AH-TP2-26-001 TPP Tier 2 Rigorous Impact Evaluation.pdf

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Office of Population Affairs

Notice of Funding Opportunity Rigorous Impact Evaluation of Programs to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and Achieve Optimal

Health

Opportunity Number

AH-TP2-26-001

Application Due Date July 23, 2026

Technical Assistance Webinar Date June 30, 2026

Table of Contents

SUMMARY

A. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

B. REQUIRED ALIGNMENT WITH OASH MISSION AND AGENCY PRIORITIES

C. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

1. Background

2. Expectations for Recipients

3. Federal Involvement in the Project

4. Eligibility criteria for project participants

D. AWARD INFORMATION

E. APPLICATION CONTENTS AND FORMAT

1.Format of the Application

2. Content

F. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DATES

1. Obtaining an Application Package

2. Required Registrations

3. Submission Instructions

4. Other Submission Requirements

G. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Responsiveness Review

2. Merit Review Criteria

3. Merit Review and Selection Process

4. Review of Risk Posed by Applicant

H. AWARD NOTICES

I. AWARD REQUIREMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION

1. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

2. Program Specific Terms and Conditions

3. Award Closeout

4. Lobbying Prohibitions

5. Non-Discrimination Requirements

6. Smoke- and Tobacco-free Workplace

7. Acknowledgement of Funding

8. HHS Rights to Materials and Data

9. Trafficking in Persons

10. Efficient Spending

11. Whistleblower Protection

12. Health Information Technology (IT) Interoperability

13. Certain telecommunications and video surveillance services or equipment

14. Human Subjects Protection

15. Research Integrity

16. Reporting

J. CONTACTS

K. OTHER INFORMATION

1. Application Checklist

2. Acronyms

3. Glossary

4. Object Class Descriptions and Required Justifications

5. Considerations in Recipient Plans for Oversight of Federal Funds

6. Financial Assistance General Certifications and Representations

7. Protections for Healthcare Entities under Weldon and Other Conscience Protection Statutes Appendix B - TPP Performance Measures Appendix C – Resources Appendix D – Sample Evaluation Design Template Appendix E – Planning Period Deliverables

BASIC INFORMATION

Opportunity Title Rigorous Impact Evaluation of Programs to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and Achieve Optimal Health

Program Office Office of Population Affairs Application Submission and Format

Electronic application submitted via Grants.gov ONLY.

Opportunity Number

AH-TP2-26-001

Award Type Cooperative agreement

Application Deadline 7/23/2026

Announcement Type Initial

Technical Assistance Webinar Date 6/30/2026

Assistance Listing 93.297

Technical Assistance Webinar Details visit the OPA website at https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/funding-opportunities for details

Eligible Applicants (see Section A.1 for full details) Executive Order 12372 does apply to this NOFO (see section F.3.D)

Estimated Total Funding Available $8,300,000

Estimated Period of Performance (months)

Estimated Number of Awards

Anticipated Award Date 9/30/2026

Anticipated Award Funding Range $650,000 to $1,250,000

Anticipated Project Start Date 09/30/2026

QUESTIONS?

Additional contact information in Section J https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/funding-opportunities https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/funding-opportunities

SUMMARY

The Office of Population Affairs (OPA) announces the anticipated availability of funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 grants under the authority of Division B, Title II of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (Public Law 119-75).

This notice solicits applications for projects to rigorously evaluate promising interventions that contribute to adolescent optimal health and preventing teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), behavioral risk factors underlying teen pregnancy, or other associated risk factors. OPA intends to make available approximately $8.3 million for an estimated nine (9) grant awards for a period of up to five (5) years. The actual amount available will not be determined until enactment of the FY2027 federal budget.

The goal of this initiative is to identify effective interventions focused on body literacy and ensuring transparency and protection of parental rights for future replication by adolescent health practitioners and youth-serving professionals, and to disseminate the research findings and lessons learned to inform future studies.

OPA is especially interested in expanding the evidence available in the field of Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) by funding rigorous evaluations of innovative and varied interventions designed to address the ever-evolving needs of adolescents and their parents. Funded recipients will be expected to:

• Implement and evaluate a proposed intervention that promotes body literacy education and reproductive goals counseling, expanding the knowledge base of such interventions on adolescent optimal health and teen pregnancy prevention outcomes;

• Evaluate the impact of a proposed intervention that prioritizes ensuring transparency for parents and guardians, such as through advance notice of content, offering opportunity to review, and/or meaningful opt-out provisions;

• Document and package the intervention to be implementation-ready and able to be replicated if found to be effective; and

• Disseminate research findings and lessons learned to inform future studies

Applicants should propose impact evaluations that are either randomized control trials (RCTs) or quasi-experimental designs (QEDs) with a comparison condition, and meet the standards for rigorous evaluation outlined in Appendix A. All interventions proposed for evaluation under this initiative should already have compelling, positive preliminary evidence from previous research and demonstrated support from previous participants and communities.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) Grants and Acquisitions Management Division (GAM) will administer this competition.

