Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program | CDC RFA DP21 2102

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA DP21 2102

The Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program is a CDC cooperative agreement designed to reduce stroke-related death and disability by improving how stroke care is delivered and monitored across an entire state. The opportunity is grounded in the scale and urgency of cardiovascular disease in the United States, where CVD accounts for more than 800,000 deaths each year and consumes a significant share of national health care spending. Stroke remains the fifth leading cause of death and a major driver of long-term disability, with roughly 795,000 strokes occurring annually. The program emphasizes that progress in reducing stroke deaths has slowed, even though a large share of strokes (about 80 percent) are considered preventable with better risk-factor control and timely, high-quality care.

A central focus of the grant is strengthening the stroke system of care from the moment symptoms begin through emergency response, hospital treatment, discharge planning, rehabilitation, and recovery. The CDC calls for implementation and use of a statewide stroke registry as the backbone of this work. That registry is meant to help jurisdictions measure and track performance, identify gaps, and support continuous quality improvement using evidence-based strategies. By collecting consistent data across facilities and communities, recipients can monitor treatment timelines and quality measures, evaluate outcomes, and use results to drive changes in protocols, training, and coordination among EMS, hospitals, and post-acute providers.

Health equity is not a side component of this program; it is one of the main reasons the funding exists. The opportunity highlights stark disparities in stroke risk, treatment, and outcomes by race, ethnicity, sex, geography, and payer type. For example, the risk of a first stroke is nearly twice as high for Black individuals compared with White individuals, and Black communities experience the highest stroke death rates. Stroke death rates have also increased among Hispanic individuals in certain years, and deaths have risen in parts of the South where many high-burden populations live. The NOFO links these outcomes to unequal access to care and differences in the quality of care delivered. It also points to findings from earlier program cycles showing that women and African Americans were less likely to receive alteplase within 60 minutes, and that women and Medicare or Medicaid recipients had lower odds of receiving defect-free care for ischemic stroke. The CDC further notes that unconscious and implicit bias in clinical settings can shape decision-making and patient interactions, affecting treatment and outcomes, so recipients are expected to use data to accurately identify inequities and then implement practical interventions to address them.

The program also connects acute stroke performance to upstream prevention, especially control of hypertension, described as the single most important treatable risk factor for stroke. Less than half of people with hypertension have it under control, and prevalence is higher among non-Hispanic Black adults than among several other groups. Other major contributors like high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, and diabetes are highlighted because they disproportionately affect high-burden communities. While the award is framed around acute stroke care, the overall intent is to create a stronger, more coordinated continuum that improves both prevention and post-stroke outcomes, with measurable improvements in access and quality for those at highest risk.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity from the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (NCCDPHP), offered as a cooperative agreement (meaning the CDC is expected to have substantial involvement in the work). The funding opportunity number is CDC RFA DP21 2102, and it falls under CFDA 93.810. The expected number of awards is 13, with an award ceiling of $650,000. Eligibility is broad and includes state, county, city/township, and special district governments; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities; nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status); and for-profit organizations including small businesses, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement. The original posting date was January 5, 2021, with an original application deadline of March 18, 2021 (11:59 p.m. ET).

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - NCCDPHP in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.810.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 05, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 18, 2021 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.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $650,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 13 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for CDC RFA DP21 2102

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