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CDC Awards $1.5M to Public Health Foundation; FTA Opens $10M Bus Research Competition

Two federal agencies announce funding actions targeting public health workforce training and transit safety research, with an FTA application deadline of September 28, 2026.

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CDC: Sole-Source Award to the Public Health Foundation

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has announced the award of a sole-source cooperative agreement to the Public Health Foundation (PHF), with approximately $1.5 million in Year 1 funding drawn from Federal Fiscal Year 2026 funds, subject to the availability of funds. The period of performance runs from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2031, with funding amounts for years 2–5 to be set at continuation.

The award is structured around two main objectives, as the notice states: enhancing and expanding the TRAIN Learning Network — an existing learning management system (LMS) focused on upskilling the public health and healthcare workforce — and strengthening public health workforce services through support for advancing performance management and quality improvement, public health workforce competencies, academic health departments, and other cross-sector collaborations. The notice explains that the ultimate purpose is to ensure that state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) public health and healthcare professionals have the knowledge and skills to best serve their communities.

The notice explains the sole-source basis for the award: PHF is described as the only entity that can carry out this work, as it owns and manages the TRAIN Learning Network. CDC has partnered with the TRAIN Learning Network (CDC TRAIN) since 2010, and there are now more than two million CDC TRAIN learner accounts. Beyond the LMS, PHF also manages the Council on Linkages Between Academic and Public Health Practice, which the notice identifies as the steward of the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals, the Academic Health Department (AHD) Learning Community, and the Retention and Recruitment Learning Community. The notice further describes PHF as a field-recognized lead in public health tools and training for performance management and quality improvement provided to STLT health departments. The program is authorized under the Public Health Service Act: Section 1703(a)(2) and (3), Section 1704, and Section 317(k)(2).

FTA: FY 2026 Bus Safety, Accessibility, and Innovation Research Program

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) announcing $10 million in competitive funds for the Fiscal Year 2026 Bus Safety, Accessibility, and Innovation Research Program. The full text of the NOFO is available on FTA's website at https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grants/notices and in the "FIND" module of GRANTS.GOV; the funding opportunity ID is FTA-2026-004-TRI. The program is authorized under 49 U.S.C. 5312 and 49 CFR 1.91.

What to Watch

Complete proposals for the FTA Bus Safety, Accessibility, and Innovation Research Program must be submitted electronically through the GRANTS.GOV "APPLY" function by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 28, 2026. Mail and fax submissions will not be accepted. The CDC cooperative agreement with PHF begins September 1, 2026, and runs through August 31, 2031.

Related

Sources

19 cited

Every hard fact above is grounded in and cited to a primary source record.

  1. CDC announced the award of approximately $1.5 million in Year 1 funding to the Public Health Foundation.

    federalregister.gov

  2. The Year 1 funding is drawn from Federal Fiscal Year 2026 funds, subject to the availability of funds.

    federalregister.gov

  3. The period of performance runs from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2031.

    federalregister.gov

  4. Funding amounts for years 2–5 will be set at continuation.

    federalregister.gov

  5. The award aims to enhance and expand the TRAIN Learning Network, an existing learning management system focused on upskilling the public health and healthcare workforce.

    federalregister.gov

  6. The notice states the award will ensure that state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) public health and healthcare professionals have the knowledge and skills to best serve their communities.

    federalregister.gov

  7. PHF is described as the only entity that can carry out this work, as it owns and manages the TRAIN Learning Network.

    federalregister.gov

  8. CDC has partnered with the TRAIN Learning Network (CDC TRAIN) since 2010.

    federalregister.gov

  9. There are now more than two million CDC TRAIN learner accounts.

    federalregister.gov

  10. PHF manages the Council on Linkages Between Academic and Public Health Practice, which is the steward of the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals, the Academic Health Department (AHD) Learning Community, and the Retention and Recruitment Learning Community.

    federalregister.gov

  11. The notice describes PHF as a field-recognized lead in public health tools and training for performance management and quality improvement provided to STLT health departments.

    federalregister.gov

  12. The program is authorized under the Public Health Service Act: Section 1703(a)(2) and (3), Section 1704, and Section 317(k)(2).

    federalregister.gov

  13. The Federal Transit Administration announced $10 million in competitive funds for the Fiscal Year 2026 Bus Safety, Accessibility, and Innovation Research Program.

    federalregister.gov

  14. The funding opportunity ID is FTA-2026-004-TRI.

    federalregister.gov

  15. The FTA program is authorized under 49 U.S.C. 5312 and 49 CFR 1.91.

    federalregister.gov

  16. Complete proposals must be submitted electronically through the GRANTS.GOV 'APPLY' function by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 28, 2026.

    federalregister.gov

  17. Mail and fax submissions will not be accepted for the FTA program.

    federalregister.gov

  18. The full text of the FTA NOFO is available on FTA's website at https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grants/notices and in the 'FIND' module of GRANTS.GOV.

    federalregister.gov

  19. The award also aims to strengthen public health workforce services through support for advancing performance management and quality improvement, public health workforce competencies, academic health departments, and other cross-sector collaborations.

    federalregister.gov

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