We encourage you to review all program requirements, eligibility information, application format and submission instructions, OASH priorities, and other content of this notice to ensure your application complies with all requirements.

A. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants You must meet all of the eligibility requirements in order for us to review your application.

a. Eligible Entities

Any public or private entity is eligible to apply.

Additional examples of eligible organizations include:

Any public or private entity located in a State (which includes one of the 50 United States, District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Marshall Islands, the Federated State of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau (hereafter, States)) is eligible to apply for a grant under this announcement. Faith-based organizations and American Indian/Alaska Native/Native American (AI/AN/NA) organizations are eligible to apply.

Examples of eligible Organizations include:

• State Governments

• U.S. territories

• County Governments

• City or township governments

• Special district governments

• Independent school districts

• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education

• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)

• Public Housing authorities/Indian housing authorities

• Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments)

• Nonprofits having 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

• Non-profit private institutions of higher education

• For-profit organizations, including small businesses

b. PD/PI Eligibility

There is no restriction on an individual’s eligibility to be Project Director (PD)/Principal Investigator (PI) on an application. However, we will not make an award with a PD/PI who has an active government-wide exclusion, suspension, or debarment recorded in SAM.gov.

We expect that throughout the period of performance the PD/PI will be involved in, and have substantial knowledge about, all aspects of the project. Although your organization may recognize co-PD/PIs on team-managed projects, we recognize only a single PD/PI who will be responsible for the programmatic aspects of the project.

c. Other Considerations Submitting Multiple Applications

You may submit more than one application, but each application must be for a distinctly different project.

If you submit multiple applications for the same project, we will accept only the last application submitted with a Grants.gov timestamp that is before the due date and time. We will disqualify all other versions of the application. See Section G.1.b for all disqualification factors.

Submitting an Application as a Group or Consortium

For any given project, we will only make an award to a single eligible entity. More than one entity may choose to work together on a project under this opportunity, but only one entity may submit the application. If awarded, that entity will be the award recipient and will be responsible for conducting the project.

The other entities may participate in the project, if awarded, and would be responsible to the recipient for their respective roles, typically as subrecipients.

Groups may form a consortium, partnership, or other legally recognized entity for the purpose of applying for this opportunity and carrying out any awarded project. The resulting entity must exist and be legally recognized when it applies and must have an active registration in SAM.gov.

We will conduct a risk assessment on the applying entity (Section G.4) prior to making any award.

Eligibility Documentation

Entity eligibility documentation (e.g., proof of 501(c)(3) status as determined by the Internal Revenue Service or an authorizing Tribal Resolution) must be included in the submitted application. For additional information, see Section F.4.a. It is important that your organization is correctly classified in your SAM registration (Section F.2.a).

During our review of your application, we might request additional documentation to support your eligibility. This request means only that your application is under review and not that you will receive an award.

More specific information on the type of documentation that we might request specific to this opportunity appears in Section F.4.b.

Application Disqualification

We will disqualify applications that fail to meet the eligibility, responsiveness, formatting, and submission requirements (Sections G.1.b) prior to conducting merit review. Disqualified applications will not undergo further review.

We will notify disqualified applicants at the end of the competition when we announce the award recipients.

2. Application Responsiveness Criteria

We will review your application to determine whether it meets the responsiveness criteria below.

If your application does not meet the responsiveness criteria, we will disqualify it from the competition; we will not review it beyond the initial screening.

The responsiveness criteria are as follows:

• Not applicable

3. Cost Sharing or Matching

You are not required to provide cost sharing or matching in your proposed budget.

B. REQUIRED ALIGNMENT WITH OASH MISSION AND

AGENCY PRIORITIES

The recipients of this award must implement any funds awarded under this NOFO to effectuate program goals and agency priorities in accordance with the Priorities of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (available at https://health.gov/priorities), and when authorized by law according to the TPP statute, regulations, legislative mandates, and additional program guidance. Funded activities must advance and support OASH’s mission to improve the health and well-being of Americans.

