AH-TPS-26-001 TPP NTC NOFO 6.9.26.pdf

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Office of Population Affairs

Notice of Funding Opportunity National Training Center for Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP)

Opportunity Number

AH-TPS-26-001

Application Due Date July 10, 2026

Technical Assistance Webinar Date June 17, 2026

Table of Contents

SUMMARY

A. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Application Responsiveness Criteria

3. Cost Sharing or Matching

B. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

1. Purpose of this Opportunity

2. Expectations for Recipients

3. Federal Involvement in the Project

4. Eligibility criteria for project participants

C. AWARD INFORMATION

D. APPLICATION CONTENTS AND FORMAT

1.Format of the Application

2. Content

E. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DATES

1. Obtaining an Application Package

2. Required Registrations

3. Submission Instructions

4. Other Submission Requirements

F. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Responsiveness Review

2. Merit Review Criteria

3. Merit Review and Selection Process

4. Review of Risk Posed by Applicant

G. AWARD NOTICES

H. 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

I. CONTACTS

J. 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 A - Measuring Training and Technical Assistance

BASIC INFORMATION

Opportunity Title National Training Center for Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP)

Program Office Office of Population Affairs Application Submission and Format

Electronic application submitted via Grants.gov ONLY.

Opportunity Number

AH-TPS-26-001

Award Type Cooperative Agreement

Application Deadline 7/10/2026

Announcement Type Initial

Technical Assistance Webinar Date 6/17/2026

Assistance Listing

93.297 (TPP)

Technical Assistance Webinar Details visit the OPA website at https://opa.hhs.gov/about/news/grant-award-announcements for details

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

Estimated Total Funding Available $1,500,000

Estimated Period of Performance (months)

• 12-month first budget period

• 12-month second budget period

• Optional competitive third year to support sustainability

Estimated Number of Awards

Anticipated Award Date 09/30/2026

Anticipated Award Funding Range up to $1,500,000 per budget period

Anticipated Project Start Date 09/30/2026

QUESTIONS?

Additional contact information in Section I

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 establish and operate a National Training Center (NTC) for Teen Pregnancy Prevention to provide training and technical assistance (TTA) to all OPA-funded Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) program grant recipients.

OPA intends to make available approximately $1.5 million for one grant award for a period of up to two (2) years with an optional competitive third year. The actual amount available will not be determined until enactment of the FY2027 federal budget.

The NTC will be expected to:

1. Implement an effective TTA plan for TPP grant recipients that results in increased knowledge and skills, transfer of skills to job performance, and improved outcomes for TPP-funded projects.

2. Provide recipients with instruction and guidance on:

a. Strengthening adolescent body and health literacy, supporting informed consent, promoting optimal health, and preventing teen pregnancy through medically accurate, age-appropriate programming;

b. Building the capacity of local community organizations to implement programs with fidelity, quality, and transparency, consistent with OASH Priorities;

c. Providing reproductive goals counseling to equip young people with the knowledge, skills, and decision-making capabilities necessary to support lifelong optimal health and healthy relationships while reducing risk behaviors associated with teen pregnancy;

d. Supporting parental engagement, including advance notice of program content and meaningful opportunities for parental review and opt-out participation procedures, consistent with applicable law and program requirements; and

e. Incorporating sexual risk avoidance education.

3. Raise awareness about and increase use of the NTC, its resources, and TTA services among TPP grant recipients.

4. Engage with stakeholders to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of TTA, improve grant recipient satisfaction and motivation to apply TTA learnings, and better align TTA with OASH priorities.

5. As applicable, uphold parental rights in program implementation by providing advance notice to parents or guardians that includes relevant details about program content, materials, and activities; offering opportunities for review; and providing clear, accessible processes for parental opt-out of specific content or activities, particularly those related to sexuality that may burden religious exercise or conflict with sincerely held beliefs.

6. Monitor, evaluate, and continuously improve the quality and effectiveness of TTA provided to TPP grant recipients to ensure project goals are being met.

OPA encourages applicants to review all program requirements, eligibility information, application format and submission information, evaluation criteria, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) Priorities, and other information in this funding announcement to ensure that their application complies with all requirements and instructions.

OASH Grants and Acquisitions Management Division (GAM) will administer this competition.

