The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta. The USVI is eligible for funding under a new $1.26 billion CDC cancer program supporting screening, control efforts and registry work.
The U.S. Virgin Islands is expressly eligible to pursue funding under a new $1.26 billion nationwide cancer prevention and control program opened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with federal dollars available for breast and cervical cancer screening, territory-wide cancer-control efforts and the operation of population-based cancer registries.
The CDC posted the new funding opportunity Thursday, Sept. 3, under its Division of Cancer Prevention and Control. The agency expects to make approximately 196 cooperative-agreement awards nationally from the $1.26 billion program. Applications are due Feb. 5, 2027.
The $1.26 billion figure represents the total funding available across the national program, not money already awarded to the Virgin Islands. The federal notice does not list a minimum or maximum individual award and does not specify how much the territory could ultimately receive. It also lists a cost-sharing or matching requirement.
For the Virgin Islands, however, the funding opportunity is particularly significant because the territory already operates the same three major cancer programs the new federal competition is designed to support — and its current CDC cancer-control award is scheduled to end in June 2027.
Screening and Diagnostic Follow-Up for Women
The first portion of the new program funds the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, which provides services for women with low incomes who do not have adequate health insurance.
Under the new opportunity, one component will support breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic follow-up, while an optional second component will fund evidence-based strategies designed to increase the number of eligible women who receive those screenings.
The Virgin Islands is expressly eligible. CDC's funding notice identifies U.S. territories among the jurisdictions that may receive money under the screening program.
The territory already participates in the federal initiative through the V.I. Department of Health. HHS records say the local program was designed to expand breast and cervical cancer screening, early detection and diagnostic and treatment-referral services, with priority given to people from low-income families and populations disproportionately affected by the two cancers.
CDC says nationally the program provides screening and diagnostic services to women with low incomes who are uninsured or underinsured. Since 1991, the initiative has served more than 6.6 million women and provided more than 17 million breast and cervical cancer screening examinations.
Locally, the Department of Health's Family Planning clinics already provide breast and cervical cancer screening, including Pap smears, as part of their women's health services.
Funding Can Support Territory-Wide Cancer Plan
The second portion of the federal opportunity is the National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, which supports coalitions that bring government agencies, healthcare providers, nonprofit organizations and other partners together to develop and carry out cancer-control strategies.
Instead of focusing on one particular cancer or clinical service, the program supports implementation of broader jurisdiction-wide cancer plans using evidence-based strategies.
That aligns directly with work already underway in the Virgin Islands.
The territory has established a USVI Cancer Plan to guide efforts involving prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, survivorship, cancer surveillance and access to care. In July, the Department of Health convened its 2026 Cancer Summit with hospitals, healthcare providers, nonprofits, advocates and other stakeholders to assess progress and establish priorities for the coming year.
Health officials said at the time that cancer remains the second-leading cause of death in the Virgin Islands. The department's four cancer-plan workgroups are focused on prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, and quality of life and survivorship.
The summit itself was supported through the same CDC National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program now included in the newly opened federal funding opportunity.
Central Cancer Registry Also Eligible
The third component could support another important part of the territory's cancer infrastructure: the Virgin Islands Central Cancer Registry.
CDC's National Program of Cancer Registries provides money and technical assistance for population-based registries that collect information about cancer cases, allowing public-health officials to understand which cancers are occurring, where they are occurring, who is being affected and whether trends are changing over time.
The new funding announcement expressly makes U.S. territories and freely associated states eligible for that component and specifically includes the Virgin Islands in its definition of eligible territorial governments.
CDC already lists the USVI among the jurisdictions whose central registries receive support through the National Program of Cancer Registries.
The V.I. Department of Health says its Central Cancer Registry collects cancer information from hospitals on St. Thomas and St. Croix, pathology laboratories both inside and outside the territory, hospice facilities, ambulatory surgery centers, chemotherapy clinics and physicians. The territory also has agreements with other state registries to obtain information about Virgin Islands residents who are diagnosed or treated for cancer outside the USVI.
The registry records information including the type of cancer, stage at diagnosis, date of diagnosis and demographic information about affected residents. Health officials use the data to monitor cancer incidence and trends, develop and evaluate programs, assess possible environmental and occupational risks, and support cancer research.
USVI's Current Award Has Brought $3.56 Million Since 2022
Federal funding records show the Virgin Islands is already receiving substantial support under the cancer program that the new opportunity is positioned to continue.
HHS's Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System lists the Virgin Islands Cancer Prevention and Control Program under award number NU58DP007098. Its current period of performance began June 30, 2022 and ends June 29, 2027.
The award brought the V.I. Department of Health $792,635 in 2022, followed by $922,635 in net award activity in 2023, $599,135 in 2024, $516,809 in 2025 and $726,987 in FY2026, according to HHS records. Cumulative award actions under the grant total approximately $3.56 million.
The federal description of the existing Virgin Islands award shows that all three components are intended to work together.
The Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program provides screening and referrals; the Comprehensive Cancer Control Program coordinates the territory's broader cancer strategy and coalition; and the Central Cancer Registry supplies surveillance data on cancer incidence, patient demographics, treatment and outcomes. Federal officials say the three programs are intended to collectively establish screening and health-equity goals and provide data to policymakers and the community.
That makes the timing of the new competition important. Applications for the new funding are due Feb. 5, roughly five months before the territory's existing award period expires at the end of June.
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