Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH21 2138
This funding opportunity (CDC RFA GH21-2138) is a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cooperative agreement under the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) focused on accelerating HIV prevention in Tanzania through expanded, higher-quality Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) services. The central aim is to help Tanzania move closer to HIV epidemic control by rapidly increasing access to safe, effective circumcision services for males older than 15, with a particular emphasis on adult men and other populations at elevated risk of HIV. The approach is designed to be targeted and data-driven, prioritizing geographic areas where coverage remains low and where additional VMMC scale-up is expected to have meaningful public health impact.
In funding terms, CDC indicates an approximate total of $15,000,000 available for the first year, contingent on the availability of funds, with an expectation of making up to two awards. Notably, the "award ceiling" for Year 1 is listed as $0 (none), which typically signals that CDC is not setting an explicit upper per-award cap in the notice itself, rather than implying no funding is available. The instrument is a cooperative agreement, meaning CDC expects substantial involvement during implementation, such as engagement on technical direction, monitoring, and alignment with evolving PEPFAR priorities and national guidance. The opportunity is classified as discretionary health funding under CFDA 93.067, and eligibility is described as unrestricted (open broadly to qualified entities), subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may appear in the full notice.
Programmatically, the work is concentrated in CDC priority regions where VMMC coverage is lagging, specifically Geita, Kagera, Mwanza, Shinyanga, Simiyu, Mara, and Kigoma. The notice also makes clear that these priority regions can change as new evidence emerges about HIV burden and program needs, so implementers must be able to adapt plans based on updated epidemiologic data and program performance. The main service delivery objective is to "saturate" low-coverage areas, meaning to push VMMC availability and uptake to levels that are sufficient to produce population-level prevention benefits and sustain epidemic control gains over time.
A major component of the award is technical assistance to Tanzanian government structures responsible for health service leadership and local implementation. Recipients are expected to support the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (MOHCDGEC) and the President's Office, Regional Administration and Local Government (PORALG). This support spans different levels of the system, reflecting a focus not only on delivering circumcisions but also on strengthening governance, management capacity, and the long-term ability of national and subnational institutions to oversee and sustain quality VMMC programming. In practice, this implies hands-on assistance with planning, coordination, service quality oversight, workforce development, and integration of VMMC within broader health service structures.
The activities described fall into several core implementation pillars. First is direct service delivery, aimed at increasing the number of males over 15 who receive VMMC, especially in prioritized low-coverage regions. Second is targeted demand creation, which typically involves outreach and communication strategies tailored to adult men and priority groups to address barriers such as misinformation, stigma, time constraints, and concerns about safety or recovery. Third is capacity building, including strengthening provider skills and facility readiness to deliver VMMC at scale while maintaining high clinical standards. Fourth is monitoring and evaluation (M&E), with an emphasis on using data routinely to track coverage, identify gaps, and guide program adjustments. Finally, the notice highlights continuous quality improvement (CQI) to improve service performance and reduce adverse events (AEs), reinforcing that safety and quality are non-negotiable even as volume increases.
The opportunity explicitly anchors programming in evidence-based approaches and alignment with national policy as well as PEPFAR and World Health Organization (WHO) guidance. That means implementers are expected to follow established clinical protocols, infection prevention standards, adverse event monitoring and management procedures, and quality assurance systems that are consistent with global best practices. The inclusion of CQI and adverse event prevention underscores that CDC is prioritizing programs that can scale responsibly, avoiding the quality breakdowns that can occur when services expand rapidly.
A final, critical theme is transition and sustainability. Beyond achieving near-term increases in VMMC uptake, the award expects recipients to help plan and execute steps that shift VMMC management and service continuity toward longer-term local ownership. This involves strengthening the ability of MOHCDGEC and PORALG to manage and sustain services, supporting durable systems for training, supervision, supply and logistics, data use, and quality oversight. The intended outcomes are clearly stated: more males older than 15 accessing VMMC services, increased saturation in historically low-coverage regions to support sustained HIV epidemic control, and a credible transition pathway so VMMC services remain stable and high-quality over time rather than dependent on short-term external support.Apply for CDC RFA GH21 2138
- The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - CGH in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Accelerate the Scale-up and Technical Assistance of Targeted Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) Services for Greater Impact and Epidemic Control in the United Republic of Tanzania under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEP" 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 Feb 19, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 20, 2021 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): CDC RFA GH21-2138 (Tanzania VMMC)
1) What is CDC RFA GH21-2138 about?
CDC RFA GH21-2138 is a CDC cooperative agreement under PEPFAR focused on accelerating HIV prevention in Tanzania by expanding access to higher-quality Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) services. The opportunity prioritizes rapid, data-driven scale-up of safe and effective circumcision services to help Tanzania move closer to HIV epidemic control.
2) What is the main goal of this funding opportunity?
The central goal is to increase access to safe, effective VMMC for males older than 15, with special emphasis on adult men and other populations at elevated risk of HIV. The approach is designed to rapidly increase coverage in low-coverage areas where VMMC scale-up is expected to have meaningful public health impact.
3) Who is the priority service population?
