Building Capacity of the Public Health System to Improve Population Health through National, Nonprofit Organizations, financed in part by 2016 Prevention and Public Health Funds

The summary for the Building Capacity of the Public Health System to Improve Population Health through National, Nonprofit Organizations, financed in part by 2016 Prevention and Public Health Funds grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control OSTLTS, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Building Capacity of the Public Health System to Improve Population Health through National, Nonprofit Organizations, financed in part by 2016 Prevention and Public Health Funds: CDC announces a supplemental funding opportunity for the 25 national, nonprofit organizations that were awarded under the CDC-RFA-OT13-1302 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). This supplemental funding opportunity permits the awardees to strengthen the infrastructure and improve the performance of governmental and nongovernmental components of the public health system through the provision of capacity-building assistance (CBA).In 1988, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published a landmark report, The Future of Public Health. It was the first national report to call attention to the need to address America’s fragmented and seriously underfunded public health system. Although the report acknowledges the multiple stakeholders engaged in the public health enterprise, its recommendations focused on strengthening governmental public health departments as they represent the mainstay of the public health system.The call for a transformed, invigorated public health system continues into the 21st century, as the challenges for governmental public health have not ceased (IOM, 2012a, 2011; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2012; Trust for America’s Health, 2008). Challenges such as economic recessions, persistently underfinanced and fragmented public health infrastructure, and the shifting public health needs threaten governmental public health’s capacity to achieve the recommended transformation and address the broad health and safety needs of the American public. These challenges also weaken its capacity to: 1) meet the ambitious Healthy People 2020 and National Prevention Strategy goals; 2) effectively perform the ten essential public health services; and 3) address the nation’s future health challenges, such as rising health care costs and the health needs of a growing older adult population). Such challenges demonstrates the urgency of improving performance, accountability, and value of America’s governmental public health and the overall public health system. In addition, public health will benefit from effective integration with primary care in areas such as community engagement, aligned leadership that bridges disciplines and jurisdictions, sustainability by establishing a shared infrastructure, and sharing and collaborative use of data and analysis. A robust program that adequately invests in capacity building assistance will contribute significantly in transforming the public health system and its various components to cover a broad range of challenges and needs. In general, CBA activities are expected to result in an increase in the quality, quantity, efficiencies, and/or cost effectiveness of public health services and related outcomes, and ultimately in public health improvement.For the purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), the public health system refers to “activities undertaken within the formal structure of government and the associated efforts of private and voluntary organizations and individuals” (IOM, 1988). Specifically, the purpose of this program is to ensure the provision of CBA to optimize the quality and performance of public health systems, the public health workforce, public health data and information systems, public health practice and services, public health partnerships, and public health resources.This FOA defines capacity building as the development and strengthening of human and organizational resources and systems. It involves enhancing the performance of functions, problem-solving, and achievement of objectives at individual, institutional and societal levels. CBA encompasses activities such as technical assistance, training, information sharing, technology transfer, materials development, or funding that enables an organization to better serve its population or to operate in a more comprehensive, responsive, and effective manner. Capacity building is expected to assist governmental and nongovernmental public health in fulfilling the mission of protecting and promoting health in their communities and effectively performing essential public health services.This FOA provides funding for CBA activities with target populations under three headings: Category A: Governmental Public Health Departments; Category B: Workforce Segments across Governmental Public Health Departments; and Category C: Other Governmental and Nongovernmental Public Health Components. The applicant’s CBA program is expected to demonstrate measurable progress among governmental and nongovernmental components of the public health system towards two or more of the following outcomes: 1) increased adoption of new or proven business improvements leading to management and administrative efficiencies or cost savings; 2) increased availability and accessibility of continuing education and training focused on public health competencies and new skills, including the use of experience-based internships and fellowships; 3) increased incorporation of core public health competencies into employee position descriptions and performance evaluations; 4) increased integration of state-of-the-art technology into data collection and information systems; 5) increased implementation of evidence-based public health programs, policies, and services; 6) improved capacity to meet nationally established standards, such as those for health department accreditation; 7) establishment and maintenance of diverse public health partnerships for meaningful cooperation and achievement of evidence-based public health strategies and interventions, such as the CDC Winnable Battles; and 8) improved quality, availability, and accessibility of public health education materials, training, and evaluation tools and resources.The FOA program strategies and related activities represent major national recommendations for CBA. The strategies are also based on the CDC Office for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support's priorities, program experiences, and evidence-based recommendations from national reports published by federal councils and national public health organizations: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy People 2020, IOM, and the National Prevention Strategy. These capacity-building program strategies and related activities are designed to position components of the public health system to fulfill their mission in protecting and promoting population health in the United States, United States territories, and Tribal nations. Applicants may propose to address one or more of the six program strategies and identifying corresponding activities. The activities should be proposed on the basis of the priority needs of the target population: 1) Public Health Systems and Organizational Improvement; 2) Public Health Workforce; 3) Public Health Data and Information Systems; 4) Public Health Practice and Services; 5) Public Health Partnerships; and 6) Public Health Resources, Communication and Evaluation.