Provision of Expanded High Quality HIV/STIs Prevention, Care, and Treatment Services in Trinidad and Tobago under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) | CDC RFA GH19 1964

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH19 1964

This grant opportunity, titled "Provision of Expanded High Quality HIV/STIs Prevention, Care, and Treatment Services in Trinidad and Tobago under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)," is a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cooperative agreement aimed at strengthening and expanding HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) services in Trinidad and Tobago. The public health need driving the award is that Trinidad and Tobago faces both a generalized epidemic and a concentrated epidemic in key populations, with HIV prevalence reported at over 25 percent among men who have sex with men (MSM). That level is described as among the highest globally, and the funding is framed as urgent because failing to address it adequately could continue to fuel a broader national public health problem.

A central feature of the opportunity is its focus on the Medical Research Foundation (MRF), an organization that has effectively become the backbone of HIV clinical care in the country. Beginning in 2002, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago commissioned MRF to deliver HIV prevention, care, and treatment services for people diagnosed with HIV. Over time, MRF has grown into the largest HIV treatment and care site not only in Trinidad and Tobago, but in the Southern Caribbean more broadly. The notice highlights MRF's scale and national importance by stating that patients enrolled at MRF account for more than 73 percent of all people living with HIV (PLHIV) who are known to be in care nationally. The opportunity also underscores MRF's uniqueness in the local health system, describing it as the only non-governmental organization (NGO) with the capacity and infrastructure required to consistently deliver high-quality HIV care and treatment services in Trinidad and Tobago.

The grant also points to measurable clinical performance as a reason for investing in MRF. Specifically, MRF has demonstrated strong treatment outcomes, with over 85 percent of patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) achieving viral suppression. Because viral suppression is one of the most important indicators for both individual health and reduced onward transmission, the funder positions MRF as a proven platform worth expanding. In practical terms, the purpose of the award is not simply to sustain current operations, but to provide the support and capacity building needed for MRF to scale successful interventions more broadly and help Trinidad and Tobago move closer to controlling its HIV epidemic. The notice further suggests that, if strengthened and expanded effectively, the model could serve as an example for other Caribbean settings and potentially inform global approaches, especially in contexts where NGOs play a major service-delivery role alongside government.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Center for Global Health, under CFDA 93.067. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically means the CDC expects substantial involvement in the project beyond standard grant oversight, such as collaboration on implementation approaches, monitoring, and performance improvement. The opportunity is listed under Funding Opportunity Number CDC RFA GH19 1964, with an award ceiling of $1,000,000 and an expectation of one award. The opportunity was created on September 30, 2019, and the original application closing date was November 29, 2019, with electronic submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Eligibility is listed as "Others," with additional eligibility details referenced as being in a separate section of the full notice.

Overall, the opportunity is designed to reinforce a high-performing, high-volume HIV treatment and care system anchored by MRF, while expanding prevention and STI-related service capacity in a country facing a particularly severe HIV burden among MSM. The emphasis is on maintaining quality, building institutional capacity, and scaling interventions that already show strong outcomes, so that national epidemic control becomes more achievable and replicable across the region.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - CGH in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Provision of Expanded High Quality HIV/STIs Prevention, Care, and Treatment Services in Trinidad and Tobago under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.067.
• This funding opportunity was created on Sep 30, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 29, 2019 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., 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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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