Strengthening Capacity of Central Asia and Eastern Europe Countries to Implement Sustainable and Effective HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment and Health Security Programs under PEPFAR | CDC RFA GH 24 0069

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH 24 0069

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through its Center for Global Health (CGH), is offering a PEPFAR-supported cooperative agreement opportunity titled "Strengthening Capacity of Central Asia and Eastern Europe Countries to Implement Sustainable and Effective HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment and Health Security Programs under PEPFAR" (Funding Opportunity Number: CDC RFA GH 24 0069). The program is designed to help countries in Central Asia (and linked settings in Eastern Europe) strengthen their ability to deliver high-quality HIV prevention and treatment services, improve laboratory and data systems, and build broader health security capacity so systems can better prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats. The overall ambition is aligned with achieving HIV epidemic control by 2030, using internationally recognized benchmarks and guidance (including UNAIDS targets and the International Health Regulations), while still tailoring approaches to each country context.

This is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement mechanism, meaning CDC expects to have substantial involvement in the work, typically through technical collaboration, joint planning, and ongoing monitoring. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, which generally signals that a wide range of organizations may apply if they can meet programmatic and administrative requirements. The CFDA numbers associated with the opportunity are 93.067 and 93.318. The original application closing date was March 4, 2024, and CDC anticipated making two awards.

On funding, the notice contains an important nuance: it states an "Award Ceiling for Year 1" of 0 (none), while also stating that CDC anticipates an approximate total fiscal year funding amount of $3,200,000 for Year 1, subject to the availability of funds. In practice, language like this often reflects administrative or planning constraints around how ceilings are presented in certain systems, while still signaling that CDC expects to fund activities at roughly the stated amount if funds are appropriated and released. Applicants would still be expected to submit a proposed approach and budget consistent with the scope of work, with final amounts dependent on CDC decisions and available funding.

Programmatically, the NOFO centers on building sustainable, resilient HIV and public health programs by leveraging PEPFAR investments in line with PEPFAR's 5x3 Strategic Framework (September 2022). The emphasis is not only on delivering services, but also on strengthening the systems that make services effective over time: competent workforce, reliable labs and supply chains, functional data systems, quality improvement, and the ability to adapt during outbreaks or other disruptions. The idea is that a health system capable of maintaining HIV prevention and treatment gains is also better positioned to manage emerging health threats and protect population health more broadly.

A major focus area is expanding access to evidence-based HIV prevention services. This includes stronger case-finding approaches (identifying people with undiagnosed HIV through targeted strategies), improving client-centered referral systems so that people who test positive or are at risk can quickly reach appropriate services, scaling pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for people at substantial risk, and supporting Medication-Assisted Therapy (MAT) services for people with opioid use disorder as part of a comprehensive response for key populations. The intent is to reduce new infections by pairing biomedical prevention tools with practical service delivery strategies that meet clients where they are and reduce drop-off between testing, referral, and prevention uptake.

Another central component is improving treatment continuity and quality so countries can progress toward the 95-95-95 targets: 95 percent of people living with HIV know their status, 95 percent of those diagnosed receive sustained antiretroviral therapy, and 95 percent of those on therapy achieve viral suppression. The NOFO highlights client-centric treatment continuity, which typically involves differentiated service delivery models, stronger follow-up and retention systems, better adherence support, and addressing barriers such as stigma, distance, and fragmented care. It also explicitly calls out addressing HIV-related co-morbidities and strengthening patient management and monitoring. In practical terms, that can include integration or tighter coordination with services for tuberculosis, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections, and other conditions that affect outcomes for people living with HIV, as well as improvements in patient experience and satisfaction as a quality metric.

Laboratory and diagnostic capacity is also emphasized as a foundation for both HIV outcomes and overall health security. High-quality lab systems are essential for accurate HIV diagnosis, viral load testing, early infant diagnosis where relevant, and monitoring drug resistance or treatment failure patterns. Strengthened laboratory networks, quality management systems, and workforce competency help ensure that clinical decisions are based on reliable results and that surveillance data reflect reality. Because lab infrastructure is also a core element of outbreak detection and response, these investments serve dual purposes: improving HIV program performance and strengthening preparedness for other public health threats.

The NOFO places strong weight on strategic information (SI), meaning the collection, management, analysis, and use of data to guide programming. This includes improving data quality, timeliness, and completeness; building the capacity of implementing partners and ministries to analyze and interpret data; and using SI to track progress, identify gaps, and make course corrections. SI systems are essential for measuring impact, demonstrating accountability, and targeting resources effectively, particularly in concentrated epidemics where reaching specific key populations and geographic hotspots can determine whether epidemic control is achievable.

Beyond HIV-specific activities, the opportunity explicitly aims to enhance public health security, preparedness, and response capacity. This reflects PEPFAR's broader approach to building resilient health systems that can maintain essential services during crises, whether those crises are infectious disease outbreaks, humanitarian disruptions, or other shocks. Strengthening preparedness often involves improving coordination structures, workforce readiness, surveillance and reporting, risk communication, and operational capacity for rapid response, with the expectation that strengthened systems will protect gains in HIV and extend benefits across the health sector.

Finally, the NOFO stresses sustainability and coordination with community and other stakeholders. This includes working with local communities and relevant partners to support evidence-based policy development, more durable program design, and realistic long-term financing and implementation plans. The mention of coordination underscores that epidemic control depends not only on clinical services, but also on enabling environments: community engagement, stigma reduction, policy alignment, and effective collaboration across government, civil society, and health facilities. The overall picture is a multi-pronged capacity-building effort meant to help countries deliver better HIV outcomes while simultaneously strengthening the systems needed for long-term public health resilience.

• The Centers for Disease Control - CGH in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strengthening Capacity of Central Asia and Eastern Europe Countries to Implement Sustainable and Effective HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment and Health Security Programs 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 2023-12-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-03-04. (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 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

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