CDC Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Funding Opportunities

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention distributes billions of dollars annually through grants, cooperative agreements, and other financial assistance mechanisms to support public health infrastructure, research, and programming across the United States and globally. These funding instruments reach state and local health departments, universities, tribal organizations, and nonprofit entities. Understanding how CDC funding is structured — and how each mechanism differs — is essential for public health practitioners, grant administrators, and policy analysts navigating the federal funding landscape.

Definition and Scope

CDC financial assistance operates under the Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act of 1977 (31 U.S.C. §§ 6301–6308), which established the legal framework distinguishing grants from cooperative agreements based on the degree of federal involvement. The CDC administers this funding through the Office of Grants Services (OGS), which oversees compliance, award issuance, and post-award monitoring across all program areas.

A grant transfers resources to an eligible recipient to carry out a public health activity, with the federal government playing a limited role after award. A cooperative agreement involves substantial federal programmatic involvement throughout the project period — CDC staff may provide technical assistance, co-design study protocols, or participate in data collection. The distinction matters legally and operationally: recipients under cooperative agreements must accommodate active CDC engagement, whereas grant recipients have broader independent authority over implementation.

The scope of CDC financial assistance is broad. Funded activities span disease surveillance systems, chronic disease prevention, vaccination programs, environmental health programs, global health operations, and workforce development. The CDC's total budget — detailed further at CDC Budget and Funding — allocates a substantial share to extramural funding.

How It Works

CDC funding opportunities are published through Grants.gov and the CDC's own funding portal. The process follows a standardized federal pipeline:

1. Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO): CDC publishes a NOFO announcing available funding, eligibility requirements, award ceiling, project period, and application instructions. NOFOs specify whether the mechanism is a grant or cooperative agreement.
2. Application Submission: Applicants submit through Grants.gov or grants.nih.gov (for certain research awards), following the SF-424 family of forms required by the Office of Management and Budget.
3. Objective Review: Applications undergo a merit review process that evaluates criteria such as approach, innovation, evaluation plan, and organizational capacity.
4. Programmatic Review and Award: CDC program staff conduct a secondary review, and the Grants Management Officer executes the Notice of Award (NoA), the legally binding document that specifies terms and conditions.
5. Post-Award Management: Recipients submit progress reports, financial reports (SF-425 Federal Financial Report), and comply with 2 CFR Part 200 — the Uniform Guidance governing federal financial assistance (eCFR, 2 CFR Part 200).
6. Closeout: Final reports are submitted within 120 days of the project end date, per Uniform Guidance requirements.

CDC cooperative agreements often include Programmatic Terms and Conditions (PTCs) appended to the NoA that specify the exact nature of federal involvement — meeting attendance requirements, data sharing protocols, and co-authorship expectations for publications.

Common Scenarios

CDC funding reaches a defined set of recipient types across predictable programmatic contexts:

• State and local health departments receive the largest share of CDC funding, primarily through cooperative agreements tied to programs like the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement, which distributes funds to all 50 states, 4 localities, and 8 territories and freely associated states (CDC PHEP).
• Academic institutions and schools of public health receive research grants and training awards, including those administered through the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service and affiliated fellowship programs.
• Tribal nations and tribal organizations access CDC funding through set-aside mechanisms and specific NOFOs, with program activities described under CDC Tribal Health Programs.
• Nonprofits and community-based organizations frequently receive sub-awards from primary recipients (pass-through entities), extending CDC resources to community-level interventions in areas such as health equity programs and mental health initiatives.
• International organizations and foreign entities may receive funding tied to CDC Global Health Operations, subject to additional statutory restrictions and State Department coordination requirements.

Decision Boundaries

Choosing the appropriate mechanism — or determining eligibility — involves several structured criteria.

Grant vs. Cooperative Agreement: The single controlling factor is whether CDC intends to maintain substantial programmatic involvement. If CDC staff will co-lead activities, conduct site visits for technical purposes, or participate directly in data analysis, the cooperative agreement is the required vehicle. If federal involvement ends at award, a grant is appropriate (HHS Grants Policy Statement).

Eligibility Boundaries: Most CDC NOFOs restrict eligibility to specific organization types. A NOFO may limit competition to state health departments, effectively excluding universities and nonprofits. Applicants outside the stated eligibility category are non-responsive and will not receive review. For-profit entities are rarely eligible for CDC grants; when included, they typically cannot earn profit on the award.

Funding Floors and Ceilings: Each NOFO specifies minimum and maximum award amounts. Applicants requesting amounts outside these boundaries may be deemed non-responsive regardless of technical merit.

Indirect Cost Rates: Recipients with a federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA) may apply their approved rate. Recipients without a NICRA may elect the de minimis rate of 10 percent of modified total direct costs, as authorized under 2 CFR § 200.414 (eCFR, 2 CFR § 200.414).

The CDC and HHS Relationship shapes additional policy constraints: HHS-level policies on lobbying restrictions, data sharing, and civil rights compliance apply to all CDC awards. Recipients must certify compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and other cross-cutting federal requirements at the time of application.

The full landscape of CDC programming supported through these mechanisms is accessible through the CDC Authority overview, which situates funding within the agency's broader statutory and organizational structure.