Strengthening STD Prevention and Control for Health Departments (STD PCHD)

The Strengthening STD Prevention and Control for Health Departments program is administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This funding opportunity is delivered through a cooperative agreement mechanism, indicating that the CDC maintains substantial involvement throughout the performance period. The initiative is part of a broader federal effort to reduce the burden of sexually transmitted diseases across the United States, with a particular focus on enhancing the capacity of public health systems to address persistent and emerging STD challenges. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to support state, territorial, and select local health departments in implementing comprehensive STD prevention and control strategies. The program specifically targets the reduction and prevention of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, including congenital syphilis. Emphasis is placed on combating antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea, reducing primary and secondary syphilis rates, and preventing complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, and infertility. The initiative also aims to reduce disparities in STD outcomes among priority populations, including adolescents, young adults, men who have sex with men, and pregnant women. Funding under this opportunity supports a wide range of public health activities. These include conducting STD surveillance, responding to outbreaks, identifying and linking infected individuals and their partners to care and treatment, and promoting adherence to CDC-recommended screening and treatment protocols. Additional supported activities involve disseminating local epidemiological data, strengthening partnerships across healthcare and community sectors, supporting HIV prevention integration, and using data analytics to improve program performance. While specific funding restrictions are not explicitly outlined in the summary, expenditures are expected to align with federal public health program standards and CDC guidance. Eligibility is limited to governmental public health entities already engaged in CDC-supported STD programming. Specifically, eligible applicants include state, local, and territorial health departments or their bona fide agents currently funded under a prior CDC program. This includes all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as certain large metropolitan health departments. Collaboration between state and local jurisdictions within eligible metropolitan areas is required, and formal documentation of such collaboration must be included in the application. The application process requires electronic submission through Grants.gov by the stated deadline. Applicants must prepare a comprehensive proposal that includes program plans, collaboration documentation, and supporting agreements such as letters of agreement or concurrence where applicable. While specific evaluation criteria are not detailed in the summary, applications are expected to be assessed based on their ability to effectively implement the outlined strategies and meet program objectives. The cooperative agreement structure implies ongoing reporting and coordination requirements with CDC program officers. The funding opportunity was originally posted on April 30, 2018, with a closing date of July 31, 2018. Applications were required to be submitted electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. The program anticipated approximately 59 awards, with a total estimated funding pool of $475,000,000. While individual award amounts are not specified, the scale of funding suggests significant multi-year investments in public health infrastructure. This opportunity does not require cost sharing or matching contributions from applicants. Given the fixed deadline and lack of recurrence language, this appears to have been a one-time funding cycle rather than a recurring program.