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 nonprofit 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 U.S. Outlaying Islands (Midway, Wake, et al.), 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 a Grants.gov timestamp that is before the due date and time. We will disqualify all other versions of the application. See Section F.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 F.4) prior to making any award.

Eligibility Documentation

We do not require you to submit documentation of your eligibility (e.g., proof of 501(c)(3) status as determined by the Internal Revenue Service or an authorizing tribal resolution) when you submit your application. It is important that your organization is correctly classified in your SAM registration (Section E.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 E.4.b.

Application Disqualification

We will disqualify applications that fail to meet the eligibility, responsiveness, formatting, and submission requirements (Sections F.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. 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 aims to improve optimal health, strengthen family formation, and assist people in achieving healthy pregnancies. Grants funded through this NOFO will establish and operate a NTC for TPP grant recipients that will provide TTA to build their capacity to effectively deliver high quality services and programs and have the greatest impact on meeting their project’s goals. The primary audience for the training center is OPA-funded TPP grant recipients. Many of these grant recipients rely on sub-recipients and partners to deliver services and implement programs; therefore, OPA expects the funded training center to provide TTA at the grant recipient, sub-recipient, and implementation partner level to support grant recipients and the efforts of their networks.

Required Alignment with OASH Mission and Agency Priorities

Consistent with OASH’s mission, in carrying out any project that is funded under this NOFO, recipients must align program design and activities with agency priorities where consistent with program authority and the scope of the award (“Priorities of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health,” available online 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.

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

1. Promote body and health literacy to reduce teen pregnancy

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).

https://health.gov/priorities

1. Purpose of this Opportunity Background

The Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) program is a national, evidence-based grant program that funds organizations working to prevent teen pregnancy across the United States. With an annual budget of approximately $101 million, OPA invests in the replication of programs proven effective to prevent teen pregnancy and associated risk factors while developing and evaluating new and innovative approaches to prevent teen pregnancy. 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.

The TPP program currently provides funding to approximately 70 TPP grant recipients, the majority of which are replicating effective programs and others which are focused on developing new and innovative approaches. Effective programs are those that have been proven effective through rigorous evaluation to reduce teenage pregnancy, behavioral risk factors underlying teenage pregnancy, or other associated risk factors. For more information about current TPP grant recipients, please visit the OPA website https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/teen-pregnancy-prevention-program/tpp-grant-recipients/current-tpp-grant-recipients.

TPP grant recipients receive support from Federal Project Officers (PO) and OPA-funded TTA providers. The POs conduct monthly monitoring calls and review semi-annual progress reports to assess recipients’ progress in meeting program expectations. POs also conduct site visits, which may include virtual or onsite visits to grant recipients. During a site visit, a PO will meet program staff and partners, observe program elements in action, and identify areas of strength as well as opportunities for improvement and TTA. POs work closely with OPA-funded TTA providers so that grant recipients not only meet program expectations but can deliver the highest quality programs for youth.

TPP Program grant recipients should ensure transparency and respect for parental rights in the delivery of program content. The TPP National Training Center should include TTA to TPP grant recipients on ensuring transparency and parental rights protection by providing parents or guardians with advance notice that includes sufficient detail about program content, materials, and activities, and offering a meaningful opportunity to review such materials upon request. The TPP NTC should also provide TTA to TPP grant recipients on providing 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.

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 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 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

We will fund an applicant that meets this NOFO’s goals and provides objective measurements for success. We expect the funded applicant, which will henceforth be referred to as the NTC, to:

1. Implement an effective training and technical assistance (TTA) plan for TPP grant recipients that results in increased knowledge and skills, transfer of skills to job performance, and improved outcomes for TPP-funded projects.

Within one month of funding, the NTC is expected to complete the development of a comprehensive TTA plan for the budget year. The TTA plan should be revised each subsequent budget period to be responsive to grantee, OPA, and OASH needs and priorities. The primary aim of the TTA plan is to support TPP grant recipients in successfully meeting the expectations of the grant initiative, achieving the goals of their TPP grant projects, and addressing OASH priorities. The plan should focus on activities that enhance knowledge, build skills, support skill transfer to practice, and improve outcomes of TPP-funded projects.

