Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA IP 21 002
This CDC cooperative agreement (RFA IP 21 002; CFDA 93.185) funds the creation of a coordinated US surveillance network focused on measuring how often children get sick from major enteric and respiratory viruses, how those illnesses progress over time, and how well vaccines prevent related medical visits and hospitalizations. The network is designed to produce consistent, comparable data across multiple institutions by developing and using standardized research protocols and shared case definitions, enrollment methods, and laboratory testing approaches. In practical terms, the program supports prospective, active surveillance rather than passive reporting, meaning participating sites are expected to systematically identify and enroll eligible pediatric patients as they present for care, rather than relying on incomplete routine reporting.
The illnesses of interest span three main areas. First is acute gastroenteritis (AGE), with a focus on norovirus, rotavirus, and other enteric viruses. Second is acute respiratory illness (ARI) caused by a wide range of respiratory viruses, explicitly including influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza viruses, human metapneumovirus, rhinoviruses, enteroviruses (including EV-D68), adenoviruses, and coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2. Third, the network also monitors serious pediatric syndromes that may be linked to viral infections, specifically acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). By capturing both common viral syndromes (AGE and ARI) and rarer but high-impact conditions (AFM and MIS-C), the program aims to provide a fuller picture of pediatric viral disease burden in real-world healthcare settings.
Participating institutions are expected to find and enroll children who seek healthcare or diagnostic testing for acute illness across inpatient units, outpatient clinics, and emergency departments. Sites enroll patients who meet standard symptom-based eligibility criteria and then confirm viral infections using approved molecular assays, which helps ensure that case classification is accurate and comparable across the network. This lab-confirmation requirement is a key feature because it moves estimates beyond symptom-only diagnoses and enables virus-specific burden estimates, coinfection analyses, and more reliable comparisons across seasons, regions, and age groups.
A central deliverable of the network is vaccine effectiveness (VE) estimation in pediatric populations. The NOFO calls for accurate VE estimates for influenza, rotavirus, and COVID-19 vaccines, and it anticipates evaluating additional vaccines that could become available during the project period, such as RSV and norovirus vaccines. In effect, the network is set up to rapidly generate evidence on how well vaccines prevent medically attended illness (including emergency visits and hospitalizations), with the flexibility to add new vaccine products or target pathogens as the immunization landscape changes.
The data produced by this effort are intended for direct public health and clinical use. Burden estimates, VE findings, and natural history information are expected to inform best practices for diagnosis and treatment, shape or refine vaccine recommendations, and evaluate the real-world public health impact of vaccination and prevention programs. Because the surveillance is anchored in healthcare encounters, the outputs are especially relevant for understanding and reducing virus-related medical visits and hospital use among children, including identifying which viruses are driving the most severe outcomes and which age groups are most affected.
Administratively, this opportunity is run by the US Department of Health and Human Services through the CDC (ERA). It is a discretionary funding opportunity using the cooperative agreement mechanism, indicating substantial federal involvement in coordinating or guiding the work across awardees. Eligibility is broad and includes various levels of government, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, tribal governments and organizations, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement). The NOFO was created on November 17, 2020, with an original application deadline of February 8, 2021 (applications due by 5:00 p.m. ET). The maximum award amount listed is $1,950,000, and CDC anticipated making about 7 awards, aligning with the goal of building a multi-site national network capable of producing robust, generalizable pediatric estimates.Apply for RFA IP 21 002
- The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "US Enhanced Surveillance Network to Assess Burden, Natural History, and Effectiveness of Vaccines to Prevent Enteric and Respiratory Viruses in Children" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.185.
- This funding opportunity was created on Nov 17, 2020.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 08, 2021 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 500 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.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,950,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 7 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, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this CDC funding opportunity?
This is a CDC cooperative agreement (RFA IP 21 002; CFDA 93.185) that funds the creation of a coordinated US surveillance network to measure pediatric disease burden and vaccine effectiveness for major enteric and respiratory viruses, using consistent methods across multiple institutions.
What is the main purpose of the surveillance network?
The network is designed to measure how often children get sick from key enteric and respiratory viruses, track how illnesses progress over time (natural history), and estimate how well vaccines prevent medically attended illness, including clinic visits, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations.
What makes this network "coordinated" across institutions?
The program emphasizes standardized research protocols and shared case definitions, enrollment methods, and laboratory testing approaches so that data collected at different sites are consistent and comparable.
