Improving regional capacity to respond to HIV, TB, and other global health priorities in Central America

The funding opportunity titled Improving regional capacity to respond to HIV, TB, and other global health priorities in Central America is offered by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through its Global Health Center and Division of Global HIV and Tuberculosis. This opportunity is part of the federal government’s broader efforts under global HIV and TB initiatives, including alignment with the America First Global Health Strategy and PEPFAR-related programs. The initiative focuses on strengthening public health systems, improving disease surveillance, and reducing morbidity and mortality associated with HIV, tuberculosis, and related infectious diseases across Central America, specifically in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. The primary purpose of this cooperative agreement is to support Ministries of Health and regional stakeholders in closing persistent gaps in HIV prevention, diagnosis, care, and treatment. The program emphasizes achieving the 95-95-95 targets, which aim for 95 percent of people living with HIV to know their status, 95 percent of those diagnosed to receive sustained treatment, and 95 percent of those on treatment to achieve viral suppression. Activities funded under this opportunity include expanding HIV testing strategies, strengthening linkage to care, improving treatment outcomes, and integrating services for tuberculosis and other opportunistic infections. The program also prioritizes building sustainable, country-led systems that enhance long-term health security and outbreak preparedness. Funding under this opportunity is provided through a cooperative agreement mechanism, with an expected total of 20000000 dollars available for the first year and approximately two awards anticipated. The period of performance spans five years, structured as five 12 month budget periods. Funding is distributed using a component-based model, allowing the CDC to allocate resources incrementally based on performance, milestones, and available funds. Allowable uses of funds include program implementation, workforce capacity building, data system strengthening, and monitoring and evaluation activities. Restrictions include prohibitions on research activities, lobbying, and certain clinical services unless explicitly permitted. Eligibility for this opportunity is broad and unrestricted, allowing applications from a wide range of entities including governmental units, nonprofits, higher education institutions, private organizations, and foreign entities. However, all applicants must conduct program activities within the specified Central American countries. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement, although voluntary contributions may be reported if included. Applications must meet strict responsiveness criteria, including adherence to page limits, submission deadlines, and funding request caps aligned with the stated annual funding ceiling. The application process requires registration with SAM.gov and Grants.gov, submission through the Grants.gov portal, and inclusion of required components such as a project narrative, budget narrative, and supporting attachments. The project narrative must follow a structured format including background, approach, outcomes, organizational capacity, coordination, evaluation plan, data management plan, and work plan. Applications are evaluated based on approach, organizational capacity, and data and evaluation strategies, with a total of 100 possible points. Additional scoring preference is given to local organizations that meet specific criteria. The application deadline is August 31, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, with expected award decisions by the end of September 2026 and project start date of September 30, 2026. The program is expected to be recurring given its alignment with ongoing global health initiatives, though future cycles depend on federal appropriations and program priorities. Post-award requirements include regular reporting, performance monitoring, and compliance with federal regulations and CDC policies. Recipients must also allocate approximately 5 to 10 percent of funding toward monitoring and evaluation activities to ensure program effectiveness and accountability.

Align strongly with CDC priorities and 95-95-95 targets; demonstrate country led sustainability; provide strong monitoring and evaluation frameworks with clear indicators and data use; ensure detailed and feasible implementation strategies across all five countries