Achieving and Sustaining Epidemic Control in India through Technical Assistance to India's National AIDS Control Program by Strengthening the HIV Prevention to Treatment Cascade under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) | CDC RFA GH22 2241

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH22 2241

This funding opportunity (CDC RFA GH22-2241) is a CDC-led cooperative agreement under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, supported through PEPFAR, focused on helping India achieve and sustain HIV epidemic control by strengthening Indias National AIDS Control Program (NACP). The emphasis is on practical, on-the-ground technical assistance that improves performance across the full HIV prevention-to-treatment cascade in priority geographies, meaning areas where targeted work can most quickly reduce new infections and improve outcomes for people living with HIV.

CDC anticipated approximately $3.5 million in total funding for Year 1 (depending on available funds) and expected to make up to two awards. Notably, the listing shows an Award Ceiling for Year 1 as $0, which typically signals that CDC did not set a fixed upper limit per award in the announcement and would instead determine award sizes based on the final scope, budgets, and negotiations. The mechanism is a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant, which matters because it implies substantial CDC involvement during implementation, often including close collaboration on technical direction, monitoring, and strategic adjustments as data comes in. Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of organizations could apply if they met any additional requirements in the full notice.

Programmatically, the opportunity aims to accelerate progress toward epidemic control by strengthening the entire pathway from prevention to diagnosis to treatment and sustained viral suppression. A central expectation is that recipients will build on existing NACP systems and develop or scale innovative, evidence-based strategies that reach people who are not being adequately served. This includes improving prevention services, expanding and sharpening case-finding approaches, and strengthening linkage to care for individuals who test positive. The work explicitly spans all ages and genders and gives particular attention to key populations (KP) and their partners, reflecting the reality that transmission patterns and access barriers can be concentrated among specific groups and networks. The intent is not only to increase service coverage, but to reduce missed opportunities at each step where people often fall out of care.

A major portion of the technical assistance is oriented toward long-term treatment engagement and viral load (VL) suppression for people living with HIV (PLHIV). Rather than treating retention and adherence as one-size-fits-all, the announcement calls for people-centered, differentiated service delivery (DSD) approaches. In practice, DSD can include tailoring visit frequency, medication refills, service locations, and support models based on patient needs and stability, which can reduce burdens on both clinics and clients while improving retention and suppression. The expectation is that recipients will both build on strategies already working and introduce refinements that make services more responsive, efficient, and sustainable for lifelong HIV management.

Another core feature is strengthening the ability of programs to use real-time data for continuous improvement. Recipients are expected to work closely with district and state health teams and with communities to build capacity for data-driven decision-making, so that gaps in testing, linkage, retention, and viral suppression are identified quickly and addressed with targeted actions. The community engagement component is highlighted as well, signaling that epidemic control depends not just on facility performance but also on trust, demand generation, stigma reduction, and locally grounded solutions that help people start and stay in care.

Administratively, the opportunity was posted on December 22, 2021, with an original application deadline of February 22, 2022 (11:59 pm ET for electronic submissions). The assistance listing falls under CFDA 93.067 and the funding activity category is health. Overall, the opportunity is designed to strengthen Indias HIV program through hands-on technical partnership, focused on measurable improvements in prevention coverage, identification of unreached people with HIV, rapid linkage to treatment, and sustained viral load suppression, especially in locations and populations where progress will have the greatest impact on achieving and maintaining epidemic control.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - CGH in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Achieving and Sustaining Epidemic Control in India through Technical Assistance to India's National AIDS Control Program by Strengthening the HIV Prevention to Treatment Cascade under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (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 Dec 22, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 22, 2022 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 pm ET on the listed application due date.. (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 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for CDC RFA GH22 2241

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