Strengthening Care and Support Services for Highly Vulnerable Populations, Orphans and Vulnerable Children and their Families, plus HIV Prevention for Youth in the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire under PEPFAR | CDC RFA GH22 2238

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH22 2238

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, released this PEPFAR-funded Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to strengthen and expand HIV prevention, care, and treatment services in the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire, with a particular focus on people and communities facing the highest levels of vulnerability and risk. The opportunity is issued as a cooperative agreement (meaning CDC expects substantial involvement in program direction, monitoring, and technical support rather than a hands-off grant). The NOFO is identified as CDC RFA GH22 2238 (CFDA 93.067) and was posted on December 27, 2021, with applications originally due February 25, 2022 (11:59 pm ET for electronic submission). Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to different types of organizations as long as they meet any specific eligibility conditions described in the full announcement.

In funding terms, the notice states that the "award ceiling" for Year 1 is listed as 0 (none), which typically signals that CDC is not setting a maximum cap per award in the public summary and that actual award sizes are determined by the applicant's proposed scope and CDC program decisions. Even with that ceiling listed as none, CDC indicates it anticipates approximately $8,000,000 in total funding for the first fiscal year, contingent on the availability of funds, and expects to make about two awards. In practice, that suggests a small number of implementers may receive sizable agreements to cover multiple districts and a broad package of HIV and related support services, rather than many small awards.

Programmatically, the NOFO is designed to support implementation and scale-up of comprehensive HIV programming in prioritized health districts with high HIV burden, prevalence, and incidence in Cote d'Ivoire. The approach is deliberately broad and integrated: it is not only about clinical HIV services, but also about prevention, community linkage, data systems, and district-level capacity so services remain sustainable beyond the life of the award. The announcement emphasizes a continuum of prevention and care, meaning people should be able to move smoothly from outreach and testing into treatment, retention, and supportive services, with fewer gaps where clients are lost to follow-up.

The activity package highlighted in the description includes HIV sexual prevention services for both priority populations and the general population. It also includes comprehensive HIV-related services for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and their families, recognizing that HIV risk and treatment outcomes are shaped by household stability, caregiving, and economic and social conditions. A specific focus is placed on adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), a group that often faces heightened HIV vulnerability due to a mix of biological, social, and structural factors. In addition, the NOFO calls for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services for pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBFW) and for HIV-exposed infants (HEI), reflecting PEPFAR's priority to prevent new pediatric infections and ensure early infant diagnosis and appropriate follow-up.

HIV testing services (HTS) are another core element, with an emphasis on efficient and innovative strategies and, critically, strong linkage to treatment after diagnosis. This reflects a common implementation challenge: testing alone does not reduce morbidity and mortality unless people who test positive are rapidly connected to antiretroviral therapy and then supported to stay in care. Alongside service delivery, the NOFO highlights strengthening health information systems and strategic information (SI) activities. This typically includes improving data quality, reporting, surveillance or routine program monitoring, and using data for decision-making at facility, district, and regional levels to better target resources and improve performance.

Sustainability and system strengthening are explicit goals. The NOFO stresses strengthening health district and community systems, and it repeatedly points to strong community linkages as essential to ensuring the full continuum of prevention and care. In practical terms, this usually means coordinating across community-based platforms and clinical services, supporting referral networks, addressing barriers like stigma and discrimination, and ensuring that clients can access services consistently. The announcement also points toward building local ownership and accountability, aiming for increased investment and oversight by health districts and regional structures in the HIV response.

The outcomes CDC expects from these investments are aligned with the UNAIDS Fast-Track strategy and the broader goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. The NOFO cites improved coverage and quality of HIV services as key performance expectations, along with reduced morbidity and mortality among priority populations. It also identifies social and structural outcomes as part of the program's intent, including reducing stigma, discrimination, and violence experienced by priority populations. Finally, it points to governance and accountability improvements at subnational levels, signaling that applicants are expected to contribute not just to service delivery targets, but also to stronger local program management and a more durable HIV response in Cote d'Ivoire.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - CGH in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strengthening Care and Support Services for Highly Vulnerable Populations, Orphans and Vulnerable Children and their Families, plus HIV Prevention for Youth in the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire 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 Dec 27, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 25, 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.

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