Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA IP 24 046
The CDC is soliciting applications for a single cooperative agreement to build and maintain a large, nationwide, longitudinal cohort of repeat blood donors that can be used to track immunity and infection patterns for SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses over time. The core idea is to leverage routine blood donation from the same individuals repeatedly, measure antibody levels (quantitative titers) at regular intervals, and pair those lab measurements with participant surveys about exposures and health history. By combining serial antibody data with survey data, the program is meant to estimate how much infection is occurring, who is getting infected, what factors increase risk, and how immunity changes after infection or vaccination.
A major motivation for this opportunity comes from what CDC learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2020 and 2022, CDC funded national serosurveillance efforts that repeatedly measured antibodies and collected surveys to monitor infection burden, risk factors, and the durability of immune responses across different populations and geographies in the United States. Over that period, CDC and partners developed and tested analytic methods that use quantitative antibody titers to infer new infections or reinfections, even when a large share of the population is already antibody-positive (high seroprevalence). This grant is essentially designed to carry that infrastructure forward and adapt it to the current stage of COVID-19 while extending the approach to other respiratory viruses as assays and validation work become available.
The project’s deliverable is a sustained cohort at national scale, specified as greater than 50,000 people, made up of repeat blood donors who can be followed over time. The awardee would be expected to establish the operational pipeline for enrolling and retaining donors, collecting repeated specimens, running or coordinating antibody testing, and administering regular surveys. The surveys are intended to capture information that helps interpret antibody patterns, such as vaccination status, potential risk factors for infection, respiratory symptoms, and indicators of severe illness. In addition to near-term surveillance, the opportunity explicitly calls for establishing a specimen and data repository that can support future analyses, especially as new laboratory assays are developed to measure immune responses to respiratory virus infections more precisely or in new ways.
The CDC describes four main public health aims for the cohort. First, it should be able to estimate the national burden of incident SARS-CoV-2 infection on an ongoing basis and then expand that same capability to other respiratory viruses as technology allows. Viruses named as examples include Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), influenza, human metapneumovirus, enterovirus D68 (EV-D68), and potentially others, reflecting an intent to build a flexible platform rather than a one-virus system. Second, the cohort should support work to determine antibody thresholds associated with protection across multiple respiratory viruses, which is important for interpreting what measured antibody levels mean in real-world terms. Third, it should enable state- or region-specific snapshots of population-level immunity and infection risk by tracking distributions and trends in antibody titers (for example, median titers) across subpopulations and geographies. Fourth, it should monitor waning immunity and shifts in immune effectiveness as viruses evolve, which is particularly relevant for pathogens like SARS-CoV-2 and influenza that change over time and can partially evade prior immunity.
Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), offered through a cooperative agreement mechanism, which typically means CDC will have substantial programmatic involvement compared with a standard grant. The opportunity is in the health activity category and is associated with CFDA number 93.083. The funding opportunity number is RFA IP 24 046, and it was created on 2023-12-12 with an original application closing date of 2024-02-16. CDC expects to make one award, with an award ceiling of $4,500,000.
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of public and private entities that could plausibly run a national donor-based surveillance cohort. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and 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/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education); and for-profit organizations other than small businesses. In practical terms, the opportunity seems designed to allow participation from academic centers, large blood collection organizations and their partners, public health-aligned nonprofits, and other entities capable of coordinating multi-site operations, laboratory testing, data management, and long-term follow-up at national scale.
Overall, the grant is aimed at creating a durable, scalable seroepidemiology platform that can keep pace with changing respiratory virus threats. Instead of relying on one-off surveys or short-term studies, the CDC is funding a continuous, repeat-measure system that can quantify new infections, identify drivers of risk and severity, interpret immunity levels over time, and rapidly pivot to additional respiratory viruses as assays mature. The emphasis on a repository and on adaptable analytic methods signals that CDC wants the cohort to remain useful not only for immediate surveillance, but also for future scientific and public health questions as new variants, vaccines, and testing technologies emerge.Apply for RFA IP 24 046
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Nationwide Cohort to Estimate Burden of Respiratory Viruses and Immunologic Response (Blood Donor Cohort)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.083.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2023-12-12.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-02-16. (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 $4,500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is CDC funding through this opportunity?
CDC is soliciting applications for a single cooperative agreement to build and maintain a large, nationwide, longitudinal cohort of repeat blood donors. The cohort will be used to track immunity and infection patterns for SARS-CoV-2 over time, with an explicit plan to expand to other respiratory viruses as laboratory assays and validation work become available.
What is the core idea behind the project?
The project leverages routine blood donation from the same individuals repeatedly. Antibody levels (quantitative titers) are measured at regular intervals, and those lab results are paired with participant surveys about exposures and health history. Combining serial antibody data and survey data is intended to help estimate infection incidence, identify who is getting infected, understand risk factors, and track how immunity changes after infection or vaccination.
Is this a one-time study or an ongoing program?
The deliverable is a sustained, ongoing national cohort (not a one-off survey). CDC describes it as a durable, scalable seroepidemiology platform intended to support continuous monitoring and future analyses over time.
How large does the cohort need to be?
The opportunity specifies a national-scale cohort of greater than 50,000 people, made up of repeat blood donors who can be followed over time.
Who are the participants in the cohort?
Participants are repeat blood donors. The design depends on following the same individuals across multiple donations so antibody titers can be measured serially and linked with survey information.
What types of data will be collected?