Consistent with OASH’s mission, in carrying out any project that is funded under this NOFO, recipients must align program design and activities with the agency priorities, where consistent with the authority and scope of the award.

https://health.gov/priorities

In addition, the recipient is required to administer any project that is awarded under this NOFO in accordance with the following objectives in the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program that are authorized to advance them:

1. Promote body literacy education for making informed and healthy decisions that advance optimal health The recipients must demonstrate ongoing compliance with these priorities, in all programs that are authorized to advance them, through program design, implementation, reporting, and evaluation. Failure to meaningfully align funded activities with the applicable requirements may result in corrective action, additional reporting requirements, or other actions consistent with federal grant regulations found at 2 C.F.R. Part 200 and the terms and conditions of this award (including termination pursuant to 2 C.F.R. 200.340(a)(4) for no longer effectuating program goals or agency priorities).

C. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), Office of Population Affairs (OPA) announces the anticipated availability of funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 grants under the authority of Division B, Title II of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (Public Law No. 119-75).

The primary focus of OASH is to lead Americans toward healthier lives by promoting health and well-being across the lifespan. This includes the reproductive lifespan, supported through innovative, evidence-based programs, services, partnerships, and research that strengthens family formation and assists people in achieving healthy pregnancies, while ensuring transparency and respect for parental rights through advance notice and meaningful opt-out provisions.

Grants funded through this NOFO will conduct rigorous impact and implementation evaluation of promising interventions that contribute to adolescent optimal health and prevent teen pregnancy, STIs, behavioral risk factors underlying teen pregnancy, or other associated risk factors. Through these awards, OPA aims to identify effective interventions focused on promoting body literacy, and ensuring transparency that upholds parental rights for replication by adolescent health practitioners and youth-serving professionals. The awards will also be used to disseminate the research findings and lessons learned to inform future studies, and ultimately expand the knowledge base for TPP programming.

1. Background Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program

The Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) program is a national, evidence-based program that funds diverse organizations working to give adolescents, and the adults supporting them, the knowledge and tools needed to advance optimal health, prevent teen pregnancy, and promote positive experiences, relationships, and environments to help our nation’s youth thrive. Through medically accurate, age-appropriate education and counseling, the program helps young people make informed, future-oriented decisions that promote lifelong well-being. TPP emphasizes an upstream, preventative approach and prioritizes communities with the greatest needs and challenges, while ensuring transparency and protection of parental rights through advance notice and meaningful opt-out provisions. To learn more about the TPP program, please visit the OPA website https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/teen-pregnancy-prevention-program/about-tpp-program.

With an annual budget of approximately $101 million for Teen Pregnancy Prevention, OPA invests in “medically accurate and age appropriate programs that reduce teen pregnancy,” which includes “replicating programs that have been proven effective through rigorous evaluation to reduce teenage pregnancy, behavioral risk factors underlying teenage pregnancy, or other associated risk factors” (known as Tier 1), and “research and demonstration grants to develop, replicate, refine, and test additional models and innovate strategies for preventing teenage pregnancy” (known as Tier 2).

Eligibility of Programs to be Evaluated Under this NOFO

Under this NOFO, OPA is interested in funding rigorous evaluations of promising interventions that:

• Promote body literacy education that is medically accurate and age-appropriate for adolescents to make informed and healthy decisions that advance optimal health; and

• Ensure transparency and uphold parental rights by providing advance notice about program content, materials, and activities, and providing a clear and accessible process for parents to opt their children out of any specific content, particularly those related to sexuality, that may burden their religious exercise or conflict with sincerely held beliefs.

TPP Interventions rigorously evaluated previously under federal funding are not appropriate for this funding unless significant changes have been made to the intervention to address findings from the previous evaluation results. Interventions that are not appropriate for this funding unless significantly adapted include any interventions implemented and evaluated under the following awards:

• The TPP program currently funds a cohort of TPP grant recipients focused on new and innovative approaches. Rigorous Evaluation Cooperative Agreements (TPP23 Tier 2) – 2023-2028 (https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/teen-pregnancy-prevention-program/tpp-grant-recipients/current-tpp-grant-recipients),

• Phase 2 Rigorous Evaluation of Promising TPP Interventions (TPP20 Tier 2 Phase 2) – 2020-2023 (https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/teen-pregnancy-prevention-tpp-program/tpp-grant-recipients/past-tpp-grant-recipients-2020-2023), https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/teen-pregnancy-prevention-program/about-tpp-program https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/teen-pregnancy-prevention-program/about-tpp-program https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/teen-pregnancy-prevention-program/tpp-grant-recipients/current-tpp-grant-recipients https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/teen-pregnancy-prevention-program/tpp-grant-recipients/current-tpp-grant-recipients https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/teen-pregnancy-prevention-tpp-program/tpp-grant-recipients/past-tpp-grant-recipients-2020-2023 https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/teen-pregnancy-prevention-tpp-program/tpp-grant-recipients/past-tpp-grant-recipients-2020-2023

• Rigorously Evaluating New TPP Approaches (Tier 2b) – 2015-2020 (https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/teen-pregnancy-prevention-program-tpp/tpp-grantees/past-tpp-grantees-2015-2020),

