency, be more accountable, and follow strict, gold-standard scientific practices that are open, unbiased, and based on clear evidence.

• A commitment to global leadership: With staff in 63 countries and supporting 20 more, CDC’s Global Health Center:

◦ Fights HIV, tuberculosis, vaccine-preventable diseases, and emergency and refugee health.

◦ Detects health threats early, sends response teams, trains health workers, and provides personal protective equipment, vaccines, and medicines.

◦ Tests disease samples from around the world to prepare for flu and other serious outbreaks.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Build 4. Understand 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 12 https://www.cdc.gov/about/cdc/index.html

◦ Has strengthened systems to better protect people at home and abroad after the COVID-19 outbreak.

• A commitment to ensuring rapid, evidence-based responses to crises:

During public health emergencies, ensuring rapid, science-driven responses is critical to minimizing harm, maintaining public trust, and restoring stability. To meet this goal, CDC must continue to strengthen its emergency response systems by:

◦ Streamlining internal processes.

◦ Improving risk communication strategies.

◦ Ensuring that laboratory capacity is fully equipped and tested—capable of rapidly developing and deploying scalable diagnostics during crises.

◦ Embedding structures for real-time learning, independent after-action reviews, and the application of lessons learned will ensure that each crisis response is smarter, faster, and more effective than the last.

• A commitment to vaccine safety and efficacy research: CDC will apply “gold-standard” science to all of its vaccine safety and effectiveness research. It will make vaccine data, research methods, and related datasets publicly available through simple data use agreements to improve transparency, accountability, and trust.

• A commitment to advancing our understanding of the causes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), and chronic disease: CDC conducts research and works with partners to better understand the causes of autism spectrum disorder, neurodevelopmental disorders, and chronic diseases. It will use new and existing data to study the rise in these conditions, including the increase in autism diagnoses from 1 in 150 to nearly 1 in 31 over the past 25 years.

• A commitment to modernizing public health infrastructure and enhancing our approach to health data: CDC will modernize public health infrastructure to create a faster, more efficient health system that can detect and respond to outbreaks in real time. This effort includes:

◦ Replacing data silos with integrated systems.

◦ Using advanced technology.

◦ Strengthening partnerships with states to ensure shared responsibility and strong local health data systems.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 13

◦ Emphasizing collaboration across federal and state partners, resilient and adaptable systems, and accountability for funded programs to ensure they align with these priorities and federal requirements.

• Conflicts of interest: CDC will deprioritize funding programs with conflicts of interest and ensure its work is based on transparent, unbiased science.

• Immigration: CDC funds will not be used to support or encourage illegal immigration, consistent with federal law.

• Protecting life and the family: CDC funds will not be used to support elective abortions, consistent with the Hyde Amendment, and will promote maternal health, the dignity of life, and strong families.

• Ending disorder on America’s streets: CDC will prioritize evidence-based programs that reduce homelessness, drug use, and public disorder. It will support comprehensive services for people with serious mental illness and substance use disorder. CDC will deprioritize housing first strategies, harm-reduction or safe consumption sites, or related activities. To the extent allowable by federal law, CDC intends to give priority to grantees in States and municipalities that have laws and policies that support and enforce CDC’s priorities.

• Gender ideology and protecting children: CDC will not fund medical interventions for minors seeking gender transition and will define sex based on biological criteria.

• DEI: CDC will deprioritize DEI initiatives based on group identity and focus on merit-based, evidence-driven approaches to improve health outcomes.

• Parental rights: CDC will support policies that protect parental authority, promote transparency, and give parents greater control over their children’s education.

The recipient must demonstrate ongoing compliance with the full description and listing of CDC values and priorities, in all programs that are authorized to advance them, through program design, implementation, reporting, and evaluation.

Failure to meaningfully align funded activities with the applicable requirements may result in corrective action, additional reporting requirements, or other enforcement actions consistent with federal grant regulations found at 2 CFR Part 200 and the terms and conditions of this award. The full CDC Priorities Statement can be found here: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Priorities.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Build 4. Understand 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 14

Program description Background, overview, and related work The problem Given Uganda’s bio-geographical location, the country is continually affected by endemic, new, and returning highly infectious diseases that often cause repeated outbreaks. The risk of disease outbreaks is complicated by rapid population increase, unplanned urbanization, and increased border movements.