The TTA plan must be:

• Responsive to the needs of TPP grant recipients and aligned with OASH priorities.

• Informed by both qualitative and quantitative data, including input from TPP grant recipients and OPA.

• Grounded in the latest research and best practices in TTA design, implementation, and adult learning principles.

• Tailored to the roles, responsibilities, and contexts of the target audience.

• Flexible and iterative, allowing for continuous improvement and adaptation throughout the year.

Execution of the TTA plan is expected to begin within one month of its development and continue throughout the budget year. Execution includes:

• Delivering TTA activities using a variety of modalities that best support learning and application.

• Providing intensive, individualized support to TPP grant recipients as needed.

• Offering travel stipends when appropriate to facilitate participation in TTA activities.

• Monitoring implementation and making real-time adjustments to ensure effectiveness and responsiveness of TTA.

OPA expects the NTC to maintain a staffing plan that demonstrates the breadth of expertise required to support TPP grant recipients effectively. A professional development plan should also be maintained to ensure staff can sustain and enhance their capacity and subject matter expertise.

2. Provide recipients with instruction and guidance on:

a. Strengthening adolescent body and health literacy, supporting informed consent, promoting optimal health, and preventing teen pregnancy through medically accurate, age-appropriate programming;

b. Building the capacity of local community organizations to implement programs with fidelity, quality, and transparency, consistent with OASH Priorities;

c. Providing reproductive goals counseling to equip young people with the knowledge, skills, and decision-making capabilities necessary to support lifelong optimal health and healthy relationships while reducing risk behaviors associated with teen pregnancy;

d. Supporting parental engagement, including advance notice of program content and meaningful opportunities for parental review and opt-out participation procedures, consistent with applicable law and program requirements; and

e. Incorporating sexual risk avoidance education.

Consistent with HHS’s 2026 policy priorities, recipients should provide instruction and guidance that promotes body literacy in a manner that is evidence-based, age-appropriate, and medically accurate.

“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.

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.

The recipient’s TTA is expected to include body literacy training and programming that teaches grantees how to strengthen adolescent understanding of both female and male reproductive health. For girls, this includes instruction on the menstrual cycle, ovulation as a key indicator of health, recognition of normal versus abnormal patterns, and the connection between reproductive health and overall physical and mental well-being. For boys, this includes education on male pubertal development, hormonal rhythms, fertility, and the ways sleep, nutrition, physical activity, and behavior influence endocrine health and long-term reproductive function.

In addition, programming should emphasize personal responsibility, healthy decision-making, and respect for self and others. Instruction should avoid ideologically driven content and instead focus on objective health information that supports the well-being and healthy development of children and adolescents.

The recipient should also ensure that grantees’ programs respect and protect the fundamental rights of parents and guardians to direct the moral, religious, and educational formation of their children. In alignment with HHS priorities emphasizing parental involvement and family engagement, funded activities should maintain meaningful transparency with parents and guardians regarding program content and instructional materials. This includes providing advance notice of lessons or topics, offering opportunities for parents and guardians to review curricula and educational resources prior to instruction, and establishing clear and meaningful opt-out procedures where appropriate. These practices help foster trust, strengthen family involvement, and ensure that federally supported programming remains responsive to the values and concerns of parents and local communities.

3. Raise awareness about and increase use of the NTC, its resources, and TTA services among TPP grant recipients.

The NTC should develop and begin executing a communication strategy within 1 month of funding. The communication strategy should be revisited and updated, as needed, throughout the project. The communication strategy should focus on:

• Disseminating information to TPP grant recipients in a manner that is easily accessible and results in increased knowledge, understanding, and use of TTA resources and services; and

• Sharing information with OPA and relevant audiences that provides for an active exchange of knowledge (e.g., expertise, learnings, best practices) that can be applied to improve outcomes for TPP projects.

OPA expects the communication strategy to utilize a variety of dissemination strategies and formats to increase utilization of TTA resources. The strategy should also use a tailored approach to ensure TPP grant recipients are able to access TTA tailored to their needs. The strategy should be informed by TPP grant recipients, other OPA-funded organizations, and OPA to maximize reach. The NTC is also expected to disseminate learnings from TTA efforts.

