U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Immunization Strengthening through Measles Control and Related Childhood Morbidity/Mortality Reduction from Vaccine Preventable Diseases
I. AUTHORIZATION AND INTENT
Announcement Type: New
· New – Type 1
· Funding Opportunity Number: CDC-RFA-IP11-1105
· Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 93.185
Key Dates:
Letter of Intent Deadline Date: Not applicable
Application Deadline Date: July 11, 2011, 5:00pm Eastern Standard Time
Authority:
Sections 301 (c),307, and 317of the Public Health Service Act(42 U.S.C. sections 241 (c), 242l, and 247b);and section 104 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961(22 U.S.C. 2151b)
Purpose:
The purpose of the program is to support global measles control and mortality reduction by facilitating the provision of bundled measles containing vaccine, and technical, laboratory, programmatic consultants, and other services, as needed, to the governments of measles endemic countries. Note: The term “bundled” refers to vaccine and supplies required to ensure safe injections and safe disposal of vaccine vials and injection materials. Additionally, measles vaccine procurement may include the purchase of vaccine containing antigens for measles (M), measles and rubella (MR), or measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) as per requirements set forth under specific national immunization policies of countries supported under this agreement.
Specific activities will be in the areas of measles containing vaccine procurement and ensuring global availability of vaccine supply, surveillance to define and assess the measles endemic countries, development of a global laboratory network for measles serologic diagnosis and virus isolation in developing countries, and assistance to foreign governments in planning and implementing national immunization days and other measles control activities.
In addition, this program will support the US Government endorsed Global Polio Eradication Initiative and the Global Immunization Vision and Strategy, 2006-2015. UNF, in conjunction with CDC and other immunization partners, will provide vaccines and programmatic assistance for supplemental immunization activities in priority countries for the polio eradication initiative. As agreed by CDC and UNF, this program may also support activities to strengthen routine immunization delivery systems and capacities in developing countries to achieve globally agreed goals for disease control, elimination and eradication.
The U.S. Congress provides funds to CDC to provide programmatic support and procurement of vaccines critical to the success of the global initiatives for polio eradication and measles elimination and mortality reduction, as well as contributing to overall immunization systems strengthening.
Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with one (or more) of the following performance goal(s) for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases and the Center for Global Health:
LONG TERM OBJECTIVE 13.B.1: HELP DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS ACHIEVE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION'S GOAL OF GLOBAL POLIO ERADICATION.
Long Term Objective 10.B.2: Work with global partners to reduce the cumulative global measles-related mortality by 90% compared with 2000 estimates (baseline 777,000 deaths) and to maintain elimination of endemic measles transmission in all 47 countries of the Americas.
This announcement is only for non-research activities supported by CDC. If research is proposed, the application will not be reviewed. For the definition of research, please see the CDC Web site at the following Internet address:
http://www.cdc.gov/od/science/integrity/docs/cdc-policy-distinguishing-public-health-research-nonresearch.pdf
II. PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION
Recipient Activities:
· Purchase bundled measles vaccines for measles control activities supported by the Measles Partnership (www.measlesinitiative.org) in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
· Collaborate with CDC, World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Bank, other global immunization partner agencies and national governments, for planning and implementation of strategies to achieve the globally agreed goals of measles mortality reduction and regional elimination, polio eradication, and control of other vaccine preventable diseases (VPD), including identification and support for country vaccine procurement and programmatic assistance needs.
· Assist with identification and facilitation of matching funds to further leverage US Government investments in global immunization initiatives.
· Support development and implementation of strategies to address other mutually agreed global health priorities as determined in consultation with CDC, if and when required.
In a cooperative agreement, CDC staff is substantially involved in the program activities, above and beyond routine grant monitoring.
CDC Activities:
· Develop plans of action in conjunction with other worldwide partners for measles control and elimination, polio eradication and routine immunization strengthening activities in selected countries.
· Coordinate the purchase of bundled measles and polio vaccines with UNF and UNICEF in support of the global measles control/elimination and polio eradication initiatives.
