Combination prevention solutions to reach epidemic control among high risk, priority populations in high burden areas in South Africa (SA) under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) | CDC RFA JG 25 0057

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA JG 25 0057

This funding opportunity, titled "Combination prevention solutions to reach epidemic control among high risk, priority populations in high burden areas in South Africa (SA) under PEPFAR," is a CDC-issued Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) released under Funding Opportunity Number CDC RFA JG 25 0057. It is a discretionary cooperative agreement in the health category (CFDA 93.067), meaning awardees should expect an active partnership with CDC in planning, implementation, monitoring, and continuous improvement of program activities rather than a hands-off grant. The application closing date listed is 2025-02-20, the NOFO was created on 2024-12-04, and CDC anticipates making 2 awards.

For funding, the document notes that the award ceiling for Year 1 is listed as 0 (none), while simultaneously stating CDC anticipates an approximate total funding amount of 25,000,000 for Year 1, dependent on the availability of funds. In practical terms, this communicates that CDC expects to invest substantial Year 1 resources across the program, but it is not committing to a per-award maximum amount in the public listing, and final award amounts will depend on appropriations, program decisions, and the final scope negotiated under the cooperative agreement.

The core goal of the NOFO is to accelerate progress toward epidemic control in South Africa by delivering targeted combination prevention solutions for vulnerable, high-risk priority populations in high-burden areas, with a strong focus on adolescents and young people ages 10 to 24. The program is designed to operate in the real settings where young people and other priority populations spend time and face risk, including workplaces, schools, and community environments. The intent is not just to offer services, but to actively create demand for prevention and response interventions and to support sustained use of those interventions through a mix of direct service delivery, referral systems, and technical assistance.

The intervention approach is explicitly "combination prevention," meaning applicants are expected to integrate multiple mutually reinforcing strategies rather than relying on a single service. On the biomedical side, the NOFO highlights evidence-based interventions such as HIV testing services; antiretroviral therapy; pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for people at substantial risk; post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for potential exposures; condom promotion and distribution; screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections; and broader sexual and reproductive health services. It also calls for mental health and substance use screening, psychosocial support, and a minimum package of post-violence care, reflecting the reality that HIV risk and poor outcomes often cluster with violence exposure, trauma, and behavioral health needs.

Alongside biomedical services, the NOFO emphasizes behavioral interventions aimed at reducing risk and improving protective behaviors, particularly for adolescents and youth. Examples include school- and community-based HIV and violence prevention activities and health education not only for young people, but also for the adults who influence their environment, such as community leaders, parents, and caregivers. HIV risk reduction programming is included here, signaling a need for practical, developmentally appropriate education and skills-building that can translate into safer choices and better service uptake.

The NOFO also places significant weight on structural interventions that address the conditions driving HIV, TB, and violence risks. These include community-level social mobilization efforts that can shift norms, reduce stigma, improve awareness of services, and strengthen linkage pathways so that people who test or disclose risk can move quickly into prevention or treatment. Youth empowerment is a major structural theme, with specific reference to economic strengthening, efforts to change harmful gender norms, prevention of gender-based violence (GBV), and family strengthening programs. Taken together, these elements indicate CDC is seeking programs that address both immediate clinical prevention needs and the broader social and economic factors that shape vulnerability and access.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic entities: state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and the listing indicates the agency is unrestricted in terms of applicant type. This wide eligibility suggests CDC is prioritizing capacity, partnerships, and the ability to implement at scale in high-burden settings, regardless of whether the applicant is public, private, nonprofit, academic, or for-profit.

Overall, this opportunity is structured to fund a small number of implementers (2 anticipated awards) to deliver integrated, youth-centered, and community-anchored HIV prevention and response programming in South Africa under PEPFAR. The program focus goes beyond HIV testing or PrEP alone and instead expects coordinated biomedical, behavioral, and structural interventions, supported by referral networks and technical assistance, with explicit attention to violence prevention and post-violence care, mental health and substance use screening, and empowerment strategies that can reduce risk over time and support sustained epidemic control in high-burden areas.

• The Centers for Disease Control-GHC in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Combination prevention solutions to reach epidemic control among high risk, priority populations in high burden areas in South Africa (SA) 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 2024-12-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-02-20. (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.

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