• TPP FY2010 Tier 2 Research and Demonstration (https://opa.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/summary-researchdemonstration.pdf), and

• Personal Responsibility Education Program Innovative Strategies (PREIS) funding (FY2010, FY2015, FY2019) (https://www.acf.hhs.gov/fysb/grant-funding/personal-responsibility-education-innovative-strategies-preis-grantee-profiles)

In addition, interventions already identified as effective per the criteria outlined in Appendix A – Criteria for Effective Programs are not appropriate for this funding unless significant adaptations are proposed to the intervention, ultimately creating a new intervention. Minor changes to an effective program to improve its fit and relevancy are more appropriate within TPP Tier 1 replication initiative awards. Major changes to an effective program that substantially change the model's core components, logic model, or delivery mechanism in a manner that changes the intended outcomes are appropriate for rigorous evaluation under this NOFO.

Body Literacy Body literacy is the ability to understand how the body functions in a state of health, including knowledge of reproductive anatomy, physiology, and hormonal patterns, and to interpret biological signals to support informed decision-making, self-awareness, and long-term physical, mental, and reproductive well-being. Body literacy is also related to unplanned pregnancy. Many young women enter adolescence and early adulthood without understanding how their bodies function in a state of health or how pregnancy occurs, limiting their ability to make informed decisions about sexual behavior and prevention.

Although reducing sexual risk behaviors is not the sole aim of body literacy education, research shows that adolescents who receive such education demonstrate healthier decision-making. Studies indicate that girls who receive body literacy education are much more likely to remain abstinent compared to their body-illiterate peers, suggesting that knowledge and self-understanding support protective behaviors.1,2 Adolescents with greater understanding of their bodies may be more confident in managing changes and making informed health decisions.3

At present, the only formal body literacy standards in the United States are the first-of-their-kind Menstrual Health Education standards adopted in Washington, D.C. in March 2023.4

1 Manhart, L. E., Aral, S. O., Holmes, K. K., & Foxman, B. “Sex Partner Concurrency: Measurement, Prevalence, and Correlates Among Adolescents.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 101, no. 10, 2011, pp. 1896–1902.

This study and related literature document associations between biological awareness, self-monitoring, and adolescent sexual decision-making.

2 Sinai, I., et al. “Fertility Awareness–Based Methods of Family Planning: A Review of Effectiveness for Avoiding Pregnancy.” Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, vol. 57, no. 6, 2012, pp. 547–554. This review highlights the role of fertility awareness education in increasing reproductive health knowledge and self-efficacy.

3 Hebert-Beirne, Jennifer M. et al. (2017) A Pelvic Health Curriculum in School Settings: The Effect on Adolescent Females' Knowledge. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, Volume 30, Issue 2, 188 - 192 4 Washington, D.C. is the only U.S. jurisdiction to mandate comprehensive menstrual health education beginning in 2023 for grades 4–12, with other states and territories not requiring comparable menstrual health standards in school curricula.

https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/teen-pregnancy-prevention-program-tpp/tpp-grantees/past-tpp-grantees-2015-2020 https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/teen-pregnancy-prevention-program-tpp/tpp-grantees/past-tpp-grantees-2015-2020 https://opa.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/summary-researchdemonstration.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/fysb/grant-funding/personal-responsibility-education-innovative-strategies-preis-grantee-profiles https://www.acf.hhs.gov/fysb/grant-funding/personal-responsibility-education-innovative-strategies-preis-grantee-profiles

The absence of broader standards has left most adolescents without foundational biological knowledge needed to interpret their bodies, engage meaningfully with healthcare providers, or understand the implications of sexual and medical decisions.

As a result of body illiteracy, adolescents—particularly young women—often lack informed consent around healthcare decisions. For example, many do not receive comprehensive information about the side effects associated with widely prescribed medications in the context of sexual and reproductive health. This leads to a healthcare approach that prioritizes pain relief and symptom suppression over root-cause evaluation and treatment for reproductive health concerns. Without foundational biological education, adolescents and young adults are less likely to seek or expect comprehensive care that addresses underlying causes rather than masking symptoms.

Optimal Health Optimal health is a dynamic balance of physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual health, and not merely the absence of disease or dysfunction. It reflects the highest level of health an individual can achieve and is supported by knowledge, skills, and behaviors that promote resilience, functioning, and long-term well-being across the lifespan.

Lifestyle change can be facilitated through a combination of learning experiences that enhance awareness, increase motivation, build skills, and provide access to environments that make positive health practices the easiest choice.5

To have a more significant impact on teen pregnancy and STIs and to achieve optimal health, it is crucial for communities to have the tools and resources needed to support youth and parents.

