Development and Maintenance of Human and Animal Food Rapid Response Teams (U2F) Clinical Trials Not Allowed
🏛 Food and Drug Administration (HHS-FDA)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 15, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for developing and maintaining rapid response teams capable of addressing food safety emergencies affecting both human and animal food supplies. Eligible applicants typically include state and local health departments, universities, research institutions, and other public health agencies with established expertise in food safety surveillance, epidemiology, and emergency response. The program supports capacity-building for coordinated rapid response systems at the state or regional level. Applicants must demonstrate partnerships with relevant stakeholders (agricultural agencies, public health authorities, veterinary services) and the ability to integrate human and animal food safety response capabilities. Clinical trials are not permitted under this funding mechanism. Geographic scope includes all U.S. states and territories.
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Program description
The purpose of this FOA is to develop and maintain Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) 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 response capacity/capability development.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Required documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- Project narrative/statement of work describing rapid response team structure and activities
- Detailed budget and budget justification
- Organizational capacity documentation (organizational chart, staff resumes, prior food safety experience)
- Letters of commitment or formal MOUs from partner agencies (state agriculture, veterinary, public health partners)
- Data on food safety threats and epidemiological need in target jurisdiction
- Timeline and milestones for team development and maintenance
- Evaluation plan with measurable outcomes
- Indirect cost rate agreement (if applicable)
Program contact
- 👤 Terrin Brown Grantor
- 📧 terrin.brown@fda.hhs.gov
- 📞 2404027610
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
Who is eligible to apply for this grant?
State and local health departments, academic institutions, and public health agencies with food safety expertise are typically eligible. Some programs may accept collaborations between multiple agencies. Check the specific solicitation for any restrictions based on organizational type or prior funding history.
What types of activities can be funded?
Funding supports development and maintenance of rapid response teams for food safety emergencies, including staffing, training, equipment procurement, and system infrastructure. Clinical trials are explicitly not allowed. Activities must focus on preparedness, detection, and emergency response capabilities.
What is the typical funding level?
Federal food safety grants vary widely depending on scope and project scale. Review the specific solicitation for exact funding ranges, project period length, and any per-application or per-award caps.
How competitive is this grant?
Food safety rapid response funding is moderately to highly competitive. Successful applicants typically demonstrate strong partnerships, prior experience with emergency response, evidence of need, and detailed implementation plans. Federal public health funding prioritizes projects with measurable outcomes and clear impact.
When is the deadline?
Specific deadline information was not listed in available documentation. Check Grants.gov and the FDA website for the current open solicitation period and submission deadline.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Emphasize your organization's existing food safety infrastructure and any prior experience responding to foodborne illness outbreaks or contamination events. Reviewers want evidence you can mobilize quickly.
- Clearly articulate the partnership structure between human health (public health departments) and animal health (agriculture/veterinary agencies). Describe governance, communication protocols, and defined roles to show this is genuinely integrated, not just a list of partners.
- Include concrete data on food safety threats in your jurisdiction (outbreak frequency, economic impact, gaps in current response time). This establishes urgency and demonstrates why your rapid response capability is needed.
- Develop detailed metrics and timelines showing how your team will reduce response time, improve coordination, or enhance detection capability. Vague preparedness goals rarely score well; federal reviewers expect specificity.
- Don't overlap or duplicate descriptions of team functions across narratives. Each section should add distinct value; repetition wastes limited page space and suggests unclear project design.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Many applicants fail to adequately justify the integration of human and animal food safety into a single response framework, treating it as an afterthought rather than a core design element. Reviewers also frequently see weak partnership agreements or memoranda of understanding that lack enforceability, timeline specificity, or clear role definition. Additionally, applications often underestimate the staff and operational costs required to truly maintain a rapid response capability year-round, resulting in budgets that appear unrealistic or underfunded.
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