Promoting Population Health through Increased Capacity in Alcohol Epidemiology & the Prevention of Excessive Alcohol Use | CDC RFA DP21 2105

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA DP21 2105

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and specifically the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), released a discretionary funding opportunity for FY 2021 titled "Promoting Population Health through Increased Capacity in Alcohol Epidemiology and the Prevention of Excessive Alcohol Use" (Funding Opportunity Number CDC-RFA-DP21-2105; CFDA 93.845). This opportunity is structured as a cooperative agreement, which typically means awardees will carry out the work with substantial federal involvement such as ongoing collaboration, guidance, and coordination from CDC rather than operating entirely independently.

The central goal of the program is to strengthen state-level capacity in alcohol epidemiology so public health agencies and partners can more effectively prevent excessive alcohol use and the harms that come with it. The CDC frames this as an infrastructure-building effort: by improving how states collect, analyze, interpret, and use alcohol-related data, they can better perform core public health functions tied to prevention. The underlying public health rationale is that excessive alcohol use is a leading preventable cause of death in the United States, and improving epidemiologic capacity is a key lever for designing smarter policies, targeting interventions, tracking trends, and measuring results over time.

A notable feature of this NOFO is that it is not only about building analytic and surveillance capability; it also includes a component focused on technical assistance and training. In practice, this means the program supports the delivery of expert guidance to states and communities on population-level, evidence-based strategies to prevent excessive alcohol use and related harms. The NOFO points to approaches recommended by the Community Preventive Services Task Force, signaling that CDC expects strategies supported by strong evidence and proven impact at the population level (for example, policy and systems approaches rather than relying solely on individual education).

Eligibility is broad and includes state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education where specified); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and other eligible entities as described in the opportunity materials. The listing also indicates the competition is essentially unrestricted across the types named, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full notice.

From a funding and timeline standpoint, the award ceiling is listed as $600,000, with an anticipated nine awards. The project period is five years, organized into 12-month budget periods, which is a common federal structure where funding continues annually based on progress, compliance, and availability of appropriations. The NOFO was created on February 17, 2021, with an original application deadline of April 26, 2021, and electronically submitted applications were required by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date. The anticipated award date was September 30, 2021, aligning with the end of the federal fiscal year.

Overall, this grant opportunity is designed to help states and partners build the surveillance and analytic backbone needed to reduce excessive alcohol use, while also accelerating the practical use of evidence-based, population-level prevention strategies through targeted training and technical assistance. The emphasis is on long-term capacity and sustainable public health infrastructure, not one-off campaigns, so that states are better equipped to understand their alcohol-related burden, choose effective interventions, and document measurable improvements over time.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - NCCDPHP in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Promoting Population Health through Increased Capacity in Alcohol Epidemiology & the Prevention of Excessive Alcohol Use" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.845.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 17, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 26, 2021 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 $600,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 9 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification), Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for CDC RFA DP21 2105

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