Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA FD 22 008
The Retail Food Safety Regulatory Association Collaboration (U18) grant (RFA-FD-22-008) is a cooperative agreement funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), specifically through FDA's Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA). It was released on February 15, 2022, with an original application deadline of April 22, 2022. The program sits in the Agriculture/Consumer Protection/Food and Nutrition space (CFDA 93.103) and is explicitly designated as "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning projects must focus on public health practice, systems, training, program standards, and related implementation work rather than clinical research involving human subjects in a trial framework.
The core purpose of this limited-competition program is to fund national, nonprofit membership-based retail food organizations or associations that are already positioned to influence retail food safety at scale. Rather than treating retail food safety as a purely government-driven inspection issue, FDA's intent is to leverage the reach, credibility, and on-the-ground connections of these national associations to move the retail food sector toward stronger preventive controls and fewer foodborne illness events. In practice, FDA is looking for partners that can convene stakeholders, translate science and policy into workable operational practices, and drive consistent adoption of best practices across a wide range of retail settings.
A central focus of the funded work is advancing "Active Managerial Control" (AMC) of foodborne illness risk factors. AMC refers to deliberate, management-led actions that are built into day-to-day operations so that food safety risks are controlled consistently, not just corrected after a problem is found. The concept emphasizes prevention over reaction and relies on continuous monitoring and verification. Under this FOA, applicants are expected to research, identify, and promote strategies that help industry management adopt AMC in practical ways. That can include encouraging food safety management systems, strengthening prerequisite programs that support safe operations, and fostering a food safety culture that makes AMC sustainable rather than a one-time initiative.
Beyond AMC, the cooperative agreements are also meant to strengthen the broader regulatory and industry infrastructure that supports retail food safety nationwide. A major element is promoting implementation and full conformance with the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (VNRFRPS) among state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) regulatory jurisdictions. The VNRFRPS are designed to help retail food regulatory programs build consistent, high-quality systems for inspections, compliance, and risk-based interventions, so FDA is incentivizing national associations to help jurisdictions move toward those standards in a measurable way. The program also supports full adoption of the most recent FDA Food Code, recognizing that consistent, up-to-date model code adoption across jurisdictions is a practical way to reduce variation and close gaps in retail food safety requirements.
The FOA also prioritizes improved communication and coordination across the retail food safety community. That includes sharing best practices, strengthening information exchange between regulators and industry, and improving foodborne illness outbreak response. The underlying theme is that stronger relationships, clearer communication channels, and common playbooks can shorten response times during outbreaks and help prevent repeat issues by spreading effective interventions quickly.
Funding is structured as cooperative agreements, which signals substantial federal involvement and collaboration during project execution, not just a standard grant where the recipient operates independently. The award ceiling listed is $1,000,000, and FDA expected to make about five awards. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education), along with other entities as described in the FOA's additional eligibility details. Overall, the opportunity is designed for national retail food associations that can act as force multipliers: developing practical AMC-focused strategies, helping regulatory programs align with VNRFRPS and the latest Food Code, and strengthening the collective capacity to prevent and respond to foodborne illness in retail settings.Apply for RFA FD 22 008
- The Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration in the agriculture, consumer protection, food and nutrition sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Retail Food Safety Regulatory Association Collaboration (U18) (Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.103.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 15, 2022.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 22, 2022. (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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: 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, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Renewal - Native American Tribes Outreach, Education, and Training to Enhance Food Safety and FSMA Compliance (U01) Clinical Trial Not Allowed Apply for RFA FD 22 025 Funding Number: RFA FD 22 025 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Renewal- Local Food Producer Outreach, Education, and Training to Enhance Food Safety and FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Compliance (U01) Clinical Trail Not Allowed Apply for RFA FD 22 024 Funding Number: RFA FD 22 024 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Funding Opportunity Title Innovation Award: Minority Health and Health Equity (U01) Clinical Trials Optional Apply for RFA FD 22 005 Funding Number: RFA FD 22 005 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| OMHHE Educational Funding Opportunity: Expanding education on skin lightening products (U01) Clinical Trials Optional Apply for RFA FD 22 020 Funding Number: RFA FD 22 020 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Building Research Capacity in Global Tobacco Product Regulation Program (U18) Clinical Trials Not Allowed Apply for RFA FD 23 003 Funding Number: RFA FD 23 003 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $400,000 |
| Cooperative Agreement to Support the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (U01) Clinical Trials Not Allowed Apply for RFA FD 23 020 Funding Number: RFA FD 23 020 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $750,000 |
| Flexible Funding Model-Infrastructure Development and Maintenance for State Manufactured Food Regulatory Programs (U2F) Clinical Trials Not Allowed Apply for RFA FD 23 027 Funding Number: RFA FD 23 027 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $565,000 |
| Development and Maintenance of Human and Animal Food Rapid Response Teams (U2F) Clinical Trials Not Allowed Apply for RFA FD 23 019 Funding Number: RFA FD 23 019 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $360,000 |
| Renewal-Native American Tribes Outreach, Education, and Training to Enhance Food Safety and FSMA Compliance (U01) Clinical Trial Not Allowed Apply for RFA FD 23 032 Funding Number: RFA FD 23 032 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Renewal-Local Food Producer Outreach, Education and Training to Enhance Food Safety and FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Compliance (U01) Clinical Trial Not Allowed Apply for RFA FD 23 031 Funding Number: RFA FD 23 031 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Vet-LIRN Capacity-Building Project and Equipment Grants (U18) Apply for PAR 23 202 Funding Number: PAR 23 202 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $2,500,000 |
| Cooperative Agreement to Support an Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Laparoscopic Abdominal Surgeries (U01) Clinical Trials Not Allowed Apply for RFA FD 23 035 Funding Number: RFA FD 23 035 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $2,000,000 |
| Cooperative Agreement to Support an Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Acute Low Back Pain (U01) Clinical Trials Not Allowed Apply for RFA FD 23 034 Funding Number: RFA FD 23 034 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $2,000,000 |
| Data Standards for Tobacco Research and Scientific Review Phase 2 Apply for RFA FD 24 001 Funding Number: RFA FD 24 001 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Manufacturing Sector Research Initiative Apply for RFA FD 17 009 Funding Number: RFA FD 17 009 Agency: Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $35,000,000 |
| Cooperative Agreement to Support the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, JIFSAN (U19) Apply for RFA FD 17 003 Funding Number: RFA FD 17 003 Agency: Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $3,300,000 |
| National Laboratory Curriculum Framework Development Apply for RFA FD 17 012 Funding Number: RFA FD 17 012 Agency: Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $3,750,000 |
| Developing Biomarkers for Trastuzumab-induced Cardiotoxicity Apply for RFA FD 17 006 Funding Number: RFA FD 17 006 Agency: Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $140,000 |
| CVM Vet-LIRN Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Program (U18) Clinical Trials Apply for PAR 22 063 Funding Number: PAR 22 063 Agency: Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| Implementation of U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act - Identifying, Researching and Implementing Alternative Methods to Expand the Reach Across the Global Supply Chain (U01) - Clinical Trials Not Allowed Apply for RFA FD 24 013 Funding Number: RFA FD 24 013 Agency: Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $500,000 |
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