Strengthening the technical capacity of the Ministry of Health to deliver a sustainable and resilient response to HIV/TB and related public health threats in the Kingdom of Eswatini under PEPFAR | CDC RFA JG 25 0073

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA JG 25 0073

This funding opportunity (CDC RFA JG 25 0073) is a PEPFAR-supported cooperative agreement focused on strengthening the Eswatini Ministry of Health (MOH) so it can lead and sustain a high-quality, resilient national response to HIV, TB, and related public health threats. The core aim is to build durable government capacity and accountability at both national and regional levels, helping Eswatini stay on track to end HIV as a public health threat by 2030. Rather than primarily financing direct service delivery, the grant is structured around providing targeted technical assistance that improves MOH leadership, planning, coordination, oversight, and performance management, while also helping embed proven approaches into routine health system operations so they can be maintained over time with domestic resources.

CDC anticipates approximately USD 3.5 million in total funding for Year 1, contingent on the availability of funds. The notice states an award ceiling of 0 for Year 1, which typically signals that no maximum per-award cap is being set in the announcement even though funding is expected. CDC expects to make about two awards. The application closing date is March 5, 2025, and the opportunity is administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Center/office listed as CDC-GHC. It is categorized as discretionary funding and will be issued as a cooperative agreement, meaning recipients should anticipate substantial involvement from CDC during implementation (for example, alignment on technical approaches, monitoring expectations, and coordination with national priorities and other partners).

The work CDC is seeking centers on strengthening MOH programmatic leadership and oversight so that gains in HIV prevention, testing, treatment, and viral suppression are protected, and remaining gaps are closed more quickly. Applicants are expected to support MOH-led strategic planning and to help develop or update the policies, guidelines, and implementation plans that translate national strategy into consistent practice across regions and service delivery points. A major emphasis is health workforce capacity building, including the design and rollout of innovative training models, data-driven clinical mentorship, and continuous quality improvement (CQI) systems. The intent is to move beyond one-off trainings by building ongoing mentorship and CQI processes that use routine data to identify performance gaps, improve clinical and program quality, and standardize best practices across facilities and districts.

The opportunity also calls for introducing evidence-based interventions and fostering innovation, with an expectation that improvements are grounded in what has been shown to work in HIV/TB programs and adapted thoughtfully to Eswatini’s context. Recipients are expected to help coordinate activities across MOH structures and partners, strengthening how programs are organized and executed so efforts are not fragmented. In addition, applicants must support MOH in oversight and performance monitoring of HIV/TB and related programs, which typically includes strengthening program dashboards, supervision structures, review meetings, data quality routines, and feedback loops that translate monitoring findings into corrective actions.

A distinct requirement is to strengthen the organizational, financial, and technical capacity of select local entities. This reflects a broader sustainability and localization objective: building the ability of in-country organizations to manage programs, comply with donor and government requirements, and deliver technical work competently over time. Throughout the award, CDC emphasizes designing interventions that can be integrated into routine health delivery platforms, used across program areas (not siloed into single-disease projects), and ultimately sustained with domestic financing. In practical terms, that means the technical assistance should institutionalize MOH systems, develop transferable tools and processes, and build local capabilities that remain in place after external support declines.

Eligible applicants are broadly defined and include various levels of U.S. government entities, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (including small businesses), tribal governments and organizations, public housing authorities, and an “unrestricted” category. The funding activity category is Health, with CFDA/Assistance Listing numbers 93.067 and 93.494. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a capacity strengthening and systems improvement award aimed at enabling MOH to lead a coordinated, evidence-driven, and financially sustainable HIV/TB response that can withstand future public health pressures while maintaining progress toward epidemic control.

• The Centers for Disease Control-GHC in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strengthening the technical capacity of the Ministry of Health to deliver a sustainable and resilient response to HIV/TB and related public health threats in the Kingdom of Eswatini 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, 93.494.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-12-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-03-05. (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: 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 0073

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