Improving Epilepsy Education, Systems of Care, and Health Outcomes through National and Community Partnerships | CDC RFA DP21 2101

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA DP21 2101

Improving Epilepsy Education, Systems of Care, and Health Outcomes through National and Community Partnerships (CDC-RFA-DP21-2101) is a FY2021 CDC cooperative agreement funding opportunity aimed at improving the health and quality of life of people with epilepsy across the United States. The program is positioned as a public health, non-research initiative and is rooted in the reality that epilepsy affects about 3.4 million people in the US with active epilepsy. The opportunity emphasizes that epilepsy is not only a medical condition defined by recurrent seizures, but also a broader and often complicated life challenge shaped by access to care, stigma, mental health needs, and the burden of managing multiple medications and providers. CDC frames the need for action using key indicators: many adults taking seizure medication still experience uncontrolled seizures, many children with epilepsy live at or near poverty, a large share of adults with epilepsy also live with multiple other chronic conditions, and a meaningful portion of the public still expresses discomfort around people with epilepsy, reinforcing ongoing stigma.

The overall purpose of the grant is to strengthen education, systems of care, and community supports so people with epilepsy can achieve better outcomes in daily life, not just in clinical metrics. The NOFO highlights that people with epilepsy may face barriers that limit social participation, employment, and independence, and that depression and anxiety are common challenges alongside seizure management. In response, the program focuses on practical, systems-level solutions that help people access appropriate health services, build self-management skills, and live in communities where the public is more informed and stigma is reduced. A central theme is that improving epilepsy outcomes requires coordination across healthcare, public health, and community organizations rather than relying on medical care alone.

CDC ties the work directly to the 2012 Institute of Medicine report, "Epilepsy Across the Spectrum: Promoting Health and Understanding," which documented major gaps and opportunities in epilepsy services and awareness. CDC notes it has a role in most of the report's recommendations, including educating health professionals, improving delivery and coordination of community services, working with media and communication channels to reduce stigma, and expanding education for individuals and families. This funding opportunity is presented as part of CDC's continued contribution to achieving those national recommendations, building on prior investments and scaling approaches that can reach more people.

Program strategies are organized around three National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion domains: Environmental Approaches, Health Care Systems Interventions, and Community Programs Linked to Clinical Services. In practice, this means recipients are expected to work on policy, systems, and environmental changes where appropriate; improve how healthcare systems identify, treat, and coordinate care for epilepsy; and strengthen community supports that connect directly back to clinical services. The NOFO also explicitly calls for targeting social determinants of health, reflecting the program's emphasis on poverty, access barriers, and inequities that influence whether people can obtain consistent care, afford medications, access transportation, find supportive services, and participate fully in school, work, and community life.

The anticipated outcomes focus on three broad goals: improving health, social participation, and quality of life for people with epilepsy; reducing stigma; and increasing access to health services, community resources, and self-management support. Rather than treating these as separate tracks, the NOFO frames them as linked: better-informed communities and providers can reduce stigma, stigma reduction can improve social participation and willingness to seek care, and better access to coordinated services can improve seizure control and overall well-being. The emphasis on self-management aligns with evidence that epilepsy management often depends on daily routines, medication adherence, safety planning, recognizing triggers, navigating multiple providers, and addressing mental health needs.

Funding is structured to support both broad national reach and targeted local impact. CDC plans to fund two types of recipients: one organization that provides services in at least 25 states, and one to three additional organizations that work in specific geographic areas such as a community, state, or region. This design suggests CDC is looking for a mix of scale and depth: a national partner that can disseminate tools, training, and coordinated strategies across many states, alongside place-based partners that can implement and refine approaches in real-world settings and address local systems and barriers.

Administratively, this is a discretionary cooperative agreement administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, within NCCDPHP, under CFDA 93.850. Eligibility is broad and includes various levels of government, tribal governments and organizations, public and private higher education institutions, nonprofits 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 NOFO was created January 13, 2021, with an original application deadline of April 12, 2021, and required electronic submission by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. CDC anticipated approximately four awards, with an award ceiling listed at $4,400,000.

Taken together, the opportunity is best understood as a coordinated public health effort to modernize and strengthen how epilepsy is addressed outside the clinic as well as within it. It seeks to improve systems of care, expand effective education and self-management supports, and shift public understanding in ways that reduce stigma, while paying close attention to social and economic factors that shape whether people with epilepsy can realistically achieve better health and fuller participation in everyday life.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - NCCDPHP in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Improving Epilepsy Education, Systems of Care, and Health Outcomes through National and Community Partnerships" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.850.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 13, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 12, 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 $4,400,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 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.

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