Achieving and Maintaining Epidemic Control through Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care and Treatment Services in the Kinshasa Region of the Democratic Republic of Congo under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) | CDC RFA GH20 2023

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH20 2023

This funding opportunity (CDC RFA GH20-2023) is a PEPFAR-supported cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), focused on expanding and strengthening comprehensive HIV/AIDS services in the Kinshasa Region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The central aim is to increase access to high-quality HIV prevention, care, and treatment so that HIV-related illness and deaths decline and the region can move toward, achieve, and then sustain HIV epidemic control. While the primary geographic focus is Kinshasa, the announcement also leaves room for potential expansion if future PEPFAR geographic prioritization shifts or grows.

The funding structure is somewhat unusual in how it is presented: the notice states that the Year 1 award ceiling is "0 (none)," yet CDC anticipates approximately $5,000,000 in total funding for the first fiscal year, subject to the availability of funds. In practical terms, that wording signals that CDC is not committing to a fixed per-award maximum for Year 1 within the notice itself, even though it expects to obligate a total amount around $5 million across awards. The opportunity anticipates making about two awards. Because this is a cooperative agreement (not a standard grant), recipients should expect substantial programmatic involvement from CDC, such as collaboration on technical direction, performance monitoring, and alignment with PEPFAR and national priorities.

Programmatically, the NOFO emphasizes a full continuum of HIV services rather than a single intervention. On the prevention side, it calls for continued expansion of existing prevention interventions, with explicit mention of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) and HIV prevention services tailored for key populations (KP), reflecting an intent to address both generalized and concentrated drivers of transmission. Prevention is not treated as separate from treatment; instead, it is integrated into a broader model where identifying people with HIV, linking them to care, and keeping them virally suppressed is part of preventing onward transmission and stabilizing the epidemic.

On the care and treatment side, the opportunity supports comprehensive care and treatment (C and T) services, including integration with tuberculosis (TB/HIV) activities. This points to strengthening routine TB screening among people living with HIV, timely TB diagnosis and treatment, and coordinated clinical management, which is critical in settings where TB remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality among people with HIV. The NOFO also highlights sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) services as part of the care package, signaling an expectation that HIV programs incorporate SGBV screening, referral pathways, and survivor-centered support, recognizing that violence is both a risk factor for HIV acquisition and a barrier to sustained treatment engagement.

The laboratory and diagnostics component is another core pillar. The announcement includes HIV laboratory and related diagnostic services, which typically encompasses strengthening access to and quality of HIV testing, baseline and ongoing clinical monitoring (for example, viral load testing), and the systems that make diagnostics useful in real time (specimen transport, result return, quality assurance, and troubleshooting gaps). The intention is to ensure that clinical services are backed by reliable diagnostics so that treatment success can be measured and program decisions can be made using objective indicators like viral suppression.

The NOFO places strong weight on monitoring and evaluation (M and E) alongside quality improvement (QI). That combination suggests expectations beyond routine reporting: implementing data systems and practices that improve data completeness, timeliness, and use at facility and program levels; using M and E findings to guide course corrections; and building a culture of continuous improvement where service delivery bottlenecks are identified and addressed. A stated outcome is improved data use for decision-making and policy development, which implies that implementers are expected to help translate program data into operational and potentially national-level learning that can inform Ministry of Health (MOH) strategies and guidelines.

Beyond facility-based care, the notice calls for improvement of family-centered and community-based HIV services. This points to approaches that strengthen linkage and retention outside clinic walls, such as community support for adherence, differentiated service delivery models, family testing and index testing approaches where appropriate, and more coordinated services for households affected by HIV. The opportunity also includes orphan and vulnerable children (OVC) services, indicating a recognition that epidemic control is tied to social and structural supports for children and families impacted by HIV, including services that reduce vulnerability, improve stability, and support consistent engagement in health care.

Strategically, the NOFO is framed as helping close gaps in the MOH HIV/AIDS key priorities, meaning the funded work is expected to align with national plans and complement what the government is already pursuing, rather than creating parallel systems. The ultimate expected result is not only progress toward epidemic control in Kinshasa, but the ability to maintain that control, which generally implies sustained high coverage of prevention and treatment, durable viral suppression among people on treatment, and strong program management systems capable of holding performance steady over time.

Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding under the health activity category and is associated with CFDA 93.067. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open broadly to entity types, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full text). The original posting indicates it was created on November 18, 2019, with an original application due date of January 17, 2020, and electronic submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - CGH in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Achieving and Maintaining Epidemic Control through Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care and Treatment Services in the Kinshasa Region of the Democratic Republic of Congo 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 Nov 18, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 17, 2020 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $5,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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