Optimal health emphasizes a holistic approach that aims to move individuals towards better health by promoting healthier behaviors and not just preventing disease. This model can be applied at the individual level, encouraging people to make informed choices and prioritize their well-being.

Ensuring Transparency and Protection of Parental Rights Fostering the relationship between adolescents and their parents or caregivers is important for the prevention of adolescent health risk behaviors including sexual activity. The TPP grant recipients should ensure transparency and respect for parental rights by providing parents or guardians advance notice of program content, materials, and activities, and offer meaningful opportunity to review such materials. Recipients should also provide a clear and accessible process for parents to opt their children out of any specific content or activities, particularly those related to sexuality, that may burden their religious exercise or conflict with sincerely held beliefs. These three main elements of providing advance notice of materials to parents and guardians; offering meaningful opportunity for parents and guardians to review first; and having in place a clear process for parents and guardians to opt their child out of content or activities should also be implemented for funded projects that occur outside school hours or in a non-school setting.

5 O'Donnell M. Definition of Health Promotion 2.0: Embracing Passion, Enhancing Motivation, Recognizing Dynamic Balance, and Creating Opportunities. American Journal of Health Promotion. 2009;24(1): iv-iv.

This requirement is consistent with constitutional and statutory protections for religious liberty and parental rights. In Mahmoud v. Taylor, 606 U.S. ___ (2025), which relates to school programs during school hours, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that the government may not condition participation in a public program or receipt of a public benefit on a parent’s willingness to accept a burden on their religious exercise. Similarly, in Mirabelli v. Bonta, No.

25A810 (U.S. 2026), the Court recognized the importance of protecting parents’ ability to direct the upbringing of their children and that the state cannot override that role in a way that causes irreparable harm. In the context of federally funded adolescent health programming, these principles underscore that participation must remain voluntary and that parents must retain the ability to direct the upbringing and education of their children. Accordingly, funded programs should be implemented in a manner that avoids compelling participation in content that conflicts with protected beliefs and does not rely on or require ideological content inconsistent with these protections.

2. Expectations for Recipients

The goal of this funding opportunity is to rigorously evaluate promising interventions that contribute to adolescent optimal health and prevent teen pregnancy. OPA is interested in funding rigorous evaluations of promising interventions to prevent teen pregnancy that (1) promote body literacy for optimal health; and (2) ensure transparency and the protection of parental rights.

Evaluating promising interventions includes developing, replicating, refining, and testing additional models and innovative strategies. The goal of this initiative is to identify effective interventions for future replication by adolescent health practitioners and youth-serving professionals, and to disseminate the research findings and lessons learned to inform future studies.

We expect funded applicants to:

1. Implement medically accurate and age-appropriate promising interventions to prevent teen pregnancy by (1) promoting body literacy for optimal health; and (2) ensuring transparency and protection of parental rights

We expect recipients to implement interventions that are medically accurate and age-appropriate.

“Age-appropriate” content assures that topics and themes are appropriate for the age group and other specific characteristics of the target audience. All program content must be suitable for the developmental stage of the intended audience and support healthy, informed decision-making, including promoting delayed sexual initiation as a behavior associated with reduced teen pregnancy.

Building on this goal, recipients are expected to incorporate sexual risk avoidance (SRA) education as a component of program delivery. SRA education provides adolescents with clear, evidence-informed information about the health and social benefits of avoiding sexual activity during adolescence, and supports young people in developing the knowledge, skills, and motivation to make risk-avoidance decisions consistent with their long-term well-being.

Programs should draw on SRA curricula and frameworks that provide developmentally appropriate instruction on the risks associated with adolescent sexual activity, the benefits of delay, and strategies for resisting social pressure. SRA content should complement body literacy education by reinforcing connections between sexual decision-making, hormonal health, emotional well-being, and future reproductive outcomes.

Medically accurate materials and instruction are expected to be grounded in current, evidence-based scientific and clinical knowledge, and be within the scope of TPP statutory requirements to prevent teenage pregnancy. When materials provide information on widely prescribed medications for sexual and reproductive health, for example, the information should reference potential health risks to support minors and their parents or guardians in informed decision-making, which may include a desire to consult with their healthcare provider. Consistent with applicable state law, recipients are expected to only provide referrals for other medical procedures with parental consent.

Interventions should have a clearly described theory of change and logic model. Projects should not duplicate interventions that have already been rigorously evaluated through previous Federal funding (see Background).

Funded interventions can use different modalities for implementation (e.g., self-paced, technology) and aim to impact not only individuals but also the communities and systems within which individuals are situated.

