Public Health Crisis Response Cooperative Agreement
🏛 Centers for Disease Control - OPHPR
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 16, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for state and local public health organizations that can respond to public health emergencies. Eligible applicants include state health departments, tribal governments, and local jurisdictions serving populations of 2 million+ (county) or 400,000+ (city). All applicants must submit organizational charts and emergency response work plans demonstrating existing emergency management capacity.
Applicants may not use this funding for new program creation or capacity-building. The grant supports surge staffing and rapid response to CDC-designated public health crises. Funding is contingent on a federal emergency declaration and appropriations availability.
Organizations must demonstrate how this funding will not duplicate other federal support.
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Program description
CDC seeks to enhance the nation’s ability to rapidly mobilize, surge, and respond to public health emergencies (PHEs) as identified by CDC by establishing a roster of approved but unfunded (ABU) applicants that may receive rapid funding to respond to PHEs of such magnitude, complexity, or significance that they would have an overwhelming impact upon, and exceed resources available to, the jurisdictions. Applicants will undergo an objective merit review process, and entities that successfully meet the requirements for approval will be placed on the ABU list. CDC will use this ABU list for emergencies that require federal support to effectively respond to, manage, and address identified public health threats. CDC will make funding related to this NOFO available once it has determined a public health emergency exists or is considered imminent and will be contingent upon the availability and stipulations of appropriations. CDC will provide additional guidance and information to those on the ABU list when this NOFO is funded.
Since this NOFO is designed to collect applications prior to a PHE, applicants are encouraged to submit work plans and budgets that demonstrate their ability to respond to a PHE. COVID-19 public health response plans, such as plans funded under CDC-RFA-TP18-1802 in 2020 are acceptable for this purpose. If this NOFO is funded for a specific PHE, CDC will develop supplemental guidance that outlines additional work plan and budget requirements tailored to the emergency.
This NOFO is not a capacity-building funding mechanism, and it is not intended to create or establish new public health (PH) emergency management programs. It may be used to re- establish capacity lost or diminished because of the public health crisis. It is designed to support the surge needs of existing programs responding to a significant PHE. CDC will provide supplemental guidance to entities on the ABU list when this NOFO is activated regarding specific activities intended to address the emergency.
CDC has strong relationships with governmental PH departments, community-based organizations, and other domestic partners and supports them for planning, capacity-building, preparedness, and response to PHEs. This NOFO complements these ongoing capacity-building preparedness and response programs by providing a mechanism for CDC to rapidly mobilize and fund PH organizations for specific response needs. Applicants must describe how this funding will not duplicate or supplant other federal funding.
Upon occurrence of a PHE, CDC can rapidly fund specific applicants to accelerate public health crisis response activities such as coordinating emergency operations, hiring surge staff, and conducting needs assessments to determine the resources necessary to address the public health crisis. The NOFO also provides funding for specialized public health emergency response activities tailored to the specific public health crisis.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- Organizational chart demonstrating emergency management structure
- Public health emergency response work plan
- Project budget (narrative may be requested after PHE activation)
- Proof of population thresholds (census data for city/county jurisdictions)
- Certification of non-duplication with other federal funding
Program contact
- 👤 Centers for Disease Control - OPHPR
- 📧 DSLRCrisisCoag@cdc.gov
- 📞 7704882756
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.354 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
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$1,797,835,571
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$1,406,093,991
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$1,217,910,293
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$1,162,902,504
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$1,088,470,084
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$905,541,638
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$616,325,625
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$489,344,449
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$407,368,872
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$392,930,180
Top States by Funding
- FL 3 awards $2,427.3M
- PA 4 awards $1,921.9M
- NJ 2 awards $1,650.2M
- CA 3 awards $1,441.8M
- IL 2 awards $1,430.6M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.354). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $700,000 | |
| 2025 | $97,106,855 | |
| 2026 est. | $99,614,241 |
FAQ
Who is eligible to apply?
State health departments, tribal governments, and large local jurisdictions (2M+ county population or 400K+ city population). You must have existing emergency management capacity.
What happens after I apply?
If approved, you go on an "approved but unfunded" (ABU) roster. CDC will activate funding only when a public health emergency occurs.
What activities can be funded?
Surge staffing, coordinating emergency operations, and conducting needs assessments. Not for building new programs or ongoing capacity development.
When is the deadline?
Fixed deadline is February 11, 2027. Applications are accepted year-round before that date.
What's the typical funding range?
Awards typically range from $50,000 to $5,000,000 depending on emergency scope and your organization's role.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Submit comprehensive organizational charts and emergency response work plans. Applications without these documents are automatically rejected.
- Use existing emergency plans (like COVID-19 response plans) as proof of capacity. CDC explicitly accepts plans from prior federal funding.
- Clearly explain how your budget won't duplicate other federal emergency funding. Reviewers check for overlap carefully.
- Tailor your work plan to show surge response capability, not new program development. Emphasize rapid mobilization and staffing flexibility.
- Apply early if possible. Being on the ABU roster before an emergency occurs ensures faster funding activation when CDC needs your response.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applications rejected for missing organizational charts or emergency work plans. These documents are mandatory and trigger automatic non-responsive status.
Proposing new program creation or general capacity-building instead of emergency surge response activities. This grant funds existing programs during crises only.
Failing to demonstrate how this funding avoids duplicating other federal emergency support. Unclear cost-sharing or overlap analysis leads to rejection.
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