Ending the HIV/HCV/Syphilis Epidemics in Indian Country II (ETHIC II): A Syndemic Elimination Program for American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes and Urban Indian Communities | HHS 2024 IHS ETHIC 0001

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2024 IHS ETHIC 0001

Ending the HIV/HCV/Syphilis Epidemics in Indian Country II (ETHIC II) is an Indian Health Service (IHS) discretionary funding opportunity designed to help American Indian and Alaska Native communities directly expand and strengthen their local response to three intertwined public health challenges: HIV, hepatitis C (HCV), and syphilis. The program is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning awardees should expect an active partnership with the federal agency as they plan, implement, and refine their work. At its core, ETHIC II is meant to help communities increase timely diagnosis, improve access to effective treatment, and scale up prevention services so that fewer people acquire infections in the first place and more people who are infected achieve better health outcomes.

The grant frames HIV, HCV, and syphilis as a syndemic, recognizing that these infections often overlap in the same communities and may be driven by shared risk factors and barriers such as limited access to testing and treatment, stigma, gaps in prevention services, and broader health inequities. Successful applicants are expected to implement effective and innovative strategies, interventions, approaches, and services that reduce new infections and improve HIV/HCV/syphilis-related outcomes in ways that specifically address disparities affecting AI/AN people. The opportunity emphasizes practical, community-level impact: finding more undiagnosed cases, getting people into care faster, supporting completion of treatment, and preventing onward transmission.

ETHIC II also ties local action to national elimination targets. The initiative highlights overarching goals of reducing new HIV, HCV, and syphilis infections to fewer than 3,000 per year by 2030, and achieving a 90 percent reduction in new HCV infections along with a 65 percent reduction in HCV-related mortality compared to a 2015 baseline. While applicants will tailor activities to their own needs and contexts, the overall expectation is that funded work contributes measurably to these long-term reductions by building durable capacity for testing, prevention, and treatment.

Eligibility is limited to entities defined under 25 U.S.C. 1603 and focuses on Indian Country and Urban Indian health infrastructure. Applicants may be (1) federally recognized Indian Tribes, including Alaska Native villages or regional/village corporations recognized as eligible for federal Indian programs and services; (2) Tribal organizations, meaning a Tribe’s recognized governing body or a legally established, Tribe-controlled or sanctioned organization, or one democratically elected by the adult members of the Indian community it serves, with maximum participation of Indians in all phases of activities; or (3) Urban Indian organizations, meaning nonprofit corporate bodies located in urban centers, governed by an Urban Indian-controlled board, structured to maximize participation by Indian groups and individuals, and able to cooperate legally with other entities to carry out authorized activities. Applications from Tribal organizations serving more than one Tribe must include approval from each Tribe to be served, typically documented through letters of support and/or Tribal Resolutions. Urban Indian organizations must provide proof of nonprofit status (for example, 501(c)(3) documentation).

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is issued by the Indian Health Service under Funding Opportunity Number HHS-2024-IHS-ETHIC-0001 and is listed under CFDA 93.899 in the health funding category. The original closing date was July 31, 2024. IHS anticipated making about 26 awards, with an award ceiling of up to $2,000,000 per award. Overall, ETHIC II is positioned as a capacity-building and service-expansion investment intended to help Tribal and Urban Indian health entities accelerate progress toward eliminating HIV, HCV, and syphilis by combining prevention, diagnosis, and treatment efforts in a coordinated, community-driven way.

• The Indian Health Service in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Ending the HIV/HCV/Syphilis Epidemics in Indian Country II (ETHIC II): A Syndemic Elimination Program for American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes and Urban Indian Communities" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.899.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-06-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-31. (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 $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 26 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Others.

Apply for HHS 2024 IHS ETHIC 0001

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