Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA FD 20 028
The Retail Food Safety Association Collaboration (U18) Clinical Trial Not Allowed funding opportunity (RFA-FD-20-028) is an FDA Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) cooperative agreement designed to strengthen retail food safety nationwide by partnering with non-profit, membership-based national food safety regulatory associations. The main idea is to use these associations as a force multiplier, tapping their national reach, relationships, and technical expertise to help reduce foodborne illness by improving how retail food safety systems are implemented across state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) jurisdictions and by supporting alignment between regulators and industry on proven prevention practices.
This is a limited competition cooperative agreement, meaning awards are intended for a specific, eligible set of organizations rather than an open field of all applicants. Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education as the primary applicant type) and certain other entities as described in the full announcement. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement (U18), which signals substantial involvement from FDA during the project period, such as coordination on priorities, joint work on tools and recommendations, and alignment with national retail food protection goals. Clinical trials are not allowed under this announcement, and the work is oriented toward applied public health practice, implementation support, research reviews, needs assessments, and nationwide capacity-building rather than clinical experimentation.
The program focuses on practical, real-world improvements in retail food protection, with an emphasis on identifying and spreading effective intervention strategies that reduce the major risk factors known to drive foodborne illness in retail and food service settings. In this context, "intervention strategies" are broadly defined and can include structured activities, initiatives, programs, or tools used by industry and/or regulators to achieve immediate and sustained control of foodborne illness risk factors. Priority is placed on strategies that have been field-tested and shown to change long-term behaviors among food employees, since those are the most transferable and marketable approaches for broad adoption by SLTT programs and industry partners.
A central thrust of the work is to help SLTT retail food regulatory programs strengthen and standardize their systems by promoting full implementation and conformance with the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (VNRFRPS). The FOA also prioritizes full adoption of the most recent FDA Food Code by SLTT jurisdictions, recognizing that consistent, up-to-date model code adoption is a key lever for improving retail food safety practices. Grantees are expected to support adoption not just through advocacy, but through concrete deliverables like toolkits, outreach, training, and implementation supports that make adoption easier and more consistent across jurisdictions.
Another major objective is improving the quality and consistency of inspections by advancing risk-based inspection methods. That includes assessing how SLTT jurisdictions currently apply risk-based approaches, identifying the barriers that prevent consistent use of these methods, and working with FDA to design and implement strategies that help overcome those barriers. The emphasis is on inspections that effectively identify foodborne illness risk factors, diagnose gaps in active managerial control, and support compliance in a way that measurably improves outcomes rather than simply checking procedural boxes.
Active managerial control is also a key theme in this grant. The FDA is seeking efforts that help retail operators move toward a preventive, systems-based approach where management intentionally builds food safety controls into daily operations through monitoring, verification, and continuous improvement. Projects under this FOA are expected to develop and promote strategies, tools, and communications that make active managerial control more practical and widely adopted at the retail level.
Beyond day-to-day prevention, the FOA supports stronger outbreak readiness and response. That includes developing training, outreach, educational materials, and other innovative approaches that help SLTT programs reduce risk factors in establishments and respond more effectively when outbreaks occur. Applicants are also encouraged to improve national communication strategies so that best practices, toolkits, research findings, and other actionable information are easier to share and use across regulators, industry, and other retail food safety stakeholders.
The announcement explicitly calls for coordination with FDA on emerging retail food safety issues, including identifying trends, producing joint recommendations, and supporting implementation of those recommendations where appropriate. In practice, that means grantees are expected to operate as national conveners and implementers: gathering insights from the field, translating evidence into practical guidance, and helping scale improvements across many jurisdictions rather than focusing on a single locality.
Funding details reflect a short, performance-driven structure. Awards are expected to provide one year of support, with the possibility of up to one additional year of non-competitive continuation funding based on grantee performance and the availability of federal funds. The opportunity listed an award ceiling of $1,500,000 and anticipated up to five awards. It was posted under CFDA 93.103, within the broad activity category of Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition. Key dates listed include a creation date of March 17, 2020, and an original closing date of May 13, 2020.
Overall, the grant is aimed at creating national-level lift in retail food safety by funding organizations that can review and synthesize what works, measure current practice and adoption levels across SLTT programs and industry, remove practical barriers through tools and training, and accelerate consistent implementation of the FDA Food Code and VNRFRPS. The expected payoff is fewer foodborne illness risk factors in retail settings, more consistent regulatory capacity nationwide, stronger preventive management in food establishments, and better-coordinated outbreak response and communication across the retail food safety system.Apply for RFA FD 20 028
- 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 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 Mar 17, 2020.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 13, 2020. (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 $1,500,000.00 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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Retail Food Safety Association Collaboration (U18) - RFA-FD-20-028: FAQs
What is the Retail Food Safety Association Collaboration (U18) funding opportunity?
This opportunity (RFA-FD-20-028) is an FDA Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) cooperative agreement intended to strengthen retail food safety nationwide by partnering with non-profit, membership-based national food safety regulatory associations. The goal is to reduce foodborne illness by improving how retail food safety systems are implemented across state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) jurisdictions and by improving alignment between regulators and industry around proven prevention practices.
Which FDA office is sponsoring this award?
The award is sponsored by the FDA Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA).
What type of funding instrument is used?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement (U18). This indicates substantial FDA involvement during the project period, such as coordinating on priorities, collaborating on tools and recommendations, and aligning work with national retail food protection goals.
Is this a competitive grant open to all applicants?