What kind of surveillance approach is required: active or passive?
The program supports prospective, active surveillance rather than passive reporting. Participating sites are expected to systematically identify and enroll eligible pediatric patients as they present for care, instead of relying on routine reporting systems that may be incomplete.
Which illnesses and syndromes are included in the surveillance?
The illnesses of interest span three areas: acute gastroenteritis (AGE), acute respiratory illness (ARI), and serious pediatric syndromes potentially linked to viral infections (acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C)).
Which viruses are a focus for acute gastroenteritis (AGE)?
AGE surveillance focuses on norovirus, rotavirus, and other enteric viruses.
Which viruses are included for acute respiratory illness (ARI)?
ARI surveillance includes a wide range of respiratory viruses, explicitly including influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza viruses, human metapneumovirus, rhinoviruses, enteroviruses (including EV-D68), adenoviruses, and coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2.
Are rare but severe conditions included, or only common viral illnesses?
Both are included. The network captures common syndromes (AGE and ARI) and also monitors rarer, high-impact conditions (AFM and MIS-C) to provide a fuller picture of pediatric viral disease burden in real-world healthcare settings.
Where are participating sites expected to find and enroll children?
Participating institutions are expected to identify and enroll children who seek healthcare or diagnostic testing for acute illness across inpatient units, outpatient clinics, and emergency departments.
How are eligible patients identified for enrollment?
Sites enroll patients who meet standard symptom-based eligibility criteria, as defined by the standardized protocols used across the network.
Is laboratory confirmation of infection required?
Yes. After enrollment, sites confirm viral infections using approved molecular assays. This lab-confirmation requirement supports accurate and comparable case classification across the network.
Why does the program emphasize lab-confirmed cases instead of symptom-only diagnoses?
Lab confirmation enables virus-specific burden estimates, supports analysis of coinfections, and allows more reliable comparisons across seasons, regions, and age groups than symptom-only classifications.
What is a central deliverable of the network?
A central deliverable is vaccine effectiveness (VE) estimation in pediatric populations, focused on how well vaccines prevent medically attended illness, including emergency visits and hospitalizations.
Which vaccines are specifically mentioned for vaccine effectiveness (VE) estimation?
The NOFO calls for accurate VE estimates for influenza, rotavirus, and COVID-19 vaccines.
Can the network evaluate vaccine effectiveness for new vaccines introduced during the project period?
Yes. The NOFO anticipates evaluating additional vaccines that could become available during the project period, such as RSV and norovirus vaccines, giving the network flexibility as the immunization landscape changes.
How will the data from this network be used?
Burden estimates, VE findings, and natural history information are intended for direct public health and clinical use, including informing best practices for diagnosis and treatment, shaping or refining vaccine recommendations, and evaluating the real-world public health impact of vaccination and prevention programs.
Why are healthcare encounters an important anchor for this surveillance?
Because surveillance is anchored in healthcare encounters, the outputs are especially relevant for understanding and reducing virus-related medical visits and hospital use among children, including identifying which viruses drive the most severe outcomes and which age groups are most affected.
What is the funding mechanism for this opportunity?
This is a discretionary funding opportunity using the cooperative agreement mechanism, which indicates substantial federal involvement in coordinating or guiding the work across awardees.
Which federal agency administers the opportunity?
The opportunity is run by the US Department of Health and Human Services through the CDC (ERA).
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes various levels of government, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, tribal governments and organizations, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement).
What is the maximum award amount listed in the opportunity?
The maximum award amount listed is $1,950,000.
How many awards did CDC anticipate making?
CDC anticipated making about 7 awards to support a multi-site national network capable of producing robust, generalizable pediatric estimates.
What are the key dates provided for this NOFO?
The NOFO was created on November 17, 2020. The original application deadline was February 8, 2021, with applications due by 5:00 p.m. ET.
What is the main advantage of having multiple sites in a national network?
A multi-site national network can produce more robust and generalizable pediatric estimates by using consistent methods across different institutions and settings.
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Health
Next opportunity: Staffing Analysis – Virtual Instructor-Led Training Development and Pilot Delivery Program
Previous opportunity: Qatari Audience Analysis
Applicant Portal:
Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.