· Provide technical assistance in the planning, monitoring, execution and evaluation of measles and other immunization-related activities supported by this cooperative agreement.
· Collaborate with and provide technical assistance to UNF to determine appropriate strategies to address other mutually agreed global health priorities that may be addressed through this agreement, if and when required.
III. AWARD INFORMATION AND REQUIREMENTS
Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement. CDC’s substantial involvement in this program is listed in the Activities Section above.
Award Mechanism: U66 – Immunization Projects – Cooperative Agreements
Fiscal Year Funds: FY2012
Approximate Current Fiscal Year Funding: $ 14,000,000
Approximate Total Project Period Funding: $ 100,000,000 (This amount is an estimate, and is subject to availability of funds.) This amount includes direct and indirect costs.
Approximate Number of Awards: One
Approximate Average Award: $14 million (This amount is for the first 12-month budget period, and includes both direct and/or indirect costs.)
Floor of Individual Award Range: None.
Ceiling of Individual Award Range: None
Anticipated Award Date: 15 October 2011
Budget Period Length: 12 months
Project Period Length: 5 years
Throughout the project period, CDC’s commitment to continuation of awards will be conditioned on the availability of funds, evidence of satisfactory progress by the recipient (as documented in required reports), and the determination that continued funding is in the best interest of the Federal government.
IV. ELIGIBILITY
Assistance will be provided only to the United Nations Foundation. No other applications are solicited. Eligibility is limited to the United Nations Foundation (UNF) because it is the most appropriate and qualified agency to conduct the activities under this cooperative agreement:
1. UNF is the only organization whose mission is to serve as the global advocate for United Nations Programs. The UNF seeks to support the goals and objectives of the United Nations and its Charter to promote a more peaceful, prosperous, and just world – with special emphasis on the UN’s work, especially on behalf of economic, social, environmental and humanitarian causes. The UNF lists children’s health as one of its top four program priorities. Within this priority lies the support of programs seeking to reduce childhood mortality.
2. The proposed program is strongly supportive of, and directly related to, the achievement of United Nations Programs and CDC/National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases) objectives for the control and prevention of vaccine preventable diseases including measles, polio, and others, and coincident reduction in childhood mortality (approximately 200,000 children die every year due to measles-related complications).
3. The UNF’s role as a supporter of United Nations Programs concerned with children’s health issues and programs, together with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the American Red Cross, CDC, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others, are partners in an international effort to increase support and visibility for measles control and mortality reduction.
4. UNF successfully completed the execution of a five-year sole-source cooperative agreement with CDC in 2006 and is in the fifth and final year of a second sole-source cooperative agreement. The organization was able to successfully leverage CDC funds to build further support for the Measles Partnership. Funds were used to provide measles vaccine to more than 700 million children between 2000 and 2008, contributing to a reduction in global measles mortality of 78% as of 2008 and prevention of an estimated 4.3 million deaths from measles. In addition, CDC funds for purchase of oral polio vaccine were doubled by inclusion in an innovative funding mechanism with the World Bank, resulting in purchase of over 378 million doses from this source alone since 2000.
SPECIAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Licensing/Credential/Permits
Cost Sharing or Matching
Cost sharing or matching funds are not required for this program.
Maintenance of Effort
Maintenance of Effort is not required for this program.
Other
CDC will accept and review applications with budgets greater than the ceiling of the award range.
Intergovernmental Review of Applications
Executive Order 12372 does not apply to this program.
V. Application Content
Unless specifically indicated, this announcement requires submission of the following information:
CDC Assurances and Certifications can be found on the CDC Web site at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/grants/foamain.shtm
Other Requirements
Letter of Intent (LOI): A letter of intent is not applicable to this funding opportunity announcement.
A Project Abstract must be completed in the Grants.gov application forms. The Project Abstract must contain a summary of the proposed activity suitable for dissemination to the public. It should be a self-contained description of the project and should contain a statement of objectives and methods to be employed. It should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and insofar as possible understandable to a technically literate lay reader. This abstract must not include any proprietary/confidential information.
