Supporting the Caribbean Public Health Agency Research, Policy Development and Evaluation Unit (REPDU) to Build/Strengthen Strategic Information Capacity in Caribbean Countries under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) | CDC RFA GH16 161102CONT17

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH16 161102CONT17

The funding opportunity titled "Supporting the Caribbean Public Health Agency Research, Policy Development and Evaluation Unit (REPDU) to Build/Strengthen Strategic Information Capacity in Caribbean Countries under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)" is a continuation cooperative agreement offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), specifically within CDC's Center for Global Health. It is designed to support work led through the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), with an emphasis on its Research, Policy Development and Evaluation Unit (REPDU), to improve how Caribbean countries collect, manage, analyze, and use health information for HIV and broader public health decision-making under PEPFAR.

At its core, this opportunity is about strengthening "strategic information" capacity across Caribbean settings. In PEPFAR and CDC programming, strategic information generally refers to the systems and capabilities that allow programs to understand the HIV epidemic, track service delivery, monitor outcomes, evaluate effectiveness, and translate findings into policy and program improvements. That includes surveillance, monitoring and evaluation, data quality processes, routine reporting, analytical capacity, operational research, and dissemination of evidence to decision makers. By placing REPDU at the center, the notice signals that CARPHA is being supported as a regional technical hub that can provide coordination, standards, and technical assistance that individual countries might struggle to maintain on their own.

The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement rather than a traditional grant. That typically means CDC anticipates substantial programmatic involvement during implementation, such as jointly planning activities, aligning them with PEPFAR requirements, refining monitoring indicators, and supporting evaluation and learning agendas. The listing shows the opportunity category as "Continuation," indicating it is intended to extend or continue previously funded work rather than launch an entirely new standalone program. The funding opportunity number is CDC-RFA-GH16-161102CONT17, and the CFDA number is 93.067, which corresponds to CDC's global health assistance portfolio.

The opportunity was created on February 6, 2017, with an original closing date of April 6, 2017. CDC anticipated up to 10 awards under this announcement. The posted "award ceiling" is listed as 0, which in federal listings often indicates that a maximum amount was not specified in the public synopsis or may be determined through negotiations, availability of funds, or continuation conditions rather than a fixed cap per award in the summary record. Because it is a continuation action, award sizes and final budgets commonly depend on prior performance, workplan scope, and PEPFAR country or regional priorities for the budget period.

Eligibility is summarized as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," which usually means eligibility is limited or specialized and not simply open to all public or nonprofit entities. In continuation cooperative agreements, eligibility may effectively be constrained to current recipients or a defined group of organizations with an existing relationship or demonstrated capability to perform the specific regional function. The synopsis does not include the full eligibility language, but the intent is clear that CDC is not broadly soliciting new entrants; it is extending and reinforcing an established regional implementation approach.

The practical objectives implied by the title and description are to build and strengthen strategic information functions that enable Caribbean countries to better respond to HIV through evidence-based programming. This can include improving data systems and reporting pipelines, strengthening indicator definitions and data governance, training and mentoring staff in epidemiology and monitoring and evaluation, supporting routine data quality assessments, and developing analytic products that turn raw data into actionable insights. It can also include policy development and evaluation activities that link research findings to national and regional guidelines, program strategies, and resource allocation decisions. Because REPDU explicitly includes research, policy, and evaluation in its name, the award likely supports a mix of technical assistance and applied research/evaluation that helps countries understand gaps in testing, treatment, viral suppression, retention, and prevention services, while also strengthening the infrastructure required to measure progress credibly over time.

Overall, this CDC PEPFAR continuation cooperative agreement is best understood as regional capacity-building support routed through CARPHA's REPDU to improve the quality, consistency, and use of HIV-related strategic information across Caribbean countries. The expected outcome is stronger decision-making, better tracking of program performance, and improved ability to evaluate what works, which collectively supports PEPFAR's broader goals of controlling the HIV epidemic through data-driven interventions and accountable public health programming.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - CGH in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Supporting the Caribbean Public Health Agency Research, Policy Development and Evaluation Unit (REPDU) to Build/Strengthen Strategic Information Capacity in Caribbean Countries 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 Feb 06, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 06, 2017. (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 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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