This opportunity is for research and demonstration projects, and not service delivery. Service delivery may be incidental or ancillary to the project, but service delivery is not the primary purpose of this initiative. Other than piloting, we do not expect recipients to implement the intervention with participants who are not in the study sample.

Within 9 months of funding, recipients must have conducted a materials review to ensure that all materials delivered to study participants are medically accurate and age appropriate. Project materials include intervention and comparison group materials, such as but not limited to curricula, facilitator manuals, participant manuals, videos, podcasts, posters, scripts, participant booklets, pamphlets, and handouts. All project materials are also expected to align with applicable OASH priorities. We expect recipients to inform OPA of their review process, findings, and plans to address any issues identified during the planning period. OPA expects recipients to submit all materials to us for a medical accuracy review prior to implementation and may request a copy of the materials for review prior to awarding funding. Recipients may not begin implementation with the materials until after OPA has approved the use of the materials.

If applicable and available at the time of application, include in your appendices any formal, written agreements (e.g., MOUs) from the developer/purveyor/copyright holder of the intervention indicating that you have permission to use and to make any changes to materials.

(Changes may include those to ensure medical accuracy, age-appropriateness, and alignment with applicable OASH priorities, for example.)

We expect recipients to engage the intended population in planning and implementing the project. Members of the intended audience for the intervention should also provide feedback to ensure that the intervention is relevant, a good fit, and likely to resonate with their peers. Within 10 months of funding, recipients are expected to pilot-test intervention materials to incorporate user-feedback, demonstrate desirability, and ensure fit and appropriateness.

We expect recipients to finalize all intervention materials prior to beginning the rigorous evaluation. Materials should be finalized within 12 months of funding. Once the evaluation has begun, recipients should not make major changes to the intervention materials to avoid negatively impacting the evaluation. By the end of Year 1, we expect that all recipients will be ready to begin the evaluation and implementing their proposed intervention.

Projects should not duplicate interventions that have already been rigorously evaluated through previous Federal funding (see Background).

2. Conduct rigorous evaluation of the intervention

We expect all recipients to conduct a rigorous impact and implementation evaluation of their proposed intervention. We expect rigorous impact evaluations to have the most robust possible design that is feasible for the intervention in the setting and with the intended population. We expect the evaluation design to meet the criteria provided in Appendix A – Criteria for Effective Programs. The criterion outlines the quality and evidence of effectiveness a study must have to be deemed effective and replicable under the TPP program. Recipients may collect additional outcomes beyond those recognized in Appendix A, as long as at least one of the study outcomes is one identified in Appendix A, and the other outcomes collected are “associated risk factors” clearly associated with teen pregnancy.

We expect recipients to conduct either randomized control trials (RCTs) or quasi-experimental designs (QEDs) with a comparison group. RCTs are experiments that randomly assign participants into different, unique groups: the treatment group and the comparison. We expect all recipients conducting randomized evaluations to use the intent-to-treat (ITT) framework for primary analyses. In an ITT framework, evaluators compare the participant outcomes between the individuals assigned to receive the intervention and those not assigned to the intervention. QEDs form intervention and comparison groups through methods other than random assignment of participants. Researchers use QEDs for impact evaluations when random assignment is not feasible. QEDs include methods such as Propensity Score Matching (PSM), Regression Discontinuity Designs (RDD), and Interrupted Time Series (ITS) (see Glossary).

Recipients may conduct either efficacy or effectiveness studies. Efficacy studies evaluate interventions under ideal conditions, often with the close involvement of the intervention developer (see Glossary), whereas effectiveness studies evaluate an intervention during routine or natural conditions (see Glossary).

Recipients may conduct supplementary analyses in addition to the rigorous impact and implementation evaluations. These additional analyses may include cost studies, qualitative data analyses, or core components analyses. We strongly encourage testing of the core components as part of the rigorous evaluation.

Members of the intended audience should provide input into evaluation of the intervention to ensure that the project addresses their needs and fills existing gaps for the intended audience, setting, or community(ies). Recipients should ensure that the promising intervention and subsequent study does not duplicate programs or services already available and selected implementation sites are not duplicative of other TPP-funded projects. We expect you to confirm that your project does not duplicate other programming already offered within proposed sites or communities within 1 month of funding.

We expect recipients to have a detailed evaluation design and survey instruments finalized within 12 months of funding. We expect that all studies shall have a counterfactual, and there will be equivalency between the study groups at baseline. Additionally, we expect the programming received by the study groups to be different enough to allow for a meaningful test. By the end of Year 1, recipients should obtain necessary Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals for the evaluation and be ready to begin the evaluation. We also expect recipients to register their studies with an online registry such as clinicaltrials.gov within 15 months of funding.