The priority population is males older than 15 years, with particular emphasis on adult men and other groups at elevated risk of HIV, based on the targeted and data-driven approach described in the notice.
4) Where in Tanzania will the work be focused?
The work is concentrated in CDC priority regions where VMMC coverage is lagging: Geita, Kagera, Mwanza, Shinyanga, Simiyu, Mara, and Kigoma.
5) Can the geographic priorities change during the award?
Yes. The notice indicates the priority regions can change as new evidence emerges about HIV burden and program needs. Implementers are expected to adapt plans based on updated epidemiologic data and program performance.
6) What does "saturate" low-coverage areas mean in this context?
"Saturate" refers to driving VMMC availability and uptake in historically low-coverage areas to levels sufficient to produce population-level HIV prevention benefits and help sustain epidemic control gains over time.
7) What type of funding mechanism is this?
This opportunity uses a cooperative agreement mechanism. That means CDC expects substantial involvement during implementation, such as engagement on technical direction, monitoring, and alignment with evolving PEPFAR priorities and national guidance.
8) How much funding is available?
CDC indicates an approximate total of $15,000,000 available for the first year, contingent on the availability of funds.
9) How many awards does CDC expect to make?
CDC expects to make up to two awards.
10) Why does the notice list an "award ceiling" of $0 (none) for Year 1?
The Year 1 award ceiling is listed as $0 (none), which typically signals CDC is not setting an explicit upper per-award cap in the notice itself, rather than indicating that no funding is available.
11) What is the CFDA number and funding category?
The opportunity is classified as discretionary health funding under CFDA 93.067.
12) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open broadly to qualified entities), subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may appear in the full notice.
13) What are the main implementation pillars or activity areas?
The notice describes five core pillars: (1) direct service delivery to increase the number of males over 15 receiving VMMC in prioritized low-coverage regions; (2) targeted demand creation to address barriers and increase uptake among adult men and priority groups; (3) capacity building to strengthen provider skills and facility readiness while maintaining high clinical standards; (4) monitoring and evaluation (M&E) with routine data use to track coverage, identify gaps, and guide adjustments; and (5) continuous quality improvement (CQI) to improve performance and reduce adverse events (AEs).
14) What does "targeted, data-driven" implementation mean here?
It means prioritizing geographic areas where VMMC coverage remains low and where scale-up is expected to generate meaningful public health impact, while using epidemiologic and program performance data to guide where and how services expand over time.
15) What is expected around demand creation?
Demand creation is expected to be targeted and tailored to adult men and priority groups. The notice references addressing barriers such as misinformation, stigma, time constraints, and concerns about safety or recovery.
16) What is expected around quality and safety?
Quality and safety are emphasized as non-negotiable. The notice highlights CQI to improve service performance and reduce adverse events, along with adherence to established clinical protocols and infection prevention standards consistent with national policy, PEPFAR, and WHO guidance.
17) What are "adverse events (AEs)" in this program context?
In the context of VMMC scale-up, adverse events refer to negative clinical outcomes or complications that can occur with medical procedures. The notice emphasizes monitoring, management procedures, and prevention efforts through quality assurance and CQI to reduce AEs as services expand.
18) What role does monitoring and evaluation (M&E) play?
M&E is positioned as a central requirement, with an emphasis on routine data use to track VMMC coverage, identify service delivery gaps, and make program adjustments based on performance and updated epidemiologic information.
19) Which Tanzanian government bodies are expected to receive technical assistance?
Recipients are expected to support the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (MOHCDGEC) and the President's Office, Regional Administration and Local Government (PORALG).
20) What kinds of technical assistance are implied by the notice?
The notice implies hands-on support across multiple levels, including planning, coordination, service quality oversight, workforce development, governance and management capacity strengthening, and integration of VMMC within broader health service structures.
21) How does this opportunity align with national and global guidance?
The notice explicitly anchors programming in evidence-based approaches and alignment with national policy as well as PEPFAR and WHO guidance. This includes following established clinical protocols, infection prevention standards, adverse event monitoring and management procedures, and quality assurance systems consistent with global best practices.
22) What is meant by "transition" and "sustainability" in this award?
Transition and sustainability refer to planning and executing steps that shift VMMC management and service continuity toward longer-term local ownership. The award expects strengthening of government capacity to manage and sustain quality VMMC programming so services remain stable over time rather than relying on short-term external support.
23) What systems or capacities are highlighted for sustainability?
The notice highlights strengthening durable systems for training, supervision, supply and logistics, data use, and quality oversight, along with broader governance and management capacity within MOHCDGEC and PORALG.
24) What outcomes does CDC intend to achieve through this opportunity?
Intended outcomes include: more males older than 15 accessing VMMC services; increased saturation in historically low-coverage regions to support sustained HIV epidemic control; and a credible transition pathway so VMMC services remain stable and high-quality over time.
25) What does CDC's "substantial involvement" typically look like under a cooperative agreement?
Based on the notice description, CDC involvement includes engagement on technical direction, monitoring, and ensuring alignment with evolving PEPFAR priorities and national guidance during implementation.
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