Providing targeted technical assistance to the HIV/TB prevention-care-treatment continuum using cost efficient and scalable quality improvement approaches to address program gaps in support of sustainable HIV services in Zambia under PEPFAR | CDC RFA JG 25 0062

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA JG 25 0062

This CDC PEPFAR funding opportunity (NOFO CDC RFA JG 25 0062) is a cooperative agreement designed to strengthen Zambia's HIV and TB prevention, care, and treatment continuum by providing targeted technical assistance that is practical, cost-efficient, and scalable. The overall goal is to help Zambia progress from current performance levels of 89-98-96 toward the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets by 2030, with an emphasis on making improvements that can be sustained through stronger systems rather than short-term, stand-alone interventions. The focus is not just on service delivery numbers, but on improving the underlying management, data use, and quality systems that determine whether HIV/TB services remain reliable and effective over time.

Funding for the first year is anticipated at approximately USD 15,000,000 in total, contingent on the availability of funds, and CDC expects to make about three awards. Although the notice lists an Award Ceiling of 0 for Year 1, this typically reflects that CDC is not setting a per-award maximum in the NOFO text rather than implying no funding will be awarded. The application closing date is February 24, 2025, and the eligible applicant pool is broad, including various levels of government, public and private universities, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), tribal entities and organizations, public housing authorities, and for-profit entities (including small businesses), effectively making the opportunity open to a wide range of implementers and technical partners.

Programmatically, the award is centered on delivering technical assistance using continuous quality improvement (CQI) methods that are driven by program data. A key expectation is that recipients will identify where performance is lagging, test and implement practical changes, and track results over time to close gaps in coverage and quality. The NOFO highlights poor antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage as a priority challenge, and it ties improvements in ART coverage to stronger information systems, better supply chain coordination and logistics management, and more disciplined use of routine and special data sources. Recipients are expected to use surveys, evaluations, studies, and program monitoring data to pinpoint gaps, understand barriers, and tailor solutions, particularly where services are not reaching people who need them most.

A major priority is closing the gap in the first "95" (knowing HIV status) among underserved, vulnerable, and key populations, explicitly including men who have sex with men, female sex workers, and people who inject drugs, along with other key populations in Zambia. This implies the technical assistance should help programs improve case-finding strategies, testing access, linkage systems, and the overall reach and acceptability of services for groups that often face stigma, legal and social barriers, or poor service coverage. The NOFO signals that improving equity in diagnosis is not a secondary objective but a central one, and that data should be used to identify which sub-populations and geographies are falling behind so interventions can be better targeted.

In addition to population-focused gaps, the NOFO calls out specific national HIV response system constraints that the technical assistance should address. These include human resources for health (HRH), laboratory capacity, and data management. In practice, that means helping the health system strengthen staffing models and workforce performance, improve laboratory systems that support both HIV and TB diagnosis and monitoring, and build data systems and practices that support accurate reporting and better decision-making. The work is meant to improve both the reliability of day-to-day operations and the ability of leadership to spot problems early and respond quickly.

Finally, the opportunity emphasizes strengthening HIV/TB service delivery quality management systems at designated sub-national levels and building management and leadership capacity at facility, district, and provincial levels. The intent is to institutionalize quality improvement and performance management so that improvements are owned and maintained within the Zambian health system. Rather than running parallel systems, awardees are expected to help establish stronger governance, clearer accountability, better use of performance data, and more effective coordination across service delivery, labs, supply chains, and information systems, all in support of better HIV and TB outcomes under PEPFAR.

• The Centers for Disease Control-GHC in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Providing targeted technical assistance to the HIV/TB prevention-care-treatment continuum using cost efficient and scalable quality improvement approaches to address program gaps in support of sustainable HIV services in Zambia under PEPFAR" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.067.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-12-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-02-24. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Unrestricted.

Apply for CDC RFA JG 25 0062

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: