Centers of Excellence in Healthcare Quality: Detecting and Responding to Threats to Healthcare Safety

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through its National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), has released a forecast for a new cooperative agreement program titled Centers of Excellence in Healthcare Quality: Detecting and Responding to Threats to Healthcare Safety. This program is being developed under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is intended to enhance patient and healthcare worker safety through collaborative and responsive systems. The program aligns with the agency’s mission to prevent disease, disability, and death by addressing emerging threats in healthcare settings. The initiative seeks to build a network of healthcare systems, facilities, and public health partners that can rapidly detect, respond to, and prevent healthcare-associated risks. The scope of participation is intentionally broad, encompassing acute care hospitals including rural and community-based institutions, long-term acute care hospitals, nursing homes, dialysis centers, emergency rooms, urgent care facilities, outpatient clinics, and home health providers. The program encourages collaboration between these institutions and public health departments, leveraging expertise from diverse healthcare and community partners to strengthen the resilience and safety of U.S. healthcare delivery systems. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate capacity to coordinate across multiple healthcare environments and with external public health entities, but the CDC clarifies that individual applicants are not required to house all elements of the program independently. Instead, successful proposals will show strong partnership frameworks and the ability to integrate resources effectively to respond to infectious threats and safety hazards in healthcare. Funding for the program is projected at a total of $750,000,000 with approximately 10 awards anticipated. Individual award amounts will range from a minimum of $2,500,000 to a ceiling of $15,000,000. Cost sharing or matching funds are not required, making this an accessible opportunity for eligible applicants that include a wide range of institutions such as state and local governments, public and private universities, nonprofit organizations, tribal entities, public housing authorities, and both small and large businesses. Applicants that request amounts exceeding the stated ceiling will be deemed non-responsive and excluded from further consideration. The timeline for this forecasted opportunity begins with an estimated post date of April 6, 2026, with applications due by June 5, 2026. Awards are anticipated to be announced by August 1, 2026, and funded projects will begin by September 30, 2026. Applications must be submitted electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date. The opportunity is expected to be recurring, as it is categorized as a programmatic investment in healthcare safety and resilience. The estimated archive date is July 5, 2026. Contact for this funding opportunity is Carla Doan of the CDC, who can be reached at 770-488-8354 or by email at gon5@cdc.gov. The assistance listing associated with this program is 93.084, which pertains to prevention of disease, disability, and death by infectious diseases. This forecast provides potential applicants ample time to prepare for participation in a major federal initiative that strengthens the nation’s ability to safeguard healthcare quality in the face of emerging threats.