Two main data streams are highlighted: (1) repeated laboratory measurements of antibodies (quantitative titers) from blood specimens, and (2) participant surveys capturing information that helps interpret antibody patterns, such as vaccination status, potential risk factors for infection, respiratory symptoms, and indicators of severe illness.
What will the surveys cover?
Surveys are intended to capture details that help explain antibody patterns and infection risk, including vaccination status, potential exposure or risk factors, respiratory symptoms, and indicators of severe illness.
What viruses does CDC want to monitor?
SARS-CoV-2 is the immediate focus, with expansion to other respiratory viruses as technology allows. Examples named include Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), influenza, human metapneumovirus, and enterovirus D68 (EV-D68), with the intent to support additional viruses as assays mature.
What are the main public health aims of the cohort?
CDC describes four aims: (1) estimate the national burden of incident SARS-CoV-2 infection on an ongoing basis and expand to other respiratory viruses as possible; (2) determine antibody thresholds associated with protection across multiple respiratory viruses; (3) enable state- or region-specific snapshots of population-level immunity and infection risk by tracking distributions and trends in antibody titers across subpopulations and geographies; and (4) monitor waning immunity and shifts in immune effectiveness as viruses evolve.
How will the cohort estimate new infections if many people already have antibodies?
The opportunity cites analytic methods developed and tested during 2020-2022 national serosurveillance efforts that use quantitative antibody titers to infer new infections or reinfections, even when a large share of the population is already antibody-positive (high seroprevalence). This project is designed to carry that approach forward.
Why focus on repeat blood donors?
Repeat donors provide a practical way to obtain serial specimens from the same individuals over time through routine donation. That repeat-measure structure supports tracking changes in antibody titers and linking those changes to reported exposures, vaccination status, symptoms, and other factors captured by surveys.
What does “longitudinal cohort” mean in this opportunity?
It means following the same group of people over time and collecting repeated measurements (here, repeated blood specimens for antibody titers and repeated surveys) so changes in immunity and inferred infections can be tracked.
What is expected of the awardee operationally?
The awardee is expected to establish an operational pipeline for enrolling and retaining donors, collecting repeated specimens, running or coordinating antibody testing, and administering regular surveys at national scale.
Does the opportunity require a specimen and data repository?
Yes. The opportunity explicitly calls for establishing a specimen and data repository to support future analyses, particularly as new laboratory assays are developed to measure immune responses to respiratory virus infections more precisely or in new ways.
How does this build on CDC’s COVID-19 work from 2020 to 2022?
CDC notes that it previously funded national serosurveillance efforts that repeatedly measured antibodies and collected surveys to monitor infection burden, risk factors, and durability of immune responses across U.S. populations and geographies. During that work, analytic methods were developed and tested to infer infections and reinfections from quantitative titers. This grant is designed to sustain and adapt that infrastructure for the current stage of COVID-19 and extend it to other respiratory viruses as assays become available.
What kind of funding mechanism is this?
This is a discretionary funding opportunity from CDC offered through a cooperative agreement mechanism, which typically means CDC will have substantial programmatic involvement compared with a standard grant.
How many awards does CDC expect to make?
CDC expects to make one award.
What is the maximum funding amount mentioned?
The award ceiling is $4,500,000.
What is the funding opportunity number and CFDA number?
The funding opportunity number is RFA IP 24 046. The associated CFDA number is 93.083.
When was the opportunity created and what was the original closing date?
The opportunity was created on 2023-12-12, with an original application closing date of 2024-02-16.
What is the health activity category for this opportunity?
The opportunity is in the health activity category.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes: state, county, city or township, and 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/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education); and for-profit organizations other than small businesses.
Are for-profit organizations eligible?
Yes. For-profit organizations other than small businesses are listed as eligible applicants.
Are nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status eligible?
Yes. Nonprofit organizations without 501(c)(3) status are included, provided they are not institutions of higher education.
Are colleges and universities eligible?
Yes. Both public/state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are listed as eligible.
Are tribal entities eligible?
Yes. Federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations are included in the eligible applicant types.
What kinds of organizations does this seem designed for in practice?
Based on the scope and operational expectations, the opportunity appears designed to allow participation from academic centers, large blood collection organizations and their partners, public health-aligned nonprofits, and other entities capable of coordinating multi-site operations, laboratory testing, data management, and long-term follow-up at national scale.
What does “incident infection burden” refer to in this context?
It refers to estimating the burden of new SARS-CoV-2 infections occurring over time (and later, new infections from other respiratory viruses), using serial quantitative antibody titers and accompanying survey data.
What does CDC mean by tracking “waning immunity” and “immune effectiveness” over time?
The cohort is intended to observe how measured immunity (as reflected in antibody titers) changes over time and how protection may shift as viruses evolve, which CDC notes is particularly relevant for pathogens like SARS-CoV-2 and influenza.
How will the cohort support regional or state-level insights?
CDC’s aims include enabling state- or region-specific snapshots by tracking distributions and trends in antibody titers (such as median titers) across subpopulations and geographies.
What is the longer-term value of the specimen and data repository?
The repository is intended to support future analyses as new laboratory assays are developed, allowing the cohort to remain useful not only for immediate surveillance needs but also for future scientific and public health questions as variants, vaccines, and testing technologies change.
Is the platform intended to be flexible across pathogens?
Yes. CDC describes an intent to build a flexible platform rather than a one-virus system, starting with SARS-CoV-2 and expanding to additional respiratory viruses as assays and validation work become available.
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