No. This is described as a limited competition cooperative agreement, meaning awards are intended for a specific, eligible set of organizations rather than an open competition for all applicants.
Who is eligible to apply based on the information provided?
Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), excluding institutions of higher education as the primary applicant type. The announcement also notes that certain other entities may be eligible as described in the full announcement.
Are clinical trials allowed under this funding opportunity?
No. The opportunity is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed."
If clinical trials are not allowed, what kind of work is this opportunity meant to support?
The work is oriented toward applied public health practice and national capacity-building, including implementation support, research reviews, needs assessments, development of tools and recommendations, training and outreach, and other efforts to improve retail food safety systems and practices.
What is the overall purpose of the program?
The overarching purpose is to create national-level improvements in retail food safety by using national associations as a force multiplier. This includes leveraging their national reach, relationships, and technical expertise to spread effective prevention practices, strengthen regulatory systems, and reduce key foodborne illness risk factors in retail and food service settings.
What does the FOA mean by "intervention strategies"?
"Intervention strategies" are broadly defined and can include structured activities, initiatives, programs, or tools used by industry and/or regulators to achieve immediate and sustained control of foodborne illness risk factors.
What types of intervention strategies are prioritized?
Priority is placed on strategies that have been field-tested and shown to change long-term behaviors among food employees, since those approaches are considered more transferable and marketable for broad adoption by SLTT programs and industry partners.
How does the grant relate to SLTT (state, local, tribal, and territorial) retail food regulatory programs?
A central focus is helping SLTT retail food regulatory programs strengthen and standardize their systems by promoting full implementation and conformance with the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (VNRFRPS) and by supporting adoption of the most recent FDA Food Code.
What are the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (VNRFRPS) and how are they used here?
Within this funding opportunity, the VNRFRPS are positioned as a key framework for strengthening and standardizing SLTT retail food regulatory systems. Grantees are expected to promote full implementation and conformance with these standards.
Does the FOA prioritize adoption of the FDA Food Code?
Yes. The FOA prioritizes full adoption of the most recent FDA Food Code by SLTT jurisdictions, emphasizing that consistent, up-to-date model code adoption is an important lever for improving retail food safety practices.
What kinds of deliverables are expected to support Food Code adoption and VNRFRPS implementation?
The FOA emphasizes concrete implementation supports, including toolkits, outreach, training, and other resources that make adoption and consistent implementation easier across jurisdictions.
How does the opportunity address inspection practices?
The FOA seeks to improve the quality and consistency of inspections by advancing risk-based inspection methods. This includes assessing current use of risk-based approaches across SLTT jurisdictions, identifying barriers to consistent application, and working with FDA to design and implement strategies that help overcome those barriers.
What does the FOA emphasize about risk-based inspections?
The emphasis is on inspections that effectively identify foodborne illness risk factors, diagnose gaps in active managerial control, and support compliance in a way that measurably improves outcomes rather than focusing only on procedural compliance.
What is "active managerial control" in the context of this FOA?
In this FOA, active managerial control refers to a preventive, systems-based approach where retail operators intentionally build food safety controls into daily operations through monitoring, verification, and continuous improvement.
What kinds of projects related to active managerial control are expected?
Projects are expected to develop and promote strategies, tools, and communications that make active managerial control more practical and widely adopted at the retail level.
Does the FOA include outbreak readiness and response activities?
Yes. The FOA supports stronger outbreak readiness and response by encouraging the development of training, outreach, educational materials, and other innovative approaches that help SLTT programs reduce risk factors and respond more effectively when outbreaks occur.
Is national communication and information sharing part of the scope?
Yes. The FOA encourages improvements to national communication strategies so that best practices, toolkits, research findings, and other actionable information can be shared and used more easily across regulators, industry, and other retail food safety stakeholders.
What role does coordination with FDA play during the project?
Coordination with FDA is explicitly called for, including collaboration on emerging retail food safety issues, identifying trends, producing joint recommendations, and supporting implementation of recommendations where appropriate.
What does it mean that grantees are expected to act as "national conveners and implementers"?
It means grantees are expected to gather insights from the field, translate evidence into practical guidance, and help scale improvements across many jurisdictions, rather than focusing on a single locality.
How long is the project period and is continuation funding possible?
Awards are expected to provide one year of support, with the possibility of up to one additional year of non-competitive continuation funding based on grantee performance and the availability of federal funds.
What is the award ceiling and how many awards were anticipated?
The opportunity listed an award ceiling of $1,500,000 and anticipated up to five awards.
What CFDA number and activity category were associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity was posted under CFDA 93.103, within the broad activity category of Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition.
What key dates were provided in the announcement?
Key dates listed include a creation date of March 17, 2020, and an original closing date of May 13, 2020.
What kinds of outcomes is this funding opportunity aiming to achieve?
The expected outcomes include fewer foodborne illness risk factors in retail settings, more consistent regulatory capacity nationwide, stronger preventive management in food establishments, and better-coordinated outbreak response and communication across the retail food safety system.
Does the FOA focus on a single jurisdiction or local program?
The FOA is oriented toward nationwide capacity-building and scaling improvements across many jurisdictions by leveraging national associations, rather than focusing on work in a single locality.
What is meant by using associations as a "force multiplier"?
It refers to leveraging the associations' national reach, relationships, and technical expertise to expand impact, accelerate adoption of proven practices, and support consistent implementation across many SLTT jurisdictions and industry partners.
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