Global Fungal Disease Surveillance and Capacity | CDC RFA CK21 2106

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA CK21 2106

Global Fungal Disease Surveillance and Capacity (CDC RFA CK21-2106) is a CDC cooperative agreement focused on reducing illness and death from fungal diseases by strengthening countries' ability to detect, track, prevent, and respond to both established and emerging fungal threats. The opportunity is built around the reality that fungal infections are an increasing public health problem: many are opportunistic and disproportionately affect people with weakened immune systems, including people living with HIV/AIDS; others are acquired in hospitals or communities; and a growing share are resistant to multiple antifungal drugs. The core outcome CDC is aiming for is better clinical outcomes for patients through earlier recognition, stronger laboratory confirmation, improved access to effective treatment, and faster public health action when new threats appear.

The grant emphasizes practical, public health-oriented capacity building rather than a single-disease program. Recipients can focus on strengthening systems for specific high-burden pathogens, or they can build broader readiness to respond to emerging issues such as antimicrobial resistance. Activities supported under the program include monitoring trends in fungal disease burden (so decision-makers can see where infections are rising, in which populations, and in what settings), expanding diagnostic capacity and treatment availability (so suspected infections can be confirmed quickly and managed correctly), and raising public awareness about the seriousness of fungal diseases (so clinicians and communities are more likely to recognize symptoms and seek or provide appropriate care). The NOFO explicitly covers known pathogens as well as new or previously unrecognized fungi that may surface through improved surveillance.

CDC lays out a four-part strategy. First is increasing fungal surveillance by building epidemiology and laboratory capacity, which includes improving case detection, reporting, and analysis, as well as strengthening lab methods to identify fungi and characterize resistance patterns. Second is supporting identification of known and emerging fungal pathogens for timely response, meaning surveillance data and laboratory confirmation should translate into rapid infection control, outbreak investigation, and coordinated response actions when signals are detected. Third is workforce development and training for prevention and control, recognizing that sustainable fungal programs require trained laboratorians, epidemiologists, clinicians, and public health staff who can implement guidelines, interpret diagnostic tests, and apply infection prevention measures. Fourth is increasing awareness and strengthening monitoring and evaluation, so programs can measure the impact of interventions, refine performance metrics, and demonstrate progress over time. Across these elements, the NOFO frames its intent as advancing health equity at programmatic, infrastructure, and policy levels, reflecting the disproportionate burden fungal diseases can place on resource-limited settings and high-risk populations.

The opportunity is anchored in CDC's broader fungal public health work, especially through the Mycotic Diseases Branch (MDB), one of the few public health groups dedicated to fungal disease prevention and control. MDB's approach combines epidemiologic, microbiologic, and bioinformatics tools to understand who gets fungal infections and why, and to detect changing patterns such as emerging resistance. The NOFO description highlights CDC's responsiveness to emerging threats, including azole-resistant Aspergillus infections and COVID-19 associated aspergillosis, and describes how partnerships and surveillance have enabled early detection of major pathogens. A key example is the 2015 investigation in Pakistan that helped identify Candida auris, a multidrug-resistant fungus that later spread rapidly in the United States and globally. It also references CDC's Containment Strategy, which aims to prevent new or rare forms of antimicrobial resistance from spreading by coupling rapid detection with immediate, targeted response, complementing broader efforts like improving antimicrobial use and preventing healthcare-associated infections.

Several regional examples illustrate the types of problems and responses the program is meant to support. In Colombia, earlier Candida surveillance helped the country detect and respond quickly to invasive C. auris, and hospital sampling demonstrated healthcare transmission, underscoring the importance of facility-based surveillance and infection control. In Latin America, histoplasmosis is described as common and deadly, particularly among people living with HIV, and often underdiagnosed; CDC partnerships aim to expand access to diagnostics and effective treatment to reduce mortality. In South America, Sporothrix brasiliensis is highlighted as an emerging zoonotic fungus capable of rapid spread between cats and from cats to humans, suggesting the need for One Health approaches that link human, animal, and environmental health systems. In sub-Saharan Africa, the NOFO points to cryptococcal meningitis, where deaths among immunosuppressed people can be prevented through reliable access to antifungal medications and clinician education on appropriate use. The description also notes MDB technical assistance supporting antimicrobial development research for drug-resistant threats such as C. auris, reflecting the growing importance of resistance surveillance and stewardship.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (NCEZID), using a cooperative agreement mechanism, which typically means substantial CDC involvement through technical collaboration and guidance during implementation. The CFDA number listed is 93.318. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open broadly to entity types, subject to any clarifications in the full notice). The award ceiling is $300,000, with an anticipated 10 awards. The original posting dates indicate it was created May 27, 2021, with an original closing date of July 27, 2021 (applications due by 11:59 pm ET).

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - NCEZID in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Global Fungal Disease Surveillance and Capacity" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.318.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 27, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 27, 2021 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 pm 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 $300,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 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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