The approach The America First Global Health Strategy 2025 prioritizes American health and well-being to make America safer, stronger and more prosperous by building resilient health systems globally.

The America First Global Health Strategy is driven by three key objectives:

• SAFER: Enhance global surveillance and response systems to quickly detect and contain outbreaks, helping to protect the safety of Americans at home and abroad.

• STRONGER: Strengthen global health systems through strategic bilateral agreements that enhance resilience, establish funding for essential healthcare, and use data systems for effective response.

• MORE PROSPEROUS: Enhance American prosperity by containing outbreaks at their source, protecting lives and the economy, while promoting American companies and innovations globally through strategic foreign assistance and mutual relationships.

Desired outcomes The US Government’s Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) strategy is to help partner countries strengthen all levels of response to infectious disease threats. This is to comply with the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005).

Key data Since joining the GHSA in 2014, Uganda has made major progress in several technical areas. In 2023, Uganda underwent its second independent evaluation of its IHR (2005) capacities through the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) process, which indicated significant improvement in emergency

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 15 response and preparedness, laboratory systems, surveillance, and workforce development.

However, several gaps were identified in the following areas:

• National Laboratory Systems: Lack of a national licensing body for animal and environmental health laboratories with a fully interoperable multisectoral laboratory reporting system. The national laboratory systems scored below 40% in biosafety standards and less than 30% in bio risk management systems.

• Surveillance: Insufficient internet connectivity for accessing surveillance data and inadequate information sharing across the relevant sectors.

• Workforce: Limited training institutions focused on the One Health Approach. Lack of surge policy and strategic plan for surge team deployment during public health emergencies. Suboptimal government staffing levels at subnational levels to support outbreak preparedness and response.

• Emergency Management: Lack of a comprehensive training program for the National and Regional Public Health Emergency Operation Centers staff. There is sub-optimal coordination of risk-assessment activities, and the tools applied are not consistent. Uganda lacks a repository for sharing information including reports from risk-assessments because of minimal multisectoral collaboration. There is also limited use of data to model and forecast risks and events for future action.

Work done to date The CDC’s work in Uganda has included investing in human resources at the local level, strengthening the entire response system, leading to improved health outcomes for both Uganda and the U.S. This type of work also champions national and regional public health operation centers, crucial for emergency preparedness and response.

CDC’s global health work in Uganda is aligned with USG GHS strategies and priorities.

This NOFO will continue the work of CDC-RFA-GH20-2124 and focus on JEE recommendations.

By facilitating Uganda’s national coordination and establishing 13 Public Health Emergency Operating Centers (PHEOCs) and one National Emergency Operations Center (EOC), the CDC has significantly enhanced America’s capacity to proactively detect and respond to outbreaks, reinforcing our global health security infrastructure. Collaboration with national and

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 16 international stakeholders helps America’s reputation as a global leader in public health.

Public health priorities and strategies Your funded activities must also align with CDC’s global health priorities.

These priorities guide how we build, carry out, and evaluate our global health work. We use it to measure progress and impact and make informed decisions about global health activities across CDC. The goals include:

• Stop health threats at their source before they spread to the United States and other countries.

• Contain disruptive outbreaks of disease across the globe.

• Use global data to prevent and mitigate disease in the United States and other countries.

• Save lives and improve health globally.

To make progress on these goals, we encourage you to:

• Strengthen national public health bulletins, health alert notices, CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and Health Alert Network, and other emergency risk communication strategies.

• Share timely, credible, useful public health information with healthcare and public health professionals locally and nationally within our partner countries.

• Develop civil registration, vital statistics systems, and mortality surveillance systems so our partner countries know what is causing deaths in their population and whether interventions to reduce them are working.

