HHS-2021-ACF-ACYF-AK-1929.pdf

Administration for Children and Families

Administration on Children, Youth and Families - Family and Youth Services Bureau

Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) Competitive Grants

HHS-2021-ACF-ACYF-AK-1929

Application Due Date: 07/15/2021

Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) Competitive Grants

HHS-2021-ACF-ACYF-AK-1929

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview Executive Summary

I. Program Description II. Federal Award Information

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

3. Other

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management

(SAM)

4. Submission Dates and Times

5. Intergovernmental Review

6. Funding Restrictions

7. Other Submission Requirements

V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

2. Review and Selection Process

3. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

VI. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Federal Award Notices

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

3. Reporting

VII. HHS Awarding Agency Contact(s) VIII. Other Information

Department of Health & Human Services Administration for Children and Families

Funding Opportunity Title: Personal Responsibility Education

Program (PREP) Competitive Grants Announcement Type: Initial Funding Opportunity Number: HHS-2021-ACF-ACYF-AK-1929 Primary CFDA Number: 93.092 Due Date for Applications: 07/15/2021

Executive Summary

Notice:

Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the entire funding opportunity announcement (FOA) carefully and observe the application formatting requirements listed in Section IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission.

For more information on applying for grants, please visit "How to Apply for a Grant" on the ACF Grants & Funding Page at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/howto.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Administration on Children, Youth and Families' (ACYF), Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) announces the availability of funds under the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) Competitive Grants program.

Eligible applicants are limited to local organizations and entities, including faith-based organizations or consortia, with the capacity to develop and implement Competitive PREP projects in the states or territories that did not accept states allocations of PREP funding.

Applicants located in and/or proposing to manage a project from an ineligible state cannot propose a project that serves an eligible state. Eligible applicants are organizations or entities, including faith-based organizations or consortia, located in the following states or territories only: Florida, Indiana, Kansas, North Dakota, Texas, Virginia, American Samoa, and Marshall Islands.

The purpose of this program is to support projects that educate youth between 10 and 19 years of age and pregnant and parenting youth under age 21 on abstinence and contraception for the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Funds will support the implementation of projects that replicate evidence-based, effective programs, or substantially incorporate elements of effective programs that have been proven on the basis of rigorous scientific research to change behavior, which means delaying sexual activity, increasing condom or contraceptive use for sexually active youth, or reducing pregnancy among youth. Projects are further required to incorporate at least three of six adulthood preparation subjects.

Applicants should place special emphasis on youth populations that are the most high-risk or http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/howto vulnerable for pregnancies or otherwise have special circumstances. These populations include, but are not limited to, the following:

youth in foster care, homeless youth, youth with HIV/AIDS, youth who are victims of human trafficking, pregnant or parenting youth who are under 21 years of age, and youth residing in areas with high teen birth rates.

I. Program Description

Statutory Authority PREP is authorized and funded by Section 513 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 713), as amended by Section 50503 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Pub. L. No. 115-123) extended by Division CC, Title III, Section 302 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. No.

116-260).

Description Background The PREP program is designed to educate adolescents on abstinence and contraception to prevent pregnancy and STIs, including HIV/AIDS. Projects must incorporate at least three of the following six adulthood preparation subjects: healthy relationships, adolescent development, financial literacy, parent-child communication, educational and career success, and healthy life skills. PREP funding supports programs that incorporate medically accurate approaches while replicating evidence-based programs or elements of programs that have been proven to change behavior.

Current trend data reports that fewer teens are engaged in sex and other risky behaviors.

According to the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, nationwide, 27.4 percent of high school students reported being sexually active [1]. In 2018, U.S. birth rates for persons aged 15 to 17 and 18 to 19 were 7.2 and 32.3 births per 1,000 females, respectively [2]. Over the past decade, there has been a 40 percent decline in the teen birth rate [2]. Reasons for the recent declines are not totally clear; however, evidence suggests these declines are due to more teens abstaining from sexual activity and more teens who are sexually active using birth control than in previous years [3]. Despite this significant decline in the rate of teen births for all groups, racial/ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic disparities persist. In 2017, the birth rate for African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native youth was 27.5, 28.9, and 32.9 births per 1,000 women, respectively; and socioeconomically disadvantaged youth of any race or ethnicity experienced the highest rates of teen pregnancy and childbirth [4]. In 2018, birth rates among non-Hispanic black and Hispanic youth were 26.3 and 26.7 per 1,000 females, respectively.

These rates were almost 2 times the 12.1 rate for non-Hispanic white teens [2].

With adolescents aged 15 to 24 accounting for nearly half of the 20 million new cases of STIs each year, there is a critical need for PREP programs to place substantial emphasis on both abstinence and contraception for the prevention of pregnancy among youth and sexually transmitted infections. While contraceptives, when used consistently and correctly, can reduce the risk of getting pregnant or an STI, equipping youth with skills to avoid sexual initiation is the only 100 percent way to guarantee the prevention of pregnancy and STIs.

Adolescents who are at the greatest risk of STIs and unintended pregnancies are a complex and dynamic group. Thus, a targeted and holistic approach is essential to preventing teen pregnancy and STIs.

COMPETITIVE PREP PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Competitive PREP Goals and Objectives The overall goal of the Competitive PREP program is to educate adolescents on both abstinence and contraception for the prevention of pregnancy and STIs, including HIV/AIDS. The following are objectives of the Competitive PREP program:

1. Replicate evidence-based effective programs or incorporate elements of effective programs that are proven to change behaviors, including delaying sexual activity, increasing condom and contraceptive use for sexually active youth, or reducing pregnancy among youth;

2. Implement curricula that includes medically accurate information (referenced in peer-reviewed publications by educational, scientific, governmental, or health organizations) and is age-appropriate, culturally appropriate, and inclusive;

3. Promote successful and healthy transition to adulthood through the implementation of at least three of six adulthood preparation subjects; and

4. Target prevention education to youth between the ages of 10 and 19, or pregnant and parenting youth under 21 years of age, who are at high-risk for becoming pregnant or who have special circumstances.

Competitive PREP Program Requirements Competitive PREP projects must address the following requirements:

1. Abstinence and contraception education

2. Adulthood preparation subjects

3. Evidence-based programs or elements of effective programs

4. Fidelity and adaptations

5. Medically accurate and age and culturally appropriate

6. Referrals to healthcare and other services

7. Target population

8. Positive youth development approach

9. Trauma-informed care

10. Performance measures

11. Local evaluation

12. National evaluation

13. Sustainability

Abstinence and Contraception Education

Programs must include activities to educate youth on both abstinence and contraception and must place "substantial emphasis" on both abstinence and contraception for the prevention of pregnancy and STIs, including HIV/AIDs among youth (42 U.S.C. 713(b)(2)(B)(iv)). Programs should always place the optimal health of each youth at the forefront, with a focus on providing information and building skills to help youth make healthy decisions, avoid unhealthy risk behaviors, and improve their opportunities to thrive.

Adulthood Preparation Subjects PREP legislation requires programs to combine abstinence and contraceptive education with programming designed to support youth’s successful transition to adulthood. Grantees and/or subrecipients must address at least three of the following six adulthood preparation subjects (APSs), as required in the PREP legislation:

1. Healthy relationships, including marriage and family interactions.

2. Adolescent development, such as the development of healthy attitudes and values about adolescent growth and development, body image, racial and ethnic diversity, and other related subjects.

3. Financial literacy.

4. Parent-child communication.

5. Educational and career success, such as developing skills for employment preparation, job seeking, independent living, financial self-sufficiency, and work-place productivity.

6. Healthy life skills, such as goal setting, decision-making, negotiation, communication and interpersonal skills, and stress management.

Programs should be tailored and developed in appropriate ways to reflect the cultural, linguistic, and regional practices of the target population and the community they serve. For more information on implementing APSs in PREP programs, please see the report on “Conceptual Models for Adulthood Preparation Subjects within the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP)” at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/conceptual-models-adulthood-prep-feb-2021.pdf and the “Adulthood Preparation Subjects Resource Guide” at https://teenpregnancy.acf.hhs.gov/resources/adulthood-preparation-subjects-resource-guide-0.

Evidence-Based Programs or Elements of Effective Programs The legislation states that PREP programs are required to "replicate evidence-based effective programs or substantially incorporate elements of effective programs that have been proven on the basis of rigorous scientific research to change behavior, which means delaying sexual activity, increasing condom or contraceptive use for sexually active youth, or reducing pregnancy among youth" (42 U.S.C. 713(b)(2)(B)(i)).

Decades of social science research indicates that identifying specific curricula and program models that can be successfully, reliably, and broadly applied across many applications and among diverse audiences and locations is challenging. This body of research has focused on testing whole program models without sufficiently identifying the elements or components of the program model that lead to the desired outcomes. However, recent social science and educational research have explored identifying core components that are key in attaining positive behavior change. Many of these elements have been identified in research summary documents such as the CDC Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/hecat https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/conceptual-models-adulthood-prep-feb-2021.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/conceptual-models-adulthood-prep-feb-2021.pdf https://teenpregnancy.acf.hhs.gov/resources/adulthood-preparation-subjects-resource-guide-0 https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/hecat/index.htm

/index.htm. This tool provides critical elements to success in implementing programs to positively change youth behavior. There may be other tools and resources available to assess curricula.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is committed to giving youth information and skills that are solidly based on the scientific literature. Grantees should be careful in selecting programs or models to ensure that they address content requirements while they meet the needs of their target populations. Further, grantees should check with developers in order to clearly identify the essential or core components of the model programs they use. For more information on core components with adolescent pregnancy prevention programs, please reference a brief on the Office of Population Affairs’ website at https://opa.hhs.gov/sites/default /files/2020-08/core-components-brief_0.pdf.

Programs must provide data that demonstrates the selected program model or elements of effective programs are effective in youth behavior change. Programs must ensure that the elements selected meet the PREP requirements. These added elements must improve the likelihood that interventions will fit their target populations and have positive impacts on the targeted behaviors. If implementing effective program elements, the discussion must include how the selected curriculum incorporates these elements. In addition, the program should provide a compelling research basis and rationale for lessons that address their selected APS topics.

Programs must demonstrate how their proposed programs meet the requirements to either be evidence-based or incorporate elements of effective programs by including the following:

1. References to a journal article or study where the program was shown to be effective (e.g., significant effects on outcomes of interests); or

2. Data that demonstrate how the selected overall program systematically applies core curriculum components that have been found to be effective in delaying sexual activity, increasing condom or contraceptive use for sexually active youth, or reducing pregnancy among youth.

Fidelity and Adaptations Whether intervention designs replicate an entire program or substantially incorporate elements of evidence-based or effective programs, it is an established best practice to sustain fidelity to the original evidence-based or effective program model. When a full program model is being replicated with fidelity, adaptations to the program should generally be minimal. Any component that is added to an evidence-based program must be appropriately integrated into the evidence-based program model and should not alter the core components of that program model.

Frequently, developers that distribute evidence-based curricula will offer guidance on their core components and address how to ensure fidelity. They may offer checklists or other tools to assist with implementation. Programs must consult with developers to obtain approval for proposed adaptations.

If a grantee incorporates elements of effective programs, they must ensure that the elements selected meet the PREP requirements. These added elements must improve the likelihood that interventions will fit their target populations and have positive impacts on the targeted behaviors.

Medically Accurate and Age and Culturally Appropriate Medically accurate and complete programs are verified or supported by the weight of research https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/hecat/index.htm https://opa.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2020-08/core-components-brief_0.pdf https://opa.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2020-08/core-components-brief_0.pdf conducted in compliance with accepted scientific methods and published in peer-reviewed journals, where applicable, or comprised of information that professional organizations and agencies with relevant expertise in the field recognize as accurate, objective, and complete (see 42 U.S.C.713(e)(2)). The program(s) must provide medically accurate and up-to-date contraceptive information. Programs must also provide age-appropriate information and activities, topics, and messages, and teaching methods must be suitable to specific age groups of youth based upon varying capacities of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development.

Competitive PREP projects must also use culturally responsive interventions that incorporate the norms, beliefs, and values of the target population into programming. The proposed project should demonstrate cultural sensitivity and competence in providing social, linguistic, and culturally appropriate interventions with the target population.

Referrals to Healthcare and Other Services PREP programs must provide referrals for healthcare and other services, as needs are identified, but may not pay for the services with ACF/FYSB grant funding. As appropriate, programs should provide adolescent pregnancy prevention-related referrals to other providers of healthcare services (e.g., substance abuse, tobacco cessation, family planning, and mental health), local public health agencies, and social service agencies. Programs are encouraged to develop partnerships to help facilitate these referrals and must document such referrals. When feasible, programs should track the initiation of service delivery. PREP programs may only provide education to youth