National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities

CDC’s National Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce (Public Health Infrastructure Center) has awarded funding to 108 [PDF – 525 KB] recipients of a two-year, non-research grant—CDC-RFA-OT21-2103: National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities. This grant is funded through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021. This groundbreaking funding represents CDC’s largest investment to date focusing specifically on reducing health disparities related to COVID-19 and will provide much needed support to directly address these issues in communities that need it most.

Purpose

This $2.25 billion grant is funded through the US Department of Health and Human Services. The purpose of this new funding initiative is to address COVID-19 related health disparities and advance health equity by expanding state, local, US territorial, and freely associated state health department capacity and services. The intended outcomes are to 1) reduce COVID-19-related health disparities, 2) improve and increase testing and contact tracing among populations at higher risk and that are underserved, including racial and ethnic minority groups and people living in rural communities, and 3) improve state, local, US territorial and freely associated state health department capacity and services to prevent and control COVID-19 infection (or transmission) among populations at higher risk and that are underserved, including racial and ethnic minority groups and people living in rural communities.

Program Strategies

1. Expand existing and/or develop new mitigation and prevention resources and services to reduce COVID-19 related disparities among populations at higher risk and that are underserved.
2. Increase/improve data collection and reporting for populations experiencing a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 infection, severe illness, and death to guide the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
3. Build, leverage, and expand infrastructure support for COVID-19 prevention and control among populations that are at higher risk and underserved.
4. Mobilize partners and collaborators to advance health equity and address social determinants of health as they relate to COVID-19 health disparities among populations at higher risk and that are underserved.

Eligible Applicants

• All 50 States
• Counties – Serving a county population of 2,000,000 or more (US Census 2019 estimates)
• Cities – Serving population of 400,000 or more (US Census 2019 estimates)
• US Territories and Freely Associated States
• List of Eligible Applicants and Estimated Funding Award Amounts by Category [PDF – 83 KB]

Recipients

• CDC’s Public Health Infrastructure Center has awarded funding to 108 Awardees [PDF – 525 KB].

Funding

• Funding and period of performance: $2.25 billion – 2 years
• Award date: June 1, 2021
• Project start date: June 1, 2021
• Project end date:  May 31, 2023

Key Resources

• Logic Model [PDF – 157 KB]
• Performance Measures Guidance [PDF – 549 KB]
• Logic Model and Performance Measures Recipient Webinar [PDF – 437 KB]
• Logic Model and Performance Measures Webinars FAQ’s 9/21 and 9/23/21 [PDF – 343 KB]
• Public Health Infrastructure Center DMP Extramural Guidance [PDF – 657 KB]
• Public Health Infrastructure Center DMP Extramural Template [PDF – 178 KB]
• Reporting Schedule [PDF – 210 KB]
• CDC’s General Terms and Conditions [PDF – 297 KB]
• CDC’s Guidance for Non-Research Prior Approvals [PDF – 1.18 MB]
• Recipient Orientation Call on June 15, 2021 [PDF – 2 MB]
• Questions and Answers from the Recipient Orientation Call on June 15, 2021 [PDF – 213 KB]