• Additionally, the effectiveness of your work should be demonstrated in results from timeliness analyses (like the 7-1-7 framework) for early detection and response. For example, the 7-1-7 target provides a standardized benchmark for evaluating the effectiveness of outbreak detection and response systems globally. The framework outlines a timeline to aim for in response to a suspected outbreak:

◦ Within 7 days of emergency: Detect the outbreak.

◦ Within 1 day of detection: Notify public health authorities and start the investigation.

◦ Within 7 days of notification: Begin responding effectively to the emergency.

• We also recommend using these supporting strategies and frameworks:

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 17

• CDC’s strategy for improving GHS, based on three core parts of the agency’s mission to protect public health worldwide:

◦ Prevent.

◦ Detect.

◦ Respond.

• Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) framework.

• The Department of State America First Global Health Strategy.

• United States Global Health Security Strategy.

Parental rights CDC believes parents are the primary decision-makers in their children’s education and should have full authority over what their children are taught.

School policies should include transparency and choice, and curricula should emphasize knowledge, critical thinking, and civic responsibility, without imposing ideas that may conflict with parents’ political, religious, or social beliefs. CDC will prioritize funding Federal partners that protect parental rights and provide maximum transparency to parents and the public.

CDC will implement these priorities consistent with applicable laws, regulations, court orders, and any required procedures.

Purpose The purpose of this NOFO is to strengthen Uganda’s capacities for prevention, detection, and response to public health threats using evidence-based prevention strategies. By doing so, this NOFO contributes to making Americans safer, stronger, and more prosperous both at home and abroad.

Approach Program logic model The following logic model includes the expected strategies under this NOFO.

The logic model also includes the program’s expected outcomes. Outcomes are the results that you intend to achieve and usually show the intended direction of change, such as increase or decrease.

The asterisked (*) outcomes are those we expect you to achieve or substantially contribute to during the five-year period of performance. You must report on these outcomes.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Build 4. Understand 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 18 https://www.cdc.gov/global-health/topics-programs/global-health-security.html?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/security/index.htm https://globalhealthsecurityagenda.org/ https://www.state.gov/america-first-global-health-strategy/ https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/09/america-first-global-health-strategy

Not all outcomes apply to all strategies. The table shows how they apply. You will use these outcomes as a guide for developing performance measures.

Table: Strategies and outcomes

Strategies and activities

Short-term outcomes

Intermediate outcomes Long-term outcomes

Strategy 1:

Health emergency management

Enhanced emergency preparedness and response capacity.

Strengthened health emergency management systems.

Established and operationalized regional Public Health Emergency Operational Centers (PHEOCs) in all 17 earmarked regions. Improved health systems resilience for emergencies linked to districts and communities.*

Strategy 2:

Human resources/ workforce development

Approved surge plan, policy, and established database for sustainable recruitment and deployment of health workers.

Realtime deployment of trained response-ready multisectoral public health workforce.

Increased capacity, coordination, response to public health emergencies, and sustained progress of JEE indicators on human resources.

Strategy 3:

National laboratory systems

Increased adoption of bio risk standards, policies, and SOPs.*

Sample management and lab quality management programs implemented.*

Improved biosafety, biosecurity by 50% or more.*

Improved bio risk standards by 50% or more.*

Sustained accurate, reliable, and quality outbreak-prone test results in a safe and secure work environment.*

National reference laboratories for viral hemorrhagic fevers, arboviruses, and accredited respiratory diseases.*

Strategy 4:

Surveillance

Increased capacity of health workers and community in monitoring disease trends, detection, response, and management.*

Decreased epidemic detection and response time as guided by standardized benchmarks, such as 7-1-7, and increased

Resilient integrated surveillance infrastructure established, capable of real time detection and response to health threats.*

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 19

Strategies and activities

Short-term outcomes

Intermediate outcomes Long-term outcomes data-informed policy decisions.*

Strategy 5:

Border health security

Updated national border health plan and strategy.*

Improved Point of Entry (POE) border health functionality.*

Integrated national border health plan and strategy.

