Strengthening Ministry of Health's Capacity (MOH-Cap) for HIV Diagnosis, Treatment, and Monitoring in the Kingdom of Lesotho under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) | CDC RFA GH20 2046

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH20 2046

The funding opportunity, titled "Strengthening Ministry of Health's Capacity (MOH-Cap) for HIV Diagnosis, Treatment, and Monitoring in the Kingdom of Lesotho under PEPFAR" (Funding Opportunity Number: CDC RFA GH20 2046), is a CDC cooperative agreement designed to reinforce Lesotho's Ministry of Health (MOH) ability to run and sustain high-quality HIV laboratory and clinical services. It sits within PEPFAR's broader effort to help countries reach and maintain HIV epidemic control by improving diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing monitoring, while also building durable national systems that can manage these services over time.

The need for this work is driven by the scale and severity of Lesotho's generalized HIV epidemic. The opportunity cites an estimated 319,000 people living with HIV in the country, with adult prevalence (ages 15 to 59) at 25.6 and adult incidence at 1.1. Against that background, PEPFAR has already been providing technical support to expand and improve HIV services, and this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is positioned as a way to deepen that support by strengthening MOH capacity across laboratories, prevention, and HIV care and treatment, while also improving the underlying health system.

A central focus of the award is improving the laboratory and diagnostic backbone required for effective HIV program performance. Key strategies include strengthening specimen transport systems so samples can move reliably from clinics to testing sites and results can return quickly to providers and patients. The opportunity emphasizes expanding and improving access to viral load (VL) testing, which is essential for confirming whether people on treatment are achieving suppression and for identifying treatment failure early. It also prioritizes early infant diagnosis (EID) to ensure HIV-exposed infants are tested promptly and, if positive, linked rapidly to life-saving treatment. Tuberculosis (TB) testing is also highlighted, reflecting the close connection between HIV and TB and the need for integrated diagnostic capacity to detect and manage co-infection efficiently.

Beyond testing volumes and logistics, the NOFO strongly emphasizes workforce and leadership development inside the MOH. A major goal is to build human resources for technical leadership and management of the national HIV program, including the skills needed to plan, coordinate, oversee quality, and use data to guide decisions. This is meant to move capacity progressively toward MOH-led systems, reducing reliance on external implementers and making performance more sustainable.

The approaches described blend service delivery support with system strengthening. On the implementation side, the award may support training and retention of technical staff so laboratories and programs have qualified personnel and lower turnover. It includes direct service delivery elements through expanded testing services, alongside support for procurement of laboratory commodities and equipment, which can cover the kinds of consumables and hardware necessary to run VL, EID, and TB testing reliably. Supply management is called out as a specific area, reflecting the importance of forecasting, stock control, and distribution systems that prevent test interruptions. In parallel, the NOFO supports training for effective coordination and management of the HIV program, reinforcing governance, supervision, and operational leadership, and it includes broader health system strengthening to ensure these improvements are institutionalized rather than temporary.

The expected results are framed in terms of sustaining high levels of HIV treatment coverage, retention in care, and viral load suppression among people living with HIV. Over the longer term, the opportunity is intended to help Lesotho advance toward the global 95-95-95 targets: diagnosing 95 percent of people living with HIV, providing sustained antiretroviral therapy to 95 percent of those diagnosed, and achieving viral suppression for 95 percent of those on treatment. By improving the quality and reach of diagnostics and monitoring and by strengthening MOH leadership and supply systems, the NOFO aims to help the country maintain epidemic control once achieved.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement mechanism, meaning CDC is expected to have substantial involvement in the work in partnership with the recipient. The awarding agency is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), specifically under CGH, and the CFDA number listed is 93.067. The opportunity anticipated one award. The notice lists an approximate total fiscal year funding amount of $11,000,000 for Year 1, contingent on availability of funds, while also noting that the "award ceiling for Year 1 is 0 (none)," which typically indicates that an upper cap was not specified in the public listing even though an estimated funding level is provided. The original application due date was April 14, 2020, with electronic submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Eligibility is labeled broadly as "Others" with further clarification referenced in the full eligibility text, and all supported activities are required to align with Lesotho national policies, strategic plans, guidelines, and the priorities of PEPFAR-supported programs.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - CGH in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strengthening Ministry of Health's Capacity (MOH-Cap) for HIV Diagnosis, Treatment, and Monitoring in the Kingdom of Lesotho 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 Feb 14, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 14, 2020 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.)
• 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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