Summary of Federal Cooperative Agreement Award

Gateway Community Service Organization, Inc. (doing business as Gateway Community Action Agency) received a $1.25 million Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families under the Healthy Marriage Promotion and Responsible Fatherhood Grants program (CFDA 93.086), effective September 30, 2025 through September 29, 2030. Under the READY4LIFE initiative, the organization will deliver evidence-based relationship and financial literacy education to high school students (grades 9-12) across nine rural Kentucky counties. The program will provide 18 hours of curriculum consisting of Real Essentials Advance (12 hours) and Money Smart for Young People (6 hours), supplemented by individualized case management and community resource connections. The program targets 100 youth participants in Year 1 and 200 annual participants in Years 2-5, reaching students across public, private, and alternative schools in partnership with Kentucky River Foothills Development Council.

This comprehensive approach addresses documented regional challenges including high poverty, unemployment, and relationship instability by promoting positive socioemotional development and facilitating successful transitions to adulthood. The program aligns with the federal grant program's emphasis on strengthening families through evidence-based skills development and supportive services for at-risk youth populations.