Increased regional coverage of priority disease events.*

Improved regional border health security systems.*

Strategy 6:

Support and strengthen public health programs, health service delivery, and science programs implementation

Improved quality of public health programs.* Strengthened public health service delivery programs.*

A skilled and culturally responsive public health workforce is available to support public health operations and respond to emergencies.*

Improved ability to follow-up on cases or events of public health importance.*

Increased coverage of service delivery programs to meet community needs.*

Improved and effective coordination between public health systems, clinical care, and communities in preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.*

Strategies and activities This section elaborates on the strategies described in the logic model by providing expected activities for Year 1 and details about how we expect you to implement your program.

The following are strategies and the required and optional activities under this NOFO. You may also propose additional related strategies and activities to achieve the expected outcomes.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 20

Strategy 1: Health emergency management Required activities:

• Strengthen public health emergency coordination through national and regional emergency operations centers.

• Support Regional Emergency Operations Centers in Global Health Security sectors.

• Apply timeliness analysis, such as the 7-1-7 metrics, to improve detection and response capacity.

• Conduct simulation exercises for multisectoral coordination.

• Support Points of Entry (PoE) coordination through national and regional EOCs in public health emergency management.

• Conduct regional Population Connectivity Across Borders (POPCAB) and risk assessments routinely as well as during emergencies.

• Facilitate cross-border engagements including meetings and workshops.

• Improve emergency preparedness and response capacity.

• Strengthen medical counter measures across all emergency <br/ operation centers.

• Strengthen the use of incident management systems for district level response.

Optional activities:

• Support the development of contingency plans for small outbreaks.

Strategy 2: Human resources/workforce development Required activities:

• Conduct regular table-top exercises to test deployment guidelines.

• Support Field Epidemiology Training Programs for frontline and intermediate fellows.

• Implement Laboratory Leadership Program for sustainable laboratory efforts.

• Improve workforce capacity for One Health approach.

• Improve information sharing through regional health security structures.

• Conduct Public Health Emergency Management (PHEM) for GOU staff across the different tiered MoH structures in Uganda.

• Support the trainings in medical counter measures at district levels linked to the centralized systems.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 21

Strategy 3: National laboratory systems

• Strengthen integrated sample referral and transportation.

• Establish national quality standards that follow international norms and standards.

• Implement laboratory information systems at national and regional laboratories.

• Pursue international accreditation for national laboratories and domestic accreditation for regional laboratories.

• Optimize laboratory processes to establish timely, high-quality testing and efficient sample management. Establish a system to collect and test specimens from hard-to-reach areas.

• Enhance MOH capacity to track district coverage of private facilities. Help them provide routine incident reporting for priority outbreak diseases.

• Strengthen and optimize sentinel surveillance for long term priority infections and diseases

• Audit and address gaps in biosafety and biosecurity.

Optional activities:

• Make sure there’s laboratory workforce availability for One Health coordination.

Strategy 4: Surveillance Required activities:

• Develop and use National Integrated Sentinel Surveillance (NISS) with a platform that can be used in reciprocal ways.

• Make it easier to share data across Ministries, departments, agencies, and stakeholders.

• Strengthen disease surveillance and outbreak response.

• Train workforce on data warehouse operation, analysis, and visualization.

Optional activities.

• Improve data analysis and visualization capacities.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 22

Strategy 5: Border health security

• Implement a continental cross-border surveillance framework.

• Support East African Community cross-border surveillance zone framework.

• Strengthen workforce capacity at Points of Entry (POEs).

• Enhance regional stewardship of Border Health using One Health.

• Increase surveillance capacity in high-risk border zones.

• Make it easier to take a One Health approach at One Stop Border Points.

Optional activities:

• Enhance collaboration with neighboring countries on border health security.

• Develop contingency plans for cross-border public health emergencies.

Strategy 6: Support and strengthen public health programs, health service delivery, and science programs implementation Required activities:

• Provide additional health services and programs for communities to support public health initiatives and outcomes during an outbreak and response or routine operations.

• Integrate evidence-based practices, policies, and interventions into routine health care and public health settings.

