Programs & Projects: Structure of ELC

At a glance

The Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases (ELC) Cooperative Agreement awards funding to 65 state, large local, and U.S. territory and affiliate health departments. It advances infectious disease capacity through six robust public health programs and a range of disease-specific projects and includes flexible support to address emerging threats and outbreaks. This funding mechanism also allows ELC to distribute supplemental funding on behalf of CDC for emergency response efforts.

Building epidemiology and laboratory capacity

What Sets us Apart

The ELC Cooperative Agreement awards critical support for six core infectious disease programs:

It also supports 15 disease-specific projects and distributes supplemental funding on behalf of CDC for emergency response efforts, such as those for the influenza H1N1, Zika, and Ebola epidemics, and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Flexible funding allows recipients to meet their own changing needs, instead of a one-size-fits-all strategy and ensures readiness for emerging disease threats and outbreaks. Funding for leadership and management supports strategic planning and management of ELC resources. Disease-specific projects allow for prioritization of health topics specific to certain areas or populations, while cross-cutting projects and programs enhance collaboration between state epidemiology, laboratory, and local public health partners.

See the ELC Cooperative Agreement fact sheet for a complete breakdown of FY23 funding by Program and Project.