The NTC should build and maintain a user-friendly website and knowledge management system that allows TPP grant recipients, OPA, and the public to freely access, easily find, and immediately use the training and technical assistance resources available to them. The NTC website should be accessible by TPP grant recipients within 3 months of funding. The NTC should be mindful of the current RHNTC website (https://rhntc.org) in designing any new website to ensure a smooth transition for grant recipient users.

The website should include TTA materials developed with support from this NOFO, as well as relevant TTA materials developed previously by OPA that are aligned with OASH Priorities.

The NTC should ensure that content in the knowledge management system is not duplicative of other OPA-funded organizations. Where topics and content may be similar, we expect the recipient to collaborate with other OPA-funded organizations for alignment and recognition of each organization’s contribution.

4. Engage with stakeholders to enhance efficiency of TTA, improve grant recipient satisfaction and motivation to apply TTA learnings, and better align TTA with OASH priorities.

We expect the NTC to effectively and proactively engage key stakeholders throughout the project. Key stakeholders include TPP grant recipients, other OPA-funded organizations, and OPA. The NTC is expected to work closely and collaboratively with OPA to ensure that all TTA activities are aligned with OASH priorities. This includes regular communication and coordination with OPA to share insights, emerging trends, and feedback from the field that may influence TTA priorities and approaches.

The NTC is also expected to engage TPP grant recipients and other intended beneficiaries of TTA in meaningful and ongoing ways to ensure that TTA is responsive to their needs, challenges, and contexts. Engagement should go beyond information gathering and foster a sense of shared ownership in the design and implementation of TTA. This approach is intended to https://rhntc.org/ increase the relevance and usefulness of TTA, and to foster greater openness and willingness among recipients to adopt recommended practices and make meaningful changes.

The NTC should identify and implement engagement strategies that lead to increased productivity, improved quality of deliverables, enhanced efficiency, greater innovation, improved stakeholder satisfaction, and stronger alignment between TTA activities and the needs of the TPP program. These strategies should also focus on building relationships that enable the NTC to anticipate, identify, and respond to TPP grant recipients’ evolving TTA needs.

The NTC should coordinate and collaborate with partners such as developers of effective TPP programs and subject matter expert organizations to enhance the TTA plan and ensure that support and resources provided to TPP grant recipients are valuable, efficient, cohesive, relevant, and non-duplicative.

Maintaining open, transparent, and frequent communication with this network of stakeholders and partners is essential to leveraging learning opportunities, informing TTA needs, aligning priorities, and streamlining TTA efforts.

Award(s) made under this funding opportunity will be in the form of a cooperative agreement, which allows for substantial involvement between OPA and the NTC during the project period.

See the “Federal Involvement in the Project” section for more details on what may be expected as part of OPA’s involvement.

5. Monitor, evaluate, and continuously improve the quality and effectiveness of TTA provided to TPP grant recipients to ensure project goals are being met.

Throughout the course of the project, we expect the NTC to monitor, evaluate, and continuously improve the 1) quality and effectiveness of TTA provided to TPP grant recipients and 2) the project approach in achieving the goals of the NOFO. The NTC should develop and execute an evaluation plan, that is aligned with the TTA plan, within two months of funding. The aim of the evaluation plan is to:

• Determine if TTA and the project approach are achieving their goals;

• Determine if TTA provided is improving the quality of program delivery and project outcomes at the grant recipient level;

• Monitor consistency in TTA services provided across grantees;

• Identify what is working and what is not to improve TTA and the project approach;

and

• Ensure NTC staff is maintaining and enhancing the competencies and skills needed to implement effective TTA as defined in Performance Goal 1.

The evaluation plan should be reviewed annually and updated as needed.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation developed resources on Measuring T/TA Effectiveness. These resources should be utilized to support the execution of this expectation. Please see Appendix A - Measuring Training and Technical Assistance for more information.

We expect the NTC to include opportunities in the evaluation plan for TPP grant recipients to regularly provide feedback on TTA they have received. Information collected should be used by the NTC to adjust the content, delivery mechanisms, quality, and/or dosage of the TTA to improve the ability of TPP grant recipients to implement their projects as aligned with OASH Priorities.

Results of assessments conducted should be shared with OPA and other federal staff, including a senior appointee or designee of the appointee during monitoring calls and semi-annual progress reports. We expect results from these evaluations to feed into an iterative process that informs the TTA plan and personnel needs over the period of performance.