• Provide technical assistance to host country governments and partners to strengthen disease and outbreak responses, develop future pandemic preparedness and response capacity, and manage the effects of disease outbreak on public health programs such as:

◦ GHS

◦ HIV

◦ TB

◦ Malaria

◦ Cholera

◦ Ebola

◦ Marburg

◦ Monkeypox

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 23

◦ Immunization

◦ Vaccine-preventable disease

• Support a quality and comprehensive package of services for priority disease prevention, care, and treatment. This should include strengthening linkages between community and facility-based interventions and systematic approaches to setting multisectoral response mechanisms.

• Support public health campaigns, such as routine vaccination campaigns or outbreak response campaigns.

• Improve multilevel public health workforce capacities to investigate outbreaks, conduct event-based surveillance, and strengthen diagnostic capacities. Improve sample transportation and laboratory diagnostic quality.

• Develop a continuous training program that addresses the key identified gaps among the multisectoral public health workforce. This should align with globally agreed upon competency models and increasing quality of public health programs.

• Develop task- or function-specific standard operating procedures (SOPs) to include data use and data-backed decision-making in service delivery and public health programs.

We expect you to provide copies of and/or access to all data, software, tools, training materials, guidelines, and systems you develop under this NOFO to the Ministry of Health, CDC, and other relevant stakeholders for appropriate use consistent with underlying authorities.

Related guidance Your activities under this project should follow CDC’s global health priorities.

You might also be asked to follow other strategies, guidance, or planning documents that are released later.

Geographic focus If the program or GHS priorities change during the period of performance, you may be asked to change the geographic area of your activities.

Outcomes We expect you to achieve or substantially contribute to the outcomes asterisked ( * ) in the logic model by the end of the five-year period of performance. You will be expected to report on these outcomes.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 24

Organizational capacity You must include a heading in your project narrative titled “Organizational capacity.” In this section, briefly describe your organizational capacity to carry out these strategies and activities.

You must also provide supporting documentation in your attachments. See the attachments section for full instructions.

Collaborations If funded, we will expect you to collaborate with:

• Other CDC-funded implementing partners, including non-governmental organizations, universities, and host governmental bodies.

• Other CDC programs and centers, including those focused on HIV/TB, immunization, emerging zoonotic infectious diseases, and immunization and respiratory diseases.

• Academic partners and programs, such as universities and research institutions.

• Relevant Uganda Government Ministries and Local government agencies.

• Multilateral organizations.

• Other USG-funded implementers.

Expected areas of collaboration include:

• Public health emergency response and preparedness.

• Disease surveillance and prevention.

• Technical expertise and resource allocation.

• Global Health Security Agenda core capacity-building activities.

• Joint planning and response efforts with the Ministry of Health.

Data, monitoring, and evaluation CDC strategy CDC collects and reports on indicators to measure progress toward achieving the activities and outcomes. CDC will also use results for program planning, improvement, accountability, and reporting. CDC will share the results with key parties.

CDC will work with you throughout the life of this award to ensure that all activities and expected outcomes align with your strategies and goals, and those of the U.S. government.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 25

Your strategies and goals will be monitored and evaluated. You should dedicate some of the NOFO’s funds to evaluate and monitor the performance of your project. You and CDC will agree on the final funding amount, but we expect that you will dedicate approximately 5 to 10% of your project’s funding to monitoring, reporting, and evaluation activities.

Required performance measures While completing your work plan, identify indicators within the partner-level indicator list that best align with your proposed activities for each component.

You can find the separate list within the application package on grants.gov.

These indicators are your performance measures. You will also include these indicators in your initial evaluation and performance measurement plan (EPMP). If awarded, we will work with you to finalize the partner-level indicators that will best measure your funded strategies and activities. We will provide a more detailed description of the indicators when you are awarded.

You will report on your performance measures in the annual progress report.

While you will be responsible for reporting on your partner-level indicators, you can use additional indicators to assess your program. You’re encouraged to, propose additional relevant indicators that you will monitor over the course of the project.

Evaluation and performance measurement plan You must submit an initial draft of your EPMP plan with your application. In your EPMP, you will identify which of the partner-level indicators you plan to report on in your annual performance report). These indicators will be finalized with CDC.

You must submit a more detailed plan within the first six months of the award. See Reporting.

