Rapid Response Team (RRT) Cooperative Agreement
🏛 Food and Drug Administration (HHS-FDA)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 15, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for organizations capable of supporting the FDA's rapid response efforts in public health emergencies and crises. Typically, eligible recipients include state and local health departments, academic research institutions, hospitals, specialized laboratories, and qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofits with relevant expertise in food safety, drug safety, medical device quality, or emergency response coordination. The program has national geographic scope and supports activities including rapid assessment, emergency support services, data collection and analysis, laboratory testing and analysis, emergency communications and public health guidance, and coordination with federal, state, and local partners during urgent public health situations. Organizations must demonstrate technical capacity, relevant prior experience, and ability to mobilize resources quickly on short notice.
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Key dates
- Jul 28, 2022 Applications open
- Dec 1, 2022 Application deadline
- Jul 1, 2023 Award announced
Program description
The purpose of the NOFO is to facilitate long-term improvements and innovation to the national integrated food safety system by unifying and coordinating federal/state/local human and animal food (HAF) emergency response efforts including:
1) Strengthening the link among epidemiology, lab, and environmental health/regulatory components;
2) Improving States’ regulatory and surveillance HAF protection programs to include using Incident Command System (ICS)/National Incident Management System (NIMS) principles and a Unified Command structure to conduct integrated responses to all-hazards HAF emergencies, rapidly identifying and removing tainted food from commerce, and conducting root cause investigations to inform future prevention efforts; and
3) Addressing supporting components, such as training, data sharing, data analysis, communications, continuous process improvement, and development of best practices and other resources to support national capacity/capability development..
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- SF-424 Supplement (required certifications and assurances)
- Project narrative/statement of work describing response capabilities and emergency protocols
- Detailed budget and budget justification
- Organizational capacity documentation (staff résumés, laboratory certifications, equipment lists)
- Letters of support from partner agencies and FDA regional office
- Indirect cost rate agreement (if applicable)
- Data management and information security plan
- Emergency operations/surge response plan with specific procedures and timelines
Program contact
- 👤 Janelle Fundersburg Grantor
- 📧 janelle.fundersburg@fda.hhs.gov
- 📞 301-798-2533
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.103 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$121,795,918
-
$76,105,626
-
$50,217,964
-
$47,940,304
-
$36,000,000
-
$35,573,997
-
$35,391,995
-
$30,732,300
-
$23,332,999
-
$21,347,288
Top States by Funding
- AZ 3 awards $131.4M
- MD 7 awards $108.7M
- CA 9 awards $106.5M
- VA 5 awards $96.6M
- PA 10 awards $77.4M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.103). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2016 | $170,482,435 | |
| 2017 est. | $208,900,832 | |
| 2018 | $173,077,408 | |
| 2019 | $198,507,896 | |
| 2020 | $212,448,590 | |
| 2021 | $218,918,739 | |
| 2022 est. | $255,910,458 | |
| 2023 est. | $246,894,600 |
FAQ
What types of organizations can apply for the RRT Cooperative Agreement?
Typically, state and local health departments, academic institutions, hospitals, laboratories, and nonprofit organizations with relevant public health or safety expertise are eligible. Check the specific NOFO for your organization type eligibility.
What activities does this grant support?
Common activities include rapid assessment and response during public health emergencies, laboratory testing and analysis, emergency communications, coordination with federal and local partners, data collection, and technical assistance related to food, drug, device, or other regulated products.
Is there a specific funding amount or project period?
Cooperative agreements under this program typically fund for multi-year periods, though exact amounts and durations vary by funding announcement. Refer to the current NOFO for specific year funding.
How competitive is this grant?
This is a moderately to highly competitive program due to the specialized technical requirements and federal priority on emergency preparedness. Applications with demonstrated surge capacity and prior emergency response experience fare better.
What is the typical grant range?
Award amounts vary by organization type and scope of responsibilities but typically range from $100,000 to several million dollars annually for cooperative agreements, though specific amounts should be verified in the current funding announcement.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Emphasize your organization's ability to surge capacity and respond rapidly to urgent FDA requests with minimal notice, providing specific examples from past emergencies or public health crises.
- Clearly demonstrate technical expertise and prior experience in food safety, drug quality, medical device oversight, laboratory analysis, or epidemiological response aligned with FDA's mission areas.
- Detail your laboratory capabilities, equipment, trained personnel, and systems infrastructure that enable quick mobilization and real-time data sharing with federal partners.
- Build strong letters of support from state/local health officials, FDA regional offices, and partner agencies showing established relationships and coordination protocols already in place.
- Create a detailed emergency operations plan showing clear command structure, communication protocols, decision-making authority, and specific timelines for responding to different types of FDA requests or public health scenarios.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applications often fail to adequately demonstrate surge capacity or sufficient depth of emergency response experience. Weak applications lack specific examples of past rapid responses, clear coordination protocols with FDA and partner agencies, or unrealistic timelines for mobilizing resources. Organizations frequently underestimate the need for dedicated technical personnel and robust data management systems capable of rapid collection, analysis, and real-time reporting to federal partners.
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