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. Identification of organizations with whom the funded training center may be asked to coordinate and collaborate.

b. Identification of curricula with which the funded training center may be asked to incorporate and/or disseminate.

c. Assisting the funded training center to establish, review, and update priorities for activities conducted under the auspices of the cooperative agreement.

d. Reviewing and providing input on the proposed plan for training and technical assistance for TPP grant recipients.

e. Reviewing and providing input on TTA products and materials to confirm that they are consistent with OASH priorities and expectations for TPP grant recipients.

f. Facilitating communication with OPA-funded TPP grant recipients and other OPA-funded organizations.

g. Keeping the funded training center abreast of important Federal initiatives that could potentially influence the direction or implementation of a given strategy.

h. Translation and dissemination of lessons learned through publications, meetings, and other means.

4. Eligibility criteria for project participants You must not restrict participation in the project on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, or another protected characteristic (See Section H.5).

C. AWARD INFORMATION

Budget period(s)

We expect to fund awards in 12-month budget periods for a total period of performance up to 24 month(s) with an optional competitive third year to support. However, we may approve shorter periods of performance. Budget periods may vary from the estimated 12 months because of the timing of award issuance or other administrative factors.

For multi-year projects, recipients must submit a non-competing continuation (NCC) application for each budget period after the first. We anticipate offering a competing continuation for a third year for the purpose of providing funding to support selected recipients as they transition projects to sustainability. We will provide guidance generally 3 months prior to the end of the active budget period. Continuation funding is contingent upon the availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the project, appropriate stewardship of federal funds, and the best interests of the government. Funding for all approved budget periods after the first is generally the same as the initial award amount and may be subject to any offset with funds unused in a previous budget period.

D. APPLICATION CONTENTS AND FORMAT

1.Format of the Application

You must prepare your application using the forms and information described in this NOFO.

The official online application package on Grants.gov contains all necessary forms and guidance for preparing an application. This package includes but is not limited to:

• Full Text of the NOFO

• Standard forms (required) and their instructions o SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance o SF-424A Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs o SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities o Project Abstract Summary

• Sample templates, if available.

In addition to the four standard forms in the application package, your application will consist of 3 sections of materials you prepare:

1. Project Narrative

2. Appendices to the Project Narrative

3. Budget Package.

We strongly encourage you to read all instructions for the application format and content to avoid disqualification of your application. An application checklist is available in Section J.1.

a. Project Narrative – Formatting Following the formatting instructions below will help ensure that your application is readable for review process. Acceptable electronic file formats are in Section E.3.a.

Names of Individuals

We encourage you to use individuals’ full names (first, middle, last) on the standard forms and any other documents such as résumés/curricula vitae/biographical sketches to distinguish them for verification in the SAM exclusion records. Delays may result in award processing if full names are not provided.

You should avoid submitting personally identifiable information such as personal contact information (e.g., home address and telephone number) on résumés/curricula vitae/biographical sketches. Do not submit social security numbers.

If you receive an award, only one Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) will be named on the award documents. (Section A.1.b) Avoid using a placeholder or honorary PD/PI. If you have not hired an individual to be the PD/PI, you should name an interim PD/PI, and your application should clearly identify that person as such.

We typically expect the PD/PI to be named on the SF-424 in box 8.f. Avoid naming grant writers in box 8.f unless they have the expertise to respond to technical questions about the proposed project in a timely manner.

Identify other personnel who are essential or key to the execution of the proposed project clearly in your project narrative.

If you receive an award, a request for a change in PD/PI or key personnel under any circumstance requires prior approval of the grants management officer before becoming effective. We may disallow any costs incurred as a result of that change prior to our approval. See Section H.1.c.

Page Formatting

If you submit documents that do not conform to the following instructions, GAM will disqualify your application during the review process (SectionF.1.b).

Use an easily readable typeface, such as Times New Roman or Arial.

Use a 12-point font.

Use an 8.5” X 11” page size. Any other size page (e.g., A4, legal) will disqualify your application.

You must double-space the Project Narrative pages or we will disqualify your application. You may single-space tables or use alternate fonts, but you must ensure the tables are easy to read.