Be sure to align your evaluation and performance measurement plan with host country, agency, and program requirements and priorities.

Include the following elements in your evaluation and performance measurement plan.

Methods Describe how you will:

• Collect the performance measures.

• Respond to the evaluation topics.

• Use evaluation findings for continuous program quality improvement.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 26

• Incorporate evaluation and performance measurement into planning, implementing, and reporting project activities.

Additionally, explain:

• How key program partners will participate in the evaluation and performance measurement process.

• How feasible it will be to collect appropriate evaluation and performance data.

• How you will share evaluation findings with communities and stakeholders.

• Other relevant information, such as performance measures you propose.

Data management plan For all public health data you plan to collect, you must have a data management plan (DMP). For a definition of “public health data” and more information about CDC’s policy on the DMP, see Data Management and Access.

You must submit an initial draft of your DMP with your application. You will submit a more detailed plan within the first six months of the award.

See Reporting.

Submit your DMP with your application and include:

• The data you will collect or generate, and what its sources will be.

• Who can access the data and how you will protect and secure it.

• Data standards that explain what documentation the released data will have. Documentation should describe collection methods, what the data represents, and data limitations.

• Archival and long-term data preservation plans.

• Any reasons why you cannot share data collected or generated under this award with CDC. These could include legal, regulatory, policy, or technical reasons.

• How you will update the DMP as new information becomes available over the life of the project. You will provide updates to the DMP in annual reports.

In addition to the other requirements listed, also include:

• Cybersecurity plans.

• How you will protect personally identifiable information (PII) when you collect, store, transfer, and use this data.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Build 4. Understand 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 27 https://www.cdc.gov/grants/additional-requirements/ar-25.html

• How you will remove information from the data that could reveal participants’ identities (de-identify the data) in intermediate and final data sets.

CDC will inform you of data you need to share with us and how and when it should be shared.

Evaluation activities You must carry out at least one evaluation for each cooperative agreement during your funding. The evaluation can be one of these:

• A process evaluation, which measures:

◦ How you delivered the services.

◦ What worked and what did not.

◦ The differences between who you intended to serve and who you actually served.

◦ Who could access your services.

• An outcome evaluation, which measures how the intervention affected changes in knowledge, attitudes, or behavior.

• An economic evaluation, which measures:

◦ How much the intervention cost.

◦ What caused these costs.

◦ Cost effectiveness.

◦ Efficiency.

◦ The economic impact of the intervention.

Describe:

• The type of evaluations (process, outcome, and/or economic).Key evaluation questions these evaluations will address.

• Other information, such as measures and data sources.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 28

Work plan You must provide a work plan for each component for your project. For each component, provide a detailed work plan for the first year and a high-level work plan for later years. The work plan connects your performance outcomes, strategies and activities, and measures. It provides more detail on how you will measure outcomes and processes. A sample work plan is provided below.

Table: Sample format

Activities you will implement

Progress or process measures

From the Data, monitoring, and evaluation section.

Relevant period of performance outcomes

From the outcomes section

Responsible position or party

Completion date

Strategy 1:

1.

2.

3.

Strategy 2:

1.

2.

3.

Paperwork Reduction Act Any activities involving information collection from 10 or more individuals or organizations may require Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) approval. The PRA requires review and approval of the information collection by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). For further information to determine if a proposed activity requires PRA approval, contact your project officer.

Collections include items like surveys and questionnaires. If you have collections requiring PRA approval, CDC is responsible for working with OMB to gain the approval.

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For more information about CDC’s requirements under PRA see CDC Paperwork Reduction Act Compliance.

Dissemination of evaluation results By the end of the period of performance, your evaluation and performance measures will yield findings to demonstrate the value of your projects. You will disseminate these findings through the Annual Performance Report (APR).

You are expected to pursue additional dissemination in public domains and through informal channels. Dissemination channels could include:

• Local and international conferences and forum abstract presentations.

• Conference poster displays.

• Public health and global health journals.

• Manuscripts.

• Bulletins.

• Reports.

• Presentations to technical working groups and stakeholder meetings.

• Other approved products in print and electronic media, including websites and newsletters.

