HIV Surveillance for Epidemic Control in Malawi under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) | CDC RFA GH22 2248

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH22 2248

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), within the Department of Health and Human Services, released a discretionary funding opportunity titled "HIV Surveillance for Epidemic Control in Malawi under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)" (Funding Opportunity Number: CDC RFA GH22 2248). The award is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning CDC expects substantial involvement and close collaboration during implementation rather than a hands-off grant. The opportunity is open to unrestricted applicants (any entity type may apply, subject to any eligibility notes in the full announcement). The notice was created on December 21, 2021, with an original closing date of February 19, 2022 (applications due by 11:59 pm ET). CDC anticipated making one award under this announcement.

Although the listing states an "Award Ceiling for Year 1" of $0 (none), CDC also indicates it anticipates approximately $5,000,000 in total fiscal year funding for Year 1, contingent on the availability of funds. This opportunity is described as a follow-on that builds on prior work funded under CDC-RFA-GH16-1629, signaling continuity of an existing surveillance and capacity-building effort rather than starting from scratch. The overall intent aligns with PEPFAR's emphasis on using timely, high-quality data to guide HIV epidemic control strategies, so that program decisions are based on current evidence about where infections are occurring, which populations are most affected, and how well prevention and treatment services are performing.

At the center of the award is support to Malawi's Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM) to strengthen HIV surveillance capacity and produce strong epidemiologic data collected according to international standards. The recipient is expected to provide technical assistance and practical capacity building, including training approaches such as on-the-job mentoring and applied learning experiences that build real operational skills in surveillance design, implementation, and data use. The work is meant to improve Malawi's ability to plan and monitor HIV responses using reliable surveillance information, including both programmatic data (what services are being delivered and to whom) and impact data (what changes are being observed in HIV burden and related indicators).

A major part of the recipient's role is hands-on collaboration with MOH, PHIM, and other partners to develop survey protocols, carry out surveillance surveys, analyze results, and ensure the findings are shared in useful formats. Dissemination is expected to include routine reporting to stakeholders as well as publication in peer-reviewed journals, reflecting an emphasis on transparency, scientific rigor, and broader knowledge sharing. The specific surveys to be conducted each year are not fixed in the announcement; instead, they will vary depending on scheduled surveillance intervals, available funding, and priority information gaps identified during the project period. This flexible approach is designed to keep surveillance responsive to emerging needs in the epidemic and in program implementation.

In addition to surveillance surveys, the recipient may also help design and implement program evaluations to assess the impact of CDC-funded HIV activities in Malawi. These evaluations are intended to support performance monitoring and improvement of the HIV response, helping decision-makers understand which interventions are working well, where bottlenecks exist, and what adjustments are needed to accelerate epidemic control. Importantly, the announcement explicitly states that this is a non-research funding opportunity; funds from this NOFO may not be used to support research activities. The focus is therefore on public health surveillance, capacity strengthening, and program evaluation activities that directly inform operational planning and epidemic response rather than generating generalizable research findings for their own sake.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - CGH in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "HIV Surveillance for Epidemic Control in Malawi under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.067.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 21, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 19, 2022 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: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for CDC RFA GH22 2248

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