Enhancing Global Health Security: Strengthening public health surveillance systems for disease detection and preparedness globally

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is forecasting a cooperative agreement opportunity titled "Enhancing Global Health Security: Strengthening public health surveillance systems for disease detection and preparedness globally." This grant opportunity, identified by number CDC-RFA-JG-26-0113, is part of the agency’s ongoing effort to bolster public health systems worldwide and falls under the Assistance Listing 93.318, which supports protecting and improving health globally. The program anticipates making two awards, with a total estimated program funding of $15 million, and is designed to assist international partners in improving surveillance infrastructure and emergency preparedness. The core objective of this funding opportunity is to protect and improve global public health through strategic development and reinforcement of public health surveillance systems. Activities should be aligned with CDC’s goals of improving the detection, monitoring, and response to infectious diseases and other public health threats. Specifically, this includes enhancing the capacity and interface between public health surveillance and laboratory systems, strengthening the public health workforce, increasing emergency surveillance preparedness, and improving the use of surveillance data for actionable decision-making. The implementation partner(s) will collaborate with national Ministries of Health, CDC country offices, and other stakeholders to identify gaps in current systems and address them through strategic planning, training, and innovative solutions. The scope of allowable funding includes the development of surveillance protocols, training resources, workforce development tools, and platforms to support One Health approaches that span human, animal, and environmental health. Applicants are encouraged to incorporate new technologies and systems that facilitate rapid and accurate disease tracking and reporting, particularly in low-resource settings. Emphasis is also placed on building sustainable surveillance capacity at national and regional levels, in part by integrating surveillance data into broader decision-making processes and emergency preparedness frameworks. Eligibility for this opportunity is broad, reflecting the global nature of the issue and the need for cross-sectoral collaboration. Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to, U.S.-based and international governmental entities such as state and local governments, tribal governments and organizations, nonprofit and for-profit organizations (including small businesses), independent school districts, housing authorities, and institutions of higher education. There are no cost-sharing or matching requirements for this opportunity, making it more accessible to a wide range of applicants regardless of budget constraints. The anticipated timeline for this funding opportunity includes an estimated post date of March 2, 2026, and an application due date of May 3, 2026, by 11:59 PM ET. Awards are expected to be announced by August 31, 2026, with projects beginning on September 30, 2026. There is no pre-application requirement such as a Letter of Intent or concept paper, and applications will be submitted electronically. While the current opportunity is forecasted for fiscal year 2026, it may recur depending on future CDC priorities and available funding. For further details, applicants may contact Broderick Yoerg at the CDC at 404-234-0666 or via email at DGHPNOFOs@cdc.gov. The program does not provide a specific downloadable PDF at this time. Applicants are encouraged to monitor Grants.gov for updates and the official NOFO posting once released.