Program interest holders will be the primary intended users of your evaluation results and findings.

CDC and interest holders will use your evaluation findings during the five-year project period to share and implement key recommendations to strengthen program implementation, effectiveness, sustainability, and continued improvement after the award ends.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Build 4. Understand 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 30 https://www.cdc.gov/scientific-integrity/php/public-information-collection/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/os/integrity/reducepublicburden/index.htm#cdc_data_surveillance_section_1-cdc-paperwork-reduction-act-compliance https://www.cdc.gov/scientific-integrity/php/public-information-collection/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/os/integrity/reducepublicburden/index.htm#cdc_data_surveillance_section_1-cdc-paperwork-reduction-act-compliance

Funding policies and limitations Changes in HHS regulations As of October 1, 2025, HHS adopted 2 CFR 200, with some exceptions included in 2 CFR 300. These regulations replace those in 45 CFR 75. You can find details in HHS Summary of Regulatory Changes, which is posted in the Grants.gov Related Documents tab for this opportunity.

General guidance

• Your budget is arranged in eight categories: salaries and wages, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual, other (includes consultant costs), and indirect costs.

• You may use funds only for reasonable program purposes consistent with the award, its terms and conditions, and federal laws and regulations that apply to the award. If you have questions about this determination, ask the grants management officer.

• Generally, you may not use funds to purchase furniture or equipment.

Clearly identify and justify any such proposed spending in the budget.

• All requests for funds contained in the budget should be stated in U.S. dollars.

• Cost increases due to changes in exchange rates are allowed if enough funding is available. If an increase in the exchange rate would reduce the scope of the project or cause you to need more federal funding, you must get prior approval for exchange rate fluctuations.

• Support beyond the first budget year will depend on:

◦ Appropriation of funds.

◦ Satisfactory progress in meeting your project’s objectives.

◦ A decision that continued funding is in the government’s best interest.

• If we receive more funding for this program, we will consider:

◦ Funding more applicants.

◦ Extending the period of performance.

◦ Awarding supplemental funding.

See also program-specific limitations.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Build 4. Understand 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 31 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-III/part-300 https://ecfr.io/Title-45/Part-75 https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/index.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=13f24ea1f961f5f0d14b87ec1b39b25f&term_occur=999&term_src=Title:45:Chapter:A:Subchapter:A:Part:75:Subpart:E:Subjgrp:39:75.440

Unallowable costs You may not use funds for:

• Research.

• Clinical care, except as allowed by law.

• Pre-award costs, unless we give you prior written approval.

• Other than for normal and recognized executive-legislative relationships:

◦ Publicity or propaganda purposes, including preparing, distributing, or using any material designed to support or defeat the enactment of legislation before any legislative body.

◦ The salary or expenses of any grant or contract recipient, or agent acting for such recipient, related to any activity designed to influence the enactment of legislation, appropriations, regulation, administrative action, or executive order proposed or pending before any legislative body.

◦ See Anti-Lobbying Restrictions for CDC Recipients [PDF].

• For guidance on some types of costs that we restrict or do not allow, see 2 CFR Part 200 Subpart E - General Provisions for Selected Items of Cost.

Indirect costs Indirect costs are those shared across multiple projects and not easily separated. Learn more at CDC Budget Preparation Guidelines [PDF].

To charge indirect costs you can select one of two methods:

Method 1 — Approved rate. If you currently have an indirect cost rate approved by your cognizant federal agency, you may use that rate.

Enclose a copy of the current approved rate agreement in your attachments.

Method 2 — De minimis rate. If you have never received a negotiated indirect cost rate, you may elect to charge a de minimis rate (see 2 CFR 200.414(f)). If you choose this method, costs included in the indirect cost pool must not be charged as direct costs. This rate is 15% of modified total direct costs (MTDC). See the definition of MTDC (2 CFR 200.1). You can use this rate indefinitely.

Foreign organizations and foreign public entities Indirect costs on awards to foreign organizations and foreign public entities performed fully outside of the U.S. and its territories may be paid to support the costs of complying with federal requirements.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Build 4. Understand 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 32 https://www.cdc.