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

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has announced a new funding opportunity under a cooperative agreement program titled "Federal and State Integration Activities to Advance Cooperation and Regulatory Standards Among Animal Food Safety Regulatory Programs." This opportunity is being issued by the FDA’s Human Foods Program (HFP) and the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) to support long-term improvements in the national animal food safety system. The grant is designed to promote inter-agency collaboration, enhance regulatory and surveillance protection programs in the states, and advance the Animal Feed Regulatory Program Standards (AFRPS). This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is a limited competition, targeting national associations or organizations that primarily represent state animal food regulatory programs and collaborate with institutions of higher education. Applicants must be national in scope and have memberships that include state program directors and staff, such as AFRPS enrollees. The primary goal is to foster the integration and modernization of animal food safety systems across federal and state levels. This is part of the FDA’s broader mission to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which established modern preventive standards for human and animal food producers. The scope of the project includes numerous eligible activities, such as maintaining online portals for knowledge sharing, revising and updating AFRPS with input from stakeholders, hosting annual and ad hoc meetings, providing administrative and travel support for training sessions, and supporting FSMA-aligned initiatives. The grantee will also be responsible for evaluating and continuously improving all activities conducted under this award. Importantly, award funds must be used to supplement, not replace, other sources of funding and cannot be used for new building construction, vehicles, food, or uniforms. Applications will be evaluated based on standard FDA objective review criteria, including the significance of the project, qualifications of investigators, the approach and methodology, and the adequacy of the research environment. Only one application per institution (as identified by UEI) is allowed. The total funding available for fiscal year 2025 is estimated at $600,000, and the cooperative agreement may be renewed for up to two additional years depending on performance and available federal appropriations. A total of one award is expected to be issued. Key dates for this opportunity include an open date of July 23, 2025, and a closing date for applications of August 1, 2025, by 11:59 PM local time of the applicant’s organization. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov using either ASSIST, Workspace, or an institutional S2S platform. No late submissions will be accepted. There is no Letter of Intent required. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, meaning the FDA will maintain substantial involvement in the project after award. For inquiries, applicants can contact Keith Littrell at the Human Foods Program via email at Keith.Littrell@fda.hhs.gov or by phone at 303-236-9625. For financial or grant management questions, contact Danielle Head at Danielle.head@fda.hhs.gov. Additional application instructions, review criteria, and award terms can be found in the full NOFO documentation. Applications that do not conform to all submission requirements may be delayed or rejected.

Applicants are encouraged to contact FDA staff early and apply well before the deadline.