2017
GAO: Use of Special Interest Projects to Fund Prevention Research Centers
September 2017
CDC uses the Special Interest Project program to offer supplemental funding to its 26 Prevention Research Centers—which conduct public health research at universities around the country.
GAO found that CDC uses this supplemental funding for research projects that involve community-based organizations and community members, and that such projects cover a variety of topics (e.g., cancer prevention, healthy brain research).
Stakeholders said that the main advantage of limiting such funding to Prevention Research Centers is the ability to rapidly initiate research, while disadvantages include potentially reduced access to outside expertise. Report.
2016
HHS OIG: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Did Not Award President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Funds for 2013 in Compliance With Applicable HHS Policies
May 2016
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program was authorized to receive $48 billion in funding for the 5-year period beginning October 1, 2008, to assist foreign countries in combating HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.1 Additional funds were authorized to be appropriated through 2018.
For FY 2013, CDC received $1.4 billion in PEPFAR funds from the Department of State to implement HIV/AIDS relief with partners around the world.
CDC did not award PEPFAR funds for FY 2013 in compliance with HHS and internal policies. For all 30 FOAs in our judgmental sample, CDC did not comply with one or more HHS or internal policies in some awards. As a result, CDC did not always adequately document its funding decisions to award $1.9 billion over the 5-year project period and may have considered applications that it should not have or treated applicants inconsistently. Report.