Do not number pages or include a table of contents. Our grants management system will generate page numbers once your application is complete.

You must submit your application in the English language and in terms of U.S. dollars ((2 C.F.R. § 200.111(a)).

Page Limits

Your project narrative and appendices must adhere to these page limits.

The page limits do not include the budget package (Section D.2.c)

The page limits do not include the required forms (SF-424, SF-424A, SF-LLL, and the Project Abstract Summary)

If your application exceeds the specified page limits when printed on 8.5” X 11” page, we will not review your application further.

We encourage you to print out your application before submitting it to ensure that it is within the page limits and is easy to read. Do not reduce pages to fit multiple pages on a single sheet to avoid exceeding the page limitation.

Do not hyperlink to documents or sites outside of your application to augment your application. Reviewers will not be permitted to follow links to external content during their assessment of your application. The one exception to this is a link to your internal controls as part of your budget package (Section D.2.c.3).

Page Limit

Project Narrative _____50____

Project Narrative plus Appendices ____100_____

Labeling Proprietary Information

Proprietary information includes patentable ideas, trade secrets, privileged or confidential commercial or financial information, the disclosure of which may harm the applicant.

You should include proprietary information in your application only to the extent that it is essential to the reviewers’ understanding of the project. Proprietary information should not appear in your Project Abstract Summary.

If your application contains proprietary information, you should clearly label the top of the first page of the project narrative. For example, Contains proprietary or confidential information that [Your Organization Name] requests not be released to persons outside the government, except for purposes of review and evaluation.

Awarded applications are subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with redactions as the FOIA statute permits.

b. Appendices to the Project Narrative – Formatting Your appendices should include any specific items outlined in Section D.2.b. Your documents should be easy to read.

You should use the same formatting specified for the Project Narrative. However, documents such as résumés/curricula vitae/biographical sketches, organizational charts, tables, Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) or Letters of Commitment (LOCs) may have formatting common to those documents, so long as the pages are easy to read. For example, resumes, MOAs and LOCs may be single-spaced.

You must upload all of your appendices as a single, consolidated file in the Attachments section of your Grants.gov application. You must use an acceptable file format (Section E.3.a). We strongly encourage you to convert your file(s) to PDF format before uploading and review them to ensure accurate conversion.

Your Project Narrative plus the Appendices may not exceed the total number of pages for the application (Section D.1.a).

c. Budget Package - Formatting The budget narrative should use the formatting required of the project narrative for the explanatory text. Budget tables may be single-spaced but should be laid out in an easily readable format and within the printable margins of an 8.5” x 11” page. You must use an acceptable file format (Section E.3.a). We do not accept Excel or other similar spreadsheet formats.

The application page limit does not include the SF-424A or the budget narrative (including budget tables).

We recommend you present budget amounts and computations in a columnar format: first column, object class categories; second column, federal funds requested; third column, non-federal resources; and last column, total budget.

Object Class Federal Funds Requested

Non-Federal Resources Total Budget

Personnel $100,000 $25,000 $125,000

2. Content

a. Project Narrative - Content The Project Narrative is the most important part of your application. We will use it as the primary basis to determine whether your project merits an award. The project narrative should provide a clear and concise description of your project. We recommend that your project narrative include the following components with the requested information. Labeling the sections accordingly will help the reviewers find information quickly.

Successful proposals should include the following:

Project Significance

• Describe your understanding of the nature and scope of the TPP program. Include your understanding of the roles and responsibilities of TPP grant recipients and the communities/environments they work in. Describe gaps and barriers that may exist in TPP grantee recipients' ability to meet program expectations.

• Describe how a National Training Center will be able to support the TPP program at the national level in achieving the goals of the TPP program. Emphasize how your project will affect the knowledge, skills, and behaviors of TPP grant recipients and result in an increase in delivery of high-quality TPP programs to young people across the nation. Include a description of how the National Training Center will support grantees in understanding and implementing new program guidance, particularly as the TPP program moves in a different direction from previous years.

• Demonstrate an understanding of the complexity of the overall project, potential challenges, and proposed solutions to overcome such challenges.