We expect recipients to have a data collection plan within 12 months of funding. We expect recipients to collect and analyze outcomes that are relevant to the intervention’s logic model and proposed research questions. Recipients should include at least one outcome as identified in Appendix A – Criteria for Effective Programs. We expect recipients to collect all study data during the period of performance. We anticipate that recipients will collect survey data at baseline, at one short-term follow-up (e.g., between 0 months-1-year post-intervention), and at one long-term follow-up (e.g., 9 months or more post-intervention). Recipients should justify any additional data points proposed beyond these three points and discuss feasibility and necessity with us after receiving the award (i.e., during the planning period). We expect recipients to submit an analysis plan to us for review and feedback during the third year of funding; we will provide templates during that year. We expect recipients to use the final 6-9 months of the award for data analysis and reporting. We expect recipients to submit a final evaluation report to us summarizing their evaluation findings and lessons learned. We will review and provide feedback on this report.

We expect recipients to monitor and report to us on their progress recruiting, consenting, and retaining study participants. We expect recipients to make steady and consistent progress toward enrolling their study sample during each year of their award. A general benchmark is to enroll at least 25% of the sample by the end of year 2, at least 50% of the sample by the end of year 3, at least 75% of the sample by the end of year 4, and reach 100% of the sample size during year 5.

We expect recipients to meet the standards for attrition as identified in Appendix A – Criteria for Effective Programs.

We expect recipients to address limitations, bias, and possible threats to internal and external validity within their studies. Recipients should conduct their studies through a credible and neutral process, which includes, at a minimum, evaluation staff who do not have a conflict of interest and can remain independent of the intervention. We strongly encourage use of an independent, external evaluator.

As a condition of the award, we require recipients to participate in ongoing OPA-sponsored Evaluation Technical Assistance. Further, as a condition of the award, we expect recipients to participate in an OPA-directed Federal evaluation, if selected and funding for such an evaluation becomes available.

3. Collaborate with partners and maintain organizational capacity

We expect recipients to use partnerships to fulfill capacity needs and successfully complete the project. Within 6 months of funding, recipients are expected to have finalized formal, written agreements (memorandum of understanding/agreements, contract, etc.) with all key partners and subrecipients. Recipients and key partners should have the collective expertise necessary to successfully accomplish the goals and objectives for the overall project. We expect recipients will engage key partners in the project and maintain a collaborative environment. Each recipient is responsible for ensuring all partners meet the project expectations successfully, do not conflict with applicable OASH Priorities, and fulfill their roles.

Recipients should assess the professional development needs of project staff on a regular basis and ensure that staff have the training needed to complete their roles in the project. Within 12 months of funding, OPA expects all project staff to receive initial training needed to successfully execute the project. This should include training on the promising intervention, performance measures, data collection, and the overall study.

We expect recipients to collaborate, coordinate, and share information with other OPA recipients, as appropriate, to prevent unnecessary duplication of activities, and ensure sharing and best use of available resources across funded projects.

4. Monitor and improve the project

We expect recipients to monitor the overall project and make ongoing improvements to the project based on key findings. This could include improvements to either the evaluation or implementation procedures, for example.

We expect recipients to conduct an implementation evaluation designed to answer questions about intervention delivery during the study. At a minimum, we expect the implementation evaluation to address dosage, fidelity, quality, context, and counterfactual experience.6 We expect recipients to conduct periodic monitoring of the programs and services offered within study sites and communities by other organizations to ensure that the project does not duplicate other services, and that the study clearly accounts for the experiences of the comparison group.

In addition, recipients should monitor the progress of participant enrollment, consent, and retention within the study as described in “2. Conduct rigorous evaluation of the intervention”

6 Office of Adolescent Health (OAH). (September 2017) Estimating Program Effects on Program Participants.

Online at: https://opa.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/estimating-program-effects-on-program-participants-brief.pdf, Accessed 4/29/2025 https://opa.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/estimating-program-effects-on-program-participants-brief.pdf https://opa.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/estimating-program-effects-on-program-participants-brief.pdf performance goal.

The monitoring process must include performance measures specific to the awarded project. In addition, recipients must collect uniform performance measures and report to us on a semi-annual basis. Appendix B – TPP Performance Measures includes a list of the measures (OMB #0937-0213, Expiration July 31, 2026, renewal pending). Recipients are required to obtain and document any necessary permissions to collect these data. Documentation may include written formal agreements with partners (e.g., MOUs), consent forms from parent/guardians, copies of school district approvals, citation to state law, etc. to collect these data. Recipients may be required to provide the supporting documentation for review, on request. Recipients have the responsibility to ensure they have appropriate permissions to collect all required performance measure data prior to collecting the data. There are no exceptions or waivers for this requirement.

