NCEZID CDC-RFA-CK-26-0230 Info Session.pdf

CDC-RFA-CK-26-0230

Advancing Global Capacity to Detect and Respond to Fungal Diseases

Mycotic Diseases Branch (MDB)

Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases (DFWED)

National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases (NCEZID)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

About MDB/DFWED

• The Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases (DFWED) and its Mycotic Diseases Branch (MDB) lead CDC’s work to prevent and control fungal diseases by collaborating internationally to strengthen fungal disease surveillance, improve diagnostic capacity, and support public health response to emerging fungal threats.

• MDB also provides specialized laboratory reference services, technical assistance, and outbreak response support to public health laboratories and health authorities in the United States and globally.

• MDB’s fungal work focuses on strengthening the foundational public health systems that detect and respond to fungal diseases globally.

NOFO Purpose

• NOFO purpose: to support activities that build and strengthen sustainable fungal disease detection, diagnosis, surveillance, and response systems.

• NOFO aim: to strengthen country and regional capacity to manage and control fungal diseases at their source while promoting long-term ownership and integration into public health systems.

• NOFO long-term outcome: to reduce the global burden of fungal diseases, strengthen health security, and help countries protect their own populations while also reducing risks to the United States through earlier detection and more effective response to fungal disease threats worldwide.

Funding Strategy

• This funding strategy is designed to allow you to carry out your program and rapidly respond to new public health needs, if and when they emerge.

o Funding will be provided for an initial 12-month budget period. Continued funding in future budget periods will depend on the availability of funds, your performance, and program priorities.

• This NOFO will be funded through 2 components.

o Component 1: to support activities that strengthen sustainable systems for fungal disease detection, diagnosis, surveillance, and response. (We anticipate making multiple awards under this component. ) o Component 2 (optional): Supports urgent public health actions, such as investigating outbreaks, conducting targeted surveillance for emerging fungal pathogens, and responding to antifungal-resistant threats .

• You may include Component 2 in your application if you anticipate conducting activities related to emerging or evolving fungal disease threats.

Funding Strategy

• CDC expects to only fund Component 1 activities at the time of the initial award.

o CDC may fund Component 2 activities if additional funding becomes available or if emerging fungal disease threats require a rapid public health response, during the period of performance.

o You may submit proposals for Component 2 during the project period if new public health needs arise and additional funds become available.

• If the NOFO is assigned a status of Approved but Unfunded (ABU), an award is made when funding becomes available.

• The number of recipients will depend on the availability of funding.

• Recipients may be funded out of rank order after application reviews.

Applicant Eligibility & Responsiveness Criteria

E LI G I B I LI T Y: O P E N T O T H ES E T YP E S O F O RG AN I Z AT I ON

• 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.

• Ministries of health.

• Bona fide agents applying on behalf of state, territorial, local, and tribal government orgs.

Applicant Eligibility & Responsiveness Criteria

• Applications will not be considered if it:

o Is from an organization that doesn’t meet all eligibility criteria.

o Is submitted after the August 31st , 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

o Proposes research activities.

o Does not include Component 1 (Core Capacity Strengthening). If you only request funding for Component 2, your application will be considered non-responsive.

o Combines activities or budgets for both components within a single work plan or budget.

You must include a separate work plan and budget for each component.

o Is submitted without all the requirements in the application checklist.

o Exceeds page limits or formatting requirements specified in the NOFO.

o You may submit only one application under your organization’s UEI

Organizational Capacity

D E S C R I BE YO U R E X P E R I E N C E AN D C A P AC I T Y TO :

• Carry out public health activities related to fungal disease detection, surveillance, laboratory strengthening, workforce development, or outbreak response.

• Collaborate with ministries of health, public health institutes, laboratories, healthcare systems, academic institutions, or regional networks.

• Carry out monitoring and evaluation activities that align with the expected outcomes.

• Conduct program planning, implementation, and performance monitoring.

• Analyze and use data to inform public health decision-making.

• Conduct health communication, dissemination, or workforce development activities.

• Manage procurement, contracts, or subawards as needed to carry out proposed activities.

• If your organization doesn’t yet have fully established systems for fungal disease activities, demonstrate that you have a clear and feasible plan to strengthen capacity during the period of performance.

