2020 CARES Act Provides CDC with $4.3 Billion for Public Health Preparedness and Response

Published: April 24, 2020

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The $4.3 billion CDC funding includes no less than $1.5 billion for immediate COVID-19 response activities, as well as other provisions for long-term pandemic planning and preparation.

Updated April 24, 2020

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released its planned funding allocations for the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) program. This funding, which is for Budget Period 2 of Fiscal Year 2020, is subject to change based on the availability of funds. 

For a complete breakdown of these funds by state, city, and entity, please view the Excel attached to this article. 

Published April 15, 2020

The 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law by President Trump on March 27, dedicates $4.3 billion to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Public Health Preparedness and Response efforts. This funding, which is available through September 2024, is largely meant to assist with immediate COVID-19 response activities, program support, and grants. Indeed, no less than $1.5 billion is dedicated to financial assistance for states, localities, territories, and tribal entities, and these funds will likely be dispersed through Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreements. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, PHEP Budget Period 2 application deadlines have been extended until May 15, 2020.

Also included in the $4.3 billion block is $500 million for public health data surveillance and analytics infrastructure modernization, funds which support a 10-year program to modernize the CDC’s public health surveillance systems. Another $500 million is dedicated to global disease detection and emergency response, while $300 million is allocated for the Infectious Diseases Rapid Response Reserve Fund.

While a bulk of these funds – $1.5 billion – is meant to assist with the immediate response to COVID-19, many other aspects of the funding are designed for long-term planning and preparation purposes. In the short term, state and local governments will be looking to acquire immediate pandemic response services and supplies. However, a significant portion of the funding will likely result in long-term projects and opportunities, including building and maintaining public health data surveillance systems, and modernizing public health analytics infrastructure.  

For a complete breakdown of this funding, please view the presentation attached to this article.

For daily updates and analysis on the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on government spending, please visit GovWin’s Coronavirus Government Response Resource Center.