A Project Narrative must be submitted with the application forms. The project narrative must be uploaded in a PDF file format when submitting via Grants.gov. The narrative must be submitted in the following format:
· Maximum number of pages: 25. If your narrative exceeds the page limit, only the first pages which are within the page limit will be reviewed.
· Font size: 12 point unreduced, Times New Roman
· Double spaced
· Page margin size: One inch
· Number all narrative pages; not to exceed the maximum number of pages.
The narrative should address activities to be conducted over the entire project period and must include the following items in the order listed:
Background, Program Description, Results Expected, Plan of Action, Evaluation, Geographic Location, and Budget Summary and Justification (to include Personnel, Supplies, Total Direct Charges, Indirect Charges and Total Charges). The budget justification will not be counted in the stated page limit. (If funds for indirect costs are requested, the applicant must include a current, approved indirect cost rate agreement with the application.)
Additional information may be included in the application appendices. The appendices will not be counted toward the narrative page limit. This additional information includes:
· Organizational Charts, Letters of Support, Annual Reports, etc.
Additional information submitted via Grants.gov should be uploaded in a PDF file format, and should be named following standard procedures. No more than 25 electronic attachments should be uploaded per application.
Additional requirements for additional documentation with the application are listed in Section VII. Award Administration Information, subsection entitled “Administrative and National Policy Requirements.”
APPLICATION SUBMISSION
Registering your organization through www.Grants.gov, the official agency-wide E-grant website, is the first step in submitting an application online. Registration information is located on the “Get Registered” screen of www.Grants.gov. Please visit www.Grants.gov at least 30 days prior to submitting your application to familiarize yourself with the registration and submission processes. The “one-time” registration process will take three to five days to complete. However, the Grants.gov registration process also requires that you register your organization with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) annually. The CCR registration can require an additional one to two days to complete.
Submit the application electronically by using the forms and instructions posted for this funding opportunity on www.Grants.gov. If access to the Internet is not available or if the applicant encounters difficulty in accessing the forms on-line, contact the HHS/CDC Procurement and Grant Office Technical Information Management Section (PGO TIMS) staff at (770) 488-2700 for further instruction.
Note: Application submission is not concluded until successful completion of the validation process.
After submission of your application package, applicants will receive a “submission receipt” email generated by Grants.gov. Grants.gov will then generate a second e-mail message to applicants which will either validate or reject their submitted application package. This validation process may take as long as two (2) business days. Applicants are strongly encouraged check the status of their application to ensure submission of their application package is complete and no submission errors exists. To guarantee that you comply with the application deadline published in the Funding Opportunity Announcement, applicants are also strongly encouraged to allocate additional days prior to the published deadline to file their application. Non-validated applications will not be accepted after the published application deadline date.
In the event that you do not receive a “validation” email within two (2) business days of application submission, please contact Grants.gov. Refer to the email message generated at the time of application submission for instructions on how to track your application or the Application User Guide, Version 3.0 page 57.
Dun and Bradstreet Universal Number (DUNS)
The applicant is required to have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) identifier to apply for grants or cooperative agreements from the Federal government. The DUNS is a nine-digit number which uniquely identifies business entities. There is no charge associated with obtaining a DUNS number. Applicants may obtain a DUNS number by accessing the Dun and Bradstreet website or by calling 1-866-705-5711. International registrants can confirm by sending an e-mail to , including Company Name, D-U-N-S Number, and Physical Address, and Country.
Electronic Submission of Application:
Applications must be submitted electronically at www.Grants.gov. Electronic applications will be considered as having met the deadline if the application has been successfully made available to CDC for processing from Grants.gov on the deadline date. The application package can be downloaded from www.Grants.gov. Applicants can complete the application package off-line, and then upload and submit the application via the Grants.gov Web site. The applicant must submit all application attachments using a PDF file format when submitting via Grants.gov. Directions for creating PDF files can be found on the Grants.gov Web site. Use of file formats other than PDF may result in the file being unreadable by staff.