Program Strategies and Activities AP P L I C AN T S MU S T WR I TE TO T H E S TR AT E GI E S AN D AC TI V I T I ES O U T LI N E D :

Strategy 1: Strengthen fungal disease surveillance systems o Establish or expand surveillance systems for fungal diseases.

o Assess existing surveillance systems, laboratory capacity, and available data to identify gaps and inform future assessments of fungal disease burden.

o Strengthen surveillance data collection, reporting systems, and data quality.

o Support integration of fungal disease surveillance into existing surveillance platforms or public health information systems.

o Facilitate collaboration among ministries of health, public health institutes, healthcare facilities, laboratories, and other partners involved in fungal disease surveillance.

Strategy 2: Strengthen laboratory and diagnostic capacity o Expand access to fungal diagnostics.

o Improve laboratory identification and characterization of fungal pathogens.

o Support laboratory networks and antifungal resistance detection.

o Collaborate with national reference laboratories, clinical laboratories, and public health laboratories to strengthen diagnostic and laboratory capacity.

o Provide technical assistance related to laboratory diagnostics or fungal pathogen identification.

Strategy 3: Strengthen workforce capacity and partnerships o Provide training and technical assistance to laboratorians and clinicians.

o Develop tools, guidance, and training resources.

o Strengthen national and regional partnerships.

o Provide training or educational opportunities for healthcare providers, laboratory professionals, and public health personnel.

o Support the development of regional expertise or centers of excellence related to fungal diseases.

Program Strategies and Activities

N O FO ST RA TE G I ES C ON T I N U E D :

Strategy 4: Strengthen data use and outbreak detection and response o Strengthen data analysis and interpretation capacity.

o Promote coordination across surveillance, laboratory, and clinical partners to detect and respond to fungal disease outbreaks.

o Support systems that enable timely data-sharing among public health partners.

o Support outbreak detection, investigation, or response activities related to fungal diseases.

o Support public health interventions that reduce transmission or mitigate fungal disease threats

Strategy 5: Monitoring, learning, and program improvement o Track implementation of strategies and activities to inform program adjustments.

o Use data and findings to guide decision-making and improve activities.

o Strengthen systems that support ongoing learning and program improvement.

o Use findings to adapt activities during the project period.

o Identify effective approaches and apply them to strengthen implementation.

o Document lessons learned to support sustainability and future planning.

Workplan: Planning Scenario P L EA SE D E V EL O P T H E WO R K P LAN WI T H T H E F OL LO WI N G C ON S I D E R ATI O N S

• Summary of period of performance outcomes, strategies and activities, personnel and/or partners who will complete the activities, and the timeline for completion

• Expected total program funding over the performance period: $15,000,000 o Estimated average award per applicant over the period of performance:

$1,250,000 o Expected funding per applicant per 12-month budget period: $100,000 to $1,000,000

General Workplan Guidance

• Develop and submit a high-level work plan that directly aligns with the program strategies in the logic model

• Applicant should be able to revise the plans and activities in the work plan based on availability of funds

• Plan and activities should reflect the strategies, outcomes, evaluation, and performance measures described in the NOFO

• Short-term and intermediate outcomes should directly relate to the expected results of completing the planned activity

• Clearly describe the long-term outcome.

Applicant Review/Objective Review Criteria

9 3 P OI N T S TO TA L

Budget Summary

T H I N GS T O C O N SI D E R

• To what extent is the proposed budget adequately justified and consistent with the overall strategy and activities of the NOFO and the applicant’s proposed activities?

• Is the itemized budget reasonable and consistent with the stated purpose of the NOFO?

• Did the applicant submit a separate work plan and budget for each component?

• Please note budget considerations are not scored

NOFO Timeline

• NOFO Publication: July 31, 2026

• Informational Call: August 4, 2026

• Applications Due: August 31, 2026

• Anticipated Award Date: September 30, 2026

NOFO Contact Info:

Program Office: Mycotic Diseases Branch MDBCoAg@cdc.gov

MDB POC

Christina Ottis lwv1@cdc.gov

470-834-6498 (cell)

CDC Office of Grants Services

Randolph Williams gur2@cdc.gov

For assistance with submission difficulties related to www.grants.gov, contact the Support Center at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov for assistance with resolving these issues.

For more information, contact CDC

1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636)

TTY: 1-888-232-6348 www.cdc.gov

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Questions?

MDBCoAg@cdc.gov