While implementing and evaluating some non-curricular approaches, such as technological innovations, systems-level, and community-level approaches, you may find that some OPA measures or constructs (e.g., such as dosage, fidelity, and quality) are not relevant to your intervention. If you identify a need to change a measure, you will need prior approval from OPA to use alternate or proxy measures for dosage, fidelity, and/or quality. We expect recipients to develop measures that future implementors of the intervention could use to monitor fidelity, quality, and dosage, and include those in their final program package (See performance goal 5.

Document and package the intervention.). There are no exceptions or waivers for this requirement.

We expect recipients to determine whether the intervention implementation occurred as originally intended in the approved project. We expect recipients to monitor the dosage of the intervention participants receive. We expect recipients to establish and implement a fidelity monitoring process for the intervention. The process should include, at a minimum, collection of data on fidelity and quality of implementation, reviewing and analyzing the data on a regular basis, and using the data to make continuous quality improvements to the implementation of the intervention. We expect recipients to collect qualitative contextual data relevant to the environment in which the intervention is being developed. Recipients should observe a minimum of 10% of all intervention sessions and 100% of intervention facilitators for fidelity and quality on an annual basis.

5. Document and package the intervention

By the end of the project period, successful projects should have documented the evaluated intervention with sufficient detail so that other organizations may replicate the intervention to scale. Recipients should consult members of the intended population when developing branding and/or packaging intervention materials for dissemination.

Recipients should provide us with a complete electronic package of the final implementation-ready intervention by the end of the project (see Section H.8 - HHS Rights to Materials and Data regarding intellectual property rights). Implementation-ready interventions must include all the necessary components that will allow someone other than the original developer to implement the intervention. To be implementation-ready, an intervention package must include clearly defined program materials and core components, define all necessary staff supports and training needed for implementors, and specify guidelines and tools for monitoring implementation fidelity and quality (see performance goal, 4. Monitor and improve the project). We will provide guidance to recipients by Year 3 of their project.

We expect recipients to articulate the core components of the intervention(s) they are evaluating.

Articulating the components of the intervention will help fill knowledge gaps about what makes an intervention effective and which components drive successful programming. We strongly encourage recipients to test the core components as part of the rigorous impact evaluation. We will provide all recipients with a TPP components checklist and instructions during the first six months of the award, and recipients must use the checklist to describe the components of their intervention and submit to OPA within the first 12 months of funding. To complete the components checklist, recipients will describe the intended content of the intervention, the delivery mechanism and format, the staff delivering the content, the dosage of the intervention, the location for implementation, and features of the group intended to receive the intervention. Additional information about the core components checklist and expectations may be found in Appendix C – Resources.

Recipients must update the checklist at the end of the project. We expect recipients and their partners to develop a plan for distributing the intervention to others who might be interested in replicating it in the future; this plan should account for any training needed.

6. Disseminate project results

We expect recipients to develop and implement a plan for widely disseminating the results of the evaluation, including implementation evaluation results, impact evaluation results, lessons learned, successes, and challenges. We expect recipients to write a final evaluation report summarizing the key findings and lessons learned from their projects. The final evaluation report should be in the format of an article for a journal of the recipient’s choice. We expect recipients to disseminate their evaluation findings and lessons learned through presentations at professional conferences.

In addition to the traditional methods of dissemination, we expect recipients to work with us to share findings broadly with key project partners, community members, youth-serving professionals, researchers, other OPA recipients, the public, and policymakers. Recipients should also consult members of the intended population when developing messaging about project findings.

We expect the dissemination plan will include publication of at least one article in a peer-reviewed journal and presentations at professional conferences. When published, the article should be freely, immediately, and accessibly made available to the public. In addition to disseminating information about the evaluation results, we expect recipients to develop a plan for disseminating information about the intervention to organizations who may want to replicate the intervention in the future.

3. Federal Involvement in the Project If you receive an award, we will encourage you to seek the advice and opinion of federal staff when problems arise. However, you would be responsible for making sound programmatic and administrative judgments. The responsibility for operating decisions will be yours and does not shift to HHS, OASH, or Office of Population Affairs.

Under a grant, the program office’s involvement may include routine monitoring and technical assistance such as monthly conference calls, occasional site visits, ongoing review of plans and progress, participation in relevant meetings, provision of training and technical assistance.

Awards will be in the form of cooperative agreements with the recipient. Cooperative agreements are a form of assistance that allows for substantial involvement between federal program office and the recipient during the project period. Substantial programmatic involvement from OPA may include:

a. Approving key personnel changes, including the project director/principal investigator and lead evaluator, or others identified as essential in the proposal.

b. Reviewing and approving program materials prior to use in the project to ensure the materials are medically accurate and age appropriate.

c. Reviewing progress at…