Flexible Funding Model - Infrastructure Development and Maintenance for State Manufactured Food Regulatory Programs

The Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration is funding state-level infrastructure for manufactured food regulatory programs, rapid response teams, and food safety task forces under CFDA 93.367, with the most recent awards issued September 1, 2018, now eight years past and completion dates ranging from mid-2023 to mid-2024.

This program is dormant from an active funding perspective. The portfolio shows 43 Cooperative Agreements awarded on a single date—September 1, 2018—totaling $107.6 million in federal dollars obligated ($119.9 million including state cost-share). No new grant opportunities have been posted since the base FOA (RFA-FD-18-001, due December 1, 2021) and a revision solicitation (PAR-20-091, due March 25, 2022, now closed). The grant awards have concluded or are concluding; final project end dates cluster in June–December 2023 and June 2024.

The program funds state manufactured food regulatory program standards (MFRPS) conformance and maintenance, rapid response team (RRT) development and operations for foodborne illness outbreak response, food protection task force (FPTF) coordination among regulatory agencies and stakeholders, staff training in preventive controls and risk-based inspection methodology, inspection equipment and information technology infrastructure, sampling protocols, and compliance and enforcement capabilities. Representative awards include North Carolina's $2.935 million focus on preventive controls implementation training and auditing (U18FD006384); Missouri's $3.443 million for MFRPS conformance, RRT maintenance, and FPTF coordination (U18FD006422); and Minnesota's $6.031 million for sample response capacity and regulatory framework development (U18FD006411). The largest award was Michigan's $5.090 million (U18FD006402) for multi-component MFRPS, RRT, and FPTF work; Wisconsin received $6.085 million (U18FD006394).

All 43 awards are Cooperative Agreements with the FDA as the exclusive funder. Individual award values range from approximately $793 thousand (Wyoming, U18FD006405) to $6.085 million (Wisconsin, U18FD006394), with a median in the $2–4 million range across states.

Pursuit of this program is not recommended without confirmation of new solicitation activity. The source shows no open or upcoming opportunities. Organizations currently holding RFA-FD-18-001 awards that meet eligibility criteria—current FDA food inspection contract, Phase II or III audit participation, and commitment to preventive controls rule implementation—may be eligible for the PAR-20-091 revision supplement, but that opportunity closed in March 2022. New state applicants should monitor FDA's website for recompetition of RFA-FD-18-001 or related funding vehicles in food safety infrastructure.