Modernizing Violent Death and Suicide Surveillance Using the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS)

Modernizing Violent Death and Suicide Surveillance Using the National Violent Death Reporting System is a forecasted federal cooperative agreement opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. The National Violent Death Reporting System, or NVDRS, is CDC's state-based surveillance system for violent deaths and suicides. It combines information from death certificates, coroner or medical examiner reports, including toxicology reports, and law enforcement reports to provide comprehensive incident-level information about the circumstances surrounding violent deaths. The program is identified under Assistance Listing 93.136, Injury Prevention and Control Research and State and Community Based Programs. Through this funding opportunity, CDC intends to support eligible state, territorial, and local governmental entities, or their bona fide agents, in operating and modernizing NVDRS. Recipients will conduct statewide or territory-wide surveillance by collecting, linking, managing, analyzing, and submitting high-quality data concerning violent deaths and suicides. A central objective is to improve the timeliness and completeness of reporting through quarterly provisional data pulls and annual data closeout. Beginning in the first year, recipients will prepare data for quarterly provisional pulls so that preliminary and actionable information is available earlier, while progressively updating individual case records as additional source documents and information become available. Annual data closeout will serve as the primary process for creating a complete, finalized, and validated NVDRS dataset for each data year. Recipients must ensure eligible cases are fully abstracted, updated, validated, and completed using all required and available data sources by the annual closeout deadline. The funding opportunity also emphasizes modernization of data systems and workflows to improve efficiency, reduce reporting burden, improve data quality and timeliness, and enhance data usability. Every recipient will complete a modernization readiness assessment within six months after award and implement at least one modernization pilot during the period of performance. Potential pilot activities include automated data import and extraction, electronic data exchange and interoperability, workflow automation, data-quality tools, and enhanced data analysis and visualization. With CDC approval, recipients may also undertake optional activities linking NVDRS data with other relevant data systems. Eligible applicants include U.S. state governments, including the District of Columbia, U.S. territorial governments, county governments, city or township governments, and special district governments. Bona fide agents may apply for an eligible state, territorial, or local governmental organization but must provide documentation demonstrating a formal arrangement with and authority to apply on behalf of that governmental entity. Only one application will be funded from each eligible state or territory. Applicants must demonstrate the ability to conduct statewide or territory-wide surveillance and access the data sources required for NVDRS, including death certificates, coroner or medical examiner reports and associated toxicology reports, and law enforcement reports. The opportunity does not require cost sharing or matching. The opportunity is currently forecasted rather than open for applications. CDC estimates that the opportunity will be posted on September 22, 2026, with an estimated application deadline of May 4, 2027. Electronically submitted applications must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the listed due date. No separate letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, notice of intent, or other pre-application gating requirement is identified in the provided forecast. The source does not provide a complete application package, narrative questions, formal evaluation criteria, or a direct PDF solicitation link at this forecast stage. Applicants should therefore rely on the subsequently posted funding opportunity for complete submission requirements and evaluation details. CDC expects to make 52 awards and reports estimated total program funding of 84,166,465 dollars. The stated award ceiling is 966,085 dollars. Grants.gov displays an award floor of zero dollars; because zero does not represent a usable minimum award value under the applicable data-entry rules, no award floor is recorded. The forecast gives an estimated award date of September 1, 2027, and an estimated project start date of September 1, 2027. The fiscal year is 2027, and the forecast archive date is June 3, 2027. No recurring annual or other repeating application cycle is stated in the source. The intended program outcome is a sustainable and modernized national surveillance system capable of producing timely provisional data together with complete, reliable, and high-quality annual data for violence and suicide prevention and broader public health action. Applicants should pay particular attention to their ability to operate surveillance at statewide or territory-wide scale, obtain all required source data, maintain complete and validated case information, support quarterly and annual reporting, and undertake modernization activities. The listed grantor contact is Gabraelle Lane at xkp4@cdc.gov and 770-488-7744. Because this is a forecasted opportunity, dates, requirements, funding details, and application instructions remain subject to the subsequently posted funding notice.

Demonstrate clear capacity to conduct statewide or territory-wide surveillance and secure access to every required NVDRS data source. Align proposed capabilities with CDC priorities for timely quarterly provisional reporting, complete and validated annual closeout data, improved data quality and timeliness, reduced reporting burden, and modernization of surveillance systems and workflows.