Federal and State Integration Activities to Advance Cooperation and Regulatory Standards Among Animal Food Safety Regulatory Programs

The Federal and State Integration Activities to Advance Cooperation and Regulatory Standards Among Animal Food Safety Regulatory Programs is a forecasted discretionary funding opportunity administered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The funding is offered through a cooperative agreement mechanism, emphasizing strong collaboration between the federal agency and recipients. The funding falls under Assistance Listing Number 93.103, which relates to FDA research activities. The initiative supports efforts to strengthen the national animal food safety system, emphasizing harmonized regulatory standards and robust interagency cooperation among animal food safety regulatory programs. This funding opportunity is specifically designed to support national feed associations and related entities that aim to promote the Animal Feed Regulatory Program Standards (AFRPS). The purpose of the funding is to enable participating entities to engage in integration activities that improve coordination between state and federal programs, enhance surveillance and regulatory oversight, and support consistent implementation of national standards. Funded activities are expected to increase efficiency, reduce redundancies, and improve the effectiveness of regulatory enforcement in the animal food safety landscape. The opportunity will provide financial support to national organizations or associations that represent state animal food regulatory programs. To be eligible, an applicant must have collaboration with at least one institution of higher education and must be either a national organization whose primary mission is to represent state animal food regulatory programs—typically consisting of directors and staff from these programs—or a government agency engaged in the AFRPS network. This makes the opportunity somewhat exclusive, as only a narrowly defined set of entities are eligible to apply. Although the opportunity is currently in a forecasted state with no confirmed open date, close date, or award date, it is projected for the fiscal year 2025. Based on the announcement's date of July 21, 2025, applicants can expect updates regarding application availability and specific deadlines in the near future. There is no indication of a recurring application schedule or whether it is offered on a rolling basis. Therefore, interested applicants should monitor the official Grants.gov listing for real-time updates once the official application package is posted. The funding opportunity does not impose any cost-sharing or matching fund requirements on applicants. The number of expected awards is one, underscoring the limited and competitive nature of the grant. Detailed funding amounts, such as the award ceiling, award floor, and total program funding, are not yet disclosed. Once released, this information will guide applicants in structuring their proposals to align with budget expectations and permissible uses of funds. The grant is managed by Danielle Head, a Grants Management Specialist at the FDA. She can be contacted via email at danielle.head@fda.hhs.gov for further inquiries. Given the targeted nature of this opportunity and its emphasis on high-level coordination and regulatory standardization, prospective applicants are encouraged to engage early with potential academic collaborators and review the AFRPS framework in preparation for the formal release of the application guidelines.