• Describe how the proposed project will support recipients in implementing programmatic guidance consistent with OASH priorities, including:

o Strengthening adolescent body and health literacy, support informed consent, promote optimal health, and prevent teen pregnancy through medically accurate, age-appropriate programming o Building the capacity of local community organizations to implement programs with fidelity, quality, and transparency, consistent with OASH priorities o Equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, and decision-making capabilities necessary to support lifelong optimal health and healthy relationships while reducing risk behaviors associated with teen pregnancy through reproductive goals counseling o Supporting parental engagement, including advance notice of program content and meaningful opportunities for parental review and opt-out participation procedures, consistent with applicable law and program requirements o Incorporating sexual risk avoidance education

Organizational Capacity and Expertise

• Describe your organization's experience providing TTA at a national or large regional scale, including the number and diversity of organizations supported simultaneously and the outcomes achieved. Provide one or two specific examples that illustrate your organization's ability to design and deliver high-quality, impactful TTA to a large and diverse portfolio of recipients. Examples should describe the challenge or need, your approach, and a measurable result.

• Describe your organization's depth of expertise in the following areas:

o Core TPP grant expectation topics including project management, program design, program implementation, stakeholder and community engagement, sustainability, parent and caregiver engagement, youth engagement, communication and dissemination, evaluation, collecting performance measures, continuous quality improvement.

o Effective Teen pregnancy prevention programs, associated risks and protective factors, body literacy, parental rights, sexual risk avoidance education, reproductive goals counseling, and a broader range of related adolescent health topics;

o Ability to ensure that TPP program materials avoid sexually explicit content, normalization of sexual activity for minors, or age-inappropriate content and framing.

• Describe how you will maintain and enhance this expertise throughout the project period to remain current and responsive to grantee and OPA needs.

• Describe your experience managing the complexity of providing TTA to multiple stakeholders simultaneously, at varying levels of experience and expertise and across multiple grant expectations, and the strategies used to manage this effectively.

• Describe your capacity and expertise in designing and delivering effective TTA across various modalities, intensity levels (universal, selected, and targeted—see Glossary), organizational levels (grantee, subrecipient, implementation site), and staff skill levels (novice to expert), and best practices. Provide a specific example demonstrating your ability to adapt TTA based on stakeholder (e.g., grantee, funder, etc.) feedback or performance data, including what changed and what result was achieved.

• Describe the strategies your organization uses to manage the complexity of serving a large, diverse grantee pool with varying needs and levels of expertise simultaneously.

• Describe your proposed staffing plan, including the project team structure, roles and responsibilities, and how the team will work together to achieve project objectives. For existing staff, provide position descriptions, qualifications, and FTE commitment, and include abbreviated résumés in the appendices. For staff to be hired, provide position descriptions, desired qualifications, anticipated hire timeline, FTE, and recruitment approach.

• Describe the organization’s existing infrastructure and its capacity to manage a project of this size and scope, including the ability to provide TTA to more than 70 TPP grant recipients annually.

Technical Approach

• Describe your approach for conducting a comprehensive assessment of TTA needs across the TPP program, including the data sources, tools, and processes you will use to identify both individual grantee needs and broader program-wide and administration priorities. Explain how you will integrate input from TPP grant recipients, OPA, and OASH into a cohesive TTA plan, and describe how that plan will be continuously reassessed and updated throughout the budget year to remain relevant and responsive. Provide a specific example from your past work in which a needs assessment process meaningfully shaped or redirected your TTA plan and describe the outcome.

• Develop a sample Year 1 TTA plan that addresses the four subject matter areas outlined in the Organizational Capacity and Expertise section — effective TPP programs, core TPP grant expectation topics, adolescent health subject matter expertise, and OASH priorities — and include it as an appendix to your application.

In the narrative, describe how you would adapt this sample plan based on feedback from grant recipients and OPA once the project is underway, including the process and criteria you would use to determine when and how revisions are warranted.

• Describe your process for designing a TTA activity from start to finish, including how objectives are defined, the appropriate modality selected, the target audience identified, and materials developed. Explain how stakeholders, including grant recipients and OPA/OASH, are engaged in the design process, and describe how you ensure TTA reflects the latest research in adult learning principles. Provide an example of a TTA activity you designed that demonstrates this process, and describe how you measured whether it achieved its intended objectives.

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