Apply for RFA IP 21 002
Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (RFA IP 21 002) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Advanced Nursing Education - Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (ANE-SANE) Program Apply for HRSA 21 016 Funding Number: HRSA 21 016 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration Category: Health Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| National Maternal and Child Health Consortium for Oral Health Systems Integration and Improvement Apply for HRSA 21 037 Funding Number: HRSA 21 037 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration Category: Health Funding Amount: $1,325,000 |
| Integrated Health Services in Burkina Faso Apply for 72068521RFA00001 Funding Number: 72068521RFA00001 Agency: Agency for International Development, Senegal USAID-Dakar Category: Health Funding Amount: $39,000,000 |
| National Urban Indian Behavioral Health Awareness Apply for HHS 2020 IHS UIHP3 0001 Funding Number: HHS 2020 IHS UIHP3 0001 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service Category: Health Funding Amount: $75,000 |
| Nursing Workforce Diversity (NWD) Program Apply for HRSA 21 020 Funding Number: HRSA 21 020 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Rapid Response Rural Data Analysis and Issue Specific Rural Research Studies Apply for HRSA 21 029 Funding Number: HRSA 21 029 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration Category: Health Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Zimbabwe Assistance Program in Malaria II (ZAPIM II) Apply for 72061321RFA00001 Funding Number: 72061321RFA00001 Agency: Agency for International Development, Zimbabwe USAID-Harare Category: Health Funding Amount: $19,700,000 |
| State Offices of Rural Health Program (SORH) Apply for HRSA 21 026 Funding Number: HRSA 21 026 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration Category: Health Funding Amount: $230,000 |
| Small Vessel VCID Biomarkers Validation Consortium Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA NS 21 004 Funding Number: RFA NS 21 004 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Small Vessel VCID Biomarker Validation Consortium Sites (U01)(Clinical Trials Not Allowed) Apply for RFA NS 21 005 Funding Number: RFA NS 21 005 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $800,000 |
| Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Part C Capacity Development Program Apply for HRSA 21 058 Funding Number: HRSA 21 058 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Investing in Resilient Families Apply for 7200 AA 21R00011 Funding Number: 7200 AA 21R00011 Agency: Agency for International Development Category: Health Funding Amount: $100,000,000 |
| Strengthening Breastfeeding Support by Coordinating National Efforts and Building Capacity of Breastfeeding Coalitions Apply for CDC RFA DP21 2108 Funding Number: CDC RFA DP21 2108 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - NCCDPHP Category: Health Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Summer Institute for Research Education in Biostatistics and Data Science (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA HL 22 009 Funding Number: RFA HL 22 009 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $239,000 |
| State Occupational Safety and Health Surveillance Program Apply for RFA OH 21 005 Funding Number: RFA OH 21 005 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA Category: Health Funding Amount: $685,000 |
| Reducing Inequities in Cancer Outcomes through Community-Based Interventions on Social Determinants of Health Apply for RFA DP 21 003 Funding Number: RFA DP 21 003 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA Category: Health Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| RFI - Laos Maternal Child Health Nutrition Activity Apply for 72048621RFI00001 Funding Number: 72048621RFI00001 Agency: Agency for International Development, Thailand USAID-Bangkok Category: Health Funding Amount: $30,000,000 |
| Kenya Community Grant Initiative-Routine Data Collection and Provider feedback Apply for DOS NBO PCO FY21 001 Funding Number: DOS NBO PCO FY21 001 Agency: Department of State, U.S. Mission to Kenya Category: Health Funding Amount: $400,000 |
| Kenya Community Grant Initiative - Data Collection Platform Apply for DOS NBO PCO FY21 003 Funding Number: DOS NBO PCO FY21 003 Agency: Department of State, U.S. Mission to Kenya Category: Health Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| Kenya Community Grant Initiative - Coordination Mechanism Apply for DOS NBO PCO FY21 002 Funding Number: DOS NBO PCO FY21 002 Agency: Department of State, U.S. Mission to Kenya Category: Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
Grant application guides and resources
It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!
Apply for Grants
Inside Our Applicants Portal
Access Applicants Portal
- Grants Repository - Access current and historic funding opportunities with ease. Thousands of funding opportunities are published every week. We can help you sort through the database and find the eligible ones to apply for.
- Applicant Video Guides - The grant application process can be challenging to follow. We can help you with intuitive video guides to speed up the process and eliminate errors in submissions.
- Grant Proposal Wizard - We have developed a network of private funding organizations and investors across the United States. We can reach out and submit your proposal to these contacts to maximize your chances of getting the funding you need.
Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers
Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.
If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.
Learn More
Request more information:
Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "RFA IP 21 002", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:
Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.