Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases (ELC) | CDC RFA CK 24 0002

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA CK 24 0002

The Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases (ELC) funding opportunity is a long-running CDC program that started in 1995 as part of the agency's broader strategy to confront emerging infectious disease threats. The core aim of the current Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to protect public health and safety in the United States by making sure public health agencies have the real-world capacity to detect outbreaks early, respond effectively, and prevent or control both newly emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. The approach is practical and systems-focused: rather than funding a single disease area, ELC is designed to strengthen the foundational capabilities that health departments rely on when any infectious threat appears, whether it is familiar, novel, or rapidly changing.

ELC does this by providing both financial support and technical assistance across four main pillars. First, it strengthens epidemiologic capacity, meaning the ability to conduct surveillance, investigate cases and outbreaks, analyze trends, and translate findings into public health action. Second, it enhances laboratory capacity, which covers the testing infrastructure and expertise needed to identify pathogens, confirm diagnoses, and support outbreak investigations quickly and reliably. Third, it improves information systems, recognizing that timely and accurate data flow is essential for detecting signals, coordinating response, and reporting results. Fourth, it explicitly supports better collaboration among epidemiology, laboratory, and information systems teams within health departments, since outbreak response breaks down when these functions operate in silos. In other words, the program emphasizes an integrated public health operating model where lab results, case investigations, and data systems reinforce each other.

A notable feature of this NOFO is how eligibility is structured to maximize impact. The program uses the legislative authorities tied to the funding to limit recipients to jurisdictions meeting certain population thresholds, with the stated rationale that supporting larger populations creates economies of scale. By focusing on states, large cities, and large counties, the CDC expects that each additional dollar can reach more people and reduce the marginal cost of expanding capacity per person served, while still ensuring that some of the largest urban areas receive direct support given their unique risk profiles, travel connectivity, and potential for rapid disease spread.

Eligibility is established under 42 USC 300hh-31 and is limited to specific public health agencies or their bona fide agents. Eligible applicants include the 51 state health departments (including the District of Columbia), local health agencies that serve a city population of 1.5 million or more (with examples such as Chicago, Houston, New York City, and Philadelphia), and in cases where a city does not have its own public health department, the county covering that jurisdiction may apply (examples provided include Los Angeles County for Los Angeles and Maricopa County for Phoenix). The opportunity also includes all U.S. territories and certain affiliates in the Caribbean and Pacific, specifically American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Population determinations for county and city jurisdictions are tied to U.S. Census Bureau annual resident population estimates (April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021; released March 2022).

Administratively, this opportunity is offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, within NCEZID, and is issued as a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates substantial CDC involvement through guidance, collaboration, and technical support rather than a hands-off grant structure. The Funding Opportunity Number is CDC-RFA-CK-24-0002, the CFDA number is 93.323, and the original closing date listed is April 30, 2024. The listing indicates an expected 65 awards, and the award ceiling is shown as 0, which typically means a specific maximum is not provided in the summary record and may instead be described in the full NOFO or vary by component, jurisdiction, or funding stream. Overall, the ELC NOFO is essentially an investment in the core public health infrastructure that makes rapid infectious disease detection and response possible, with an emphasis on strengthening surveillance, labs, data systems, and cross-functional coordination at scale.

• The Centers for Disease Control - NCEZID in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases (ELC)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.323.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-02-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-04-30. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 65 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for CDC RFA CK 24 0002

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