Eliminating Parasitic and Neglected Tropical Disease Threats to the United States - Program Support and Research to Reduce Threats to Americans at Home and Abroad

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, under the Department of Health and Human Services, is soliciting applications through Notice of Funding Opportunity RFA-CK-26-104 to expand a network of institutes dedicated to eliminating or controlling non-malaria parasitic threats and neglected tropical diseases that impact Americans domestically or globally or align with broader U.S. priorities. This five-year initiative, with a total program funding of $10 million and an anticipated two awards of up to $1 million per budget period, supports operational research and research synthesis aimed at strengthening surveillance, evaluation, and programmatic responses to these diseases. Applicants must submit a comprehensive application package including the PHS 398 Research Plan, SF-424 forms, budget documentation, and human subjects information, all prepared in accordance with CDC-specific guidelines and submitted via Grants.gov by July 6, 2026, with a required letter of intent due June 18, 2026. The project must demonstrate a five-year plan with SMART objectives, include a translation strategy to inform public health policy, and involve collaboration with CDC and ministries of health in endemic regions. All applicants must have active SAM.gov and Grants.gov accounts with a Unique Entity Identifier, register senior personnel in eRA Commons, and certify compliance with federal antidiscrimination laws. The award is governed by 2 CFR 200 and HHS-specific grants policies, not traditional FAR clauses, and is subject to a multi-tiered review process evaluating scientific merit on a 1–9 point scale, program relevance, geographic scope, and institutional capacity to manage federal funds. Funding recipients are required to adhere to strict budgetary rules, including a $228,000 annual salary cap, prohibitions on purchasing furniture without justification, and restrictions against using funds for clinical care, pre-award expenses, propaganda, illegal immigration support, elective abortions under the Hyde Amendment, or harm-reduction initiatives. Budgets must be structured into eight categories: salaries, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual, other costs, and indirect costs. Annual progress reports are due 120 days before the end of each budget period, and a final financial and performance report must be submitted within 120 days after award completion. Awarded recipients must collaborate closely with CDC staff and partners, share data and findings through peer-reviewed publications and conferences, ensure Institutional Review Board approvals for human subjects, and obtain OMB-PRA clearance for any information collection involving ten or more respondents.