Trauma Care Readiness and Coordination Cooperative Agreement

The Trauma Care Readiness and Coordination Program Cooperative Agreement is a federal funding opportunity administered by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Center for Preparedness, Office of Health Care Readiness, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Opportunity EP-U3R-26-002, under Federal Assistance Listing 93.817, is intended to strengthen trauma system resilience by supporting the design, implementation, and evaluation of innovative, replicable, and scalable trauma system models. Program goals include promoting scalable trauma care models, increasing situational awareness of regional emergency medical services and trauma capacity, improving patient movement and reducing the time between a 911 call and arrival at an appropriate trauma center, increasing access for medically underserved populations, improving patient outcomes, and generating evidence for future investment in regional trauma care. Recipients must conduct at least two of six specified pilot project activities and produce a final report. Eligible activities include strengthening coordination and communication among emergency medical services, medical facilities, trauma centers, public health agencies, safety services, health care coalitions, and other trauma partners; creating regional mechanisms for coordinated and timely patient transfers; improving tracking of prehospital and hospital resources; creating or implementing consistent regional data management and data sharing systems; establishing and disseminating evidence-based or evidence-informed clinical and operational practices; and building infrastructure and capacity that facilitates trauma care-related clinical research. Funding may support reasonable program costs including personnel, consultants, equipment, supplies, grant-related travel, and other grant-related expenses. Funds may not directly support research or clinical care, construction or major renovation, promotional clothing, staff backfilling, or other prohibited costs. Minor alteration and renovation may be allowable, and research capacity and knowledge-sharing infrastructure may be supported even though research itself may not be funded. ASPR expects total program funding of 2000000 and expects to make up to four awards within a stated funding range of 300000 to 500000. ASPR states that it will provide at least 300000 per recipient during the first year, while funding in the two subsequent years is subject to availability of funds. The listed fiscal years are 2026 through 2028. State applicants, consortia of States, and other State entities must contribute 1 dollar for every 3 dollars of federal funding awarded. The match may consist of cash or in-kind contributions from the State, consortia of States, other State entities, or public or private entities, but federal funds may not be used to satisfy the requirement. The match requirement does not apply to Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations, eligible trauma center consortia, or eligible consortia or partnerships of nonprofit Indian Health Service, Indian Tribal, and urban Indian trauma centers. Eligible applicants are States or consortia of States and their bona fide agents; Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations; consortia of level I, II, or III trauma centers designated by applicable State or local agencies within a State or region, together with other emergency services providers when applicable; and consortia or partnerships of nonprofit Indian Health Service, Indian Tribal, and urban Indian trauma centers. For a consortium or partnership, one eligible member submits the cooperative agreement application on behalf of the participating organizations. Applicants must address the needs of medically underserved populations and identify applicable medically underserved population IDs. Eligible Tribal applicants and eligible nonprofit Indian Health Service, Indian Tribal, and urban Indian trauma center applicants may instead provide applicable Health Professional Shortage Area IDs. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, September 18, 2026. Applicants must maintain active SAM.gov registration, including a Unique Entity Identifier, and active Grants.gov registration. The application consists of a one-page Project Abstract Summary, a Project Narrative of no more than 20 pages, a Budget Narrative, required attachments, and required standard forms. Attachments include a Table of Contents, Detailed FY 2026 Budget Period 1 Work Plan, an Indirect Cost Agreement when an approved indirect cost rate is used, an Organizational Chart, curricula vitae for key personnel, and a Statement of Assurance. Consortium and partnership applicants must provide applicable Letters of Agreement and a Letter of Support, while bona fide agent documentation is required when an applicant applies in that capacity. Standard forms include SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, and SF-LLL. Eligible applications undergo an initial compliance review followed by merit review. Applications can be excluded if the applicant is ineligible, the application is late, it is not submitted through Grants.gov, required components are missing, or formatting requirements are not followed. The merit review totals 100 possible points: Background and Approach receives 50 points, Evaluation and Performance Measurement receives 20 points, Organizational Capacity receives 20 points, and Budget receives 10 points. A funding priority adjustment of up to five additional possible points may apply to applicants serving a medically underserved population or, for specified eligible Tribal and Indian health applicants, a qualifying Health Professional Shortage Area. Final award decisions also consider panel recommendations, programmatic and grants management compliance, cost reasonableness, expected benefits, applicable laws, and alignment with agency priorities. The expected award date and expected project start date are September 30, 2026. Successful applicants receive the official Notice of Award through GrantSolutions and may not begin work until that notice is received. Recipients must submit required financial, performance, program, and progress information and must submit a final report no later than 90 days after completion of a pilot project. The program contact is Jennifer Hannah, Director, Office of Health Care Readiness, at Jennifer.Hannah@hhs.gov or 202-245-0722. The grants management contact is Percy Jernigan, Supervisory Grants Management Specialist, CDC Office of Grants Services, at Ibj7@cdc.gov or 770-488-2811. Grants.gov technical assistance is available at support@grants.gov or 1-800-518-4726. The notice does not state that this funding opportunity recurs annually or on another regular schedule.

Select and fully develop at least two required activities and connect each activity to measurable outputs and outcomes. Align the detailed work plan and every budget line item with the proposed activities. Use specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time based objectives. Clearly identify medically underserved populations and required IDs or qualifying shortage-area IDs. Demonstrate partner engagement, organizational capacity, data collection, monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and a credible plan to institutionalize and sustain core capabilities after ASPR funding ends. Give particular attention to Background and Approach because it accounts for 50 of 100 merit review points.