Partnership for Disaster Health Response System
🏛 Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 16, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for nonprofits, government agencies, public health entities, and academic institutions engaged in disaster health preparedness and response. The program, administered by HHS-ASPR, supports the development and strengthening of health system infrastructure, coordination mechanisms, and response capacity for public health emergencies and disasters. Eligible applicants typically include public health departments, hospitals, healthcare coalitions, emergency preparedness organizations, and academic medical centers. Activities supported include planning, training, exercises, coordination infrastructure development, and pilot projects that enhance regional or national disaster health response capabilities. Geographic scope is national, though funding may prioritize areas of high disaster risk or preparedness gaps.
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Key dates
- Oct 25, 2021 Applications open
- Aug 1, 2022 Application deadline
- Sep 30, 2022 Award announced
- Sep 30, 2022 Project start
Program description
Funding for one demonstration project that will help identify issues, develop leading practices, and demonstrate the potential effectiveness and viability of the RDHRS concept. The RDHRS structure is conceptualized as a tiered system that builds upon the existing Medical Surge Capacity and Capability (MSCC) foundation for local medical response (e.g., trauma systems and HCCs) by enhancing coordination mechanisms and incorporating discrete clinical and administrative capabilities at the state and regional levels. The RDHRS is not intended to alter or displace current local patient referral patterns, but is instead intended to define the delivery of clinical care when the existing referral patterns and health care delivery capacity and capabilities are exceeded by catastrophic events (requiring either redistribution of patients, importation of resources, or resource utilization guidelines). Additionally, the RDHRS is intended to provide additional health care integration and expertise into preparedness and response structures.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- SF-424 Supplement (Assurances and Certifications)
- Project narrative/statement of need (typically 15-25 pages)
- Detailed project budget and budget narrative (Form SF-424C or agency-specific format)
- Organizational capability statement and qualifications of key personnel
- Letters of commitment/support from partner organizations
- Evidence of organizational nonprofit status or government authority
- Indirect cost rate agreement (if applicable)
- Data security and privacy compliance plans (if handling health data)
Program contact
- 👤 Virginia Simmons Chief Grants Management Officer
- 📧 virginia.simmons@hhs.gov
- 📞 202-260-0400
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.817 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$13,100,000
-
$12,963,391
-
$10,000,000
-
$9,846,152
-
$9,846,152
-
$9,846,152
-
$8,500,000
-
$8,046,152
-
$8,046,152
-
$8,046,152
Top States by Funding
- MA 4 awards $31.7M
- NE 3 awards $25.4M
- CO 3 awards $23.1M
- CA 3 awards $21.2M
- MN 3 awards $18.6M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.817). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2025 | $25,700,000 |
FAQ
Who is eligible to apply for this grant?
Eligible recipients typically include state and local health departments, hospitals, healthcare systems, public health agencies, academic institutions, healthcare coalitions, nonprofits with health/emergency preparedness missions, and federally recognized tribes. For-profit entities are generally not eligible unless acting as a partner to an eligible organization.
What types of activities does this grant support?
The grant supports disaster health preparedness and response initiatives including planning, training, exercises, healthcare coalition development, system coordination, surge capacity planning, and pilot projects that strengthen health system response to public health emergencies.
When is the application deadline?
The specific deadline varies by funding cycle. Check Grants.gov and HHS-ASPR's official website for current CFDA 93.817 opportunity deadlines, as they are typically announced annually or through open solicitations.
How competitive is this funding?
This is moderately to highly competitive federal funding. ASPR prioritizes applications demonstrating clear emergency preparedness gaps, strong regional coordination, experienced leadership, and realistic implementation plans. Collaborations and multi-sector partnerships strengthen competitiveness.
What is the typical funding range?
Funding amounts vary widely depending on the specific solicitation and project scope. Typical awards range from $100,000 to $500,000+, though this varies. Consult the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the current cycle's specific award amounts.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Emphasize your organization's existing disaster preparedness infrastructure and track record responding to emergencies. ASPR favors applicants with demonstrated capacity and experience.
- Develop strong partnerships with health systems, hospitals, emergency management agencies, and other key stakeholders. Multi-sector collaboration is highly valued and often a requirement.
- Clearly articulate the specific health emergency preparedness gaps your project will address in your region or sector, backed by data, needs assessments, or gap analyses.
- Include detailed, realistic budget justification and a project timeline with clear milestones. ASPR scrutinizes budgets carefully and expects strong fiscal management.
- Design measurable outcomes and evaluation metrics that demonstrate how your project strengthens disaster health response capacity. Quantifiable metrics (e.g., number trained, systems integrated) are essential.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Many applications fail because they lack clear evidence of community need or don't adequately involve key healthcare and emergency management partners in planning. Weak budget narratives, unrealistic timelines, and failure to explain how the funded activities will create sustainable improvements in disaster response capacity also lead to rejection. Additionally, applicants often underestimate the importance of demonstrating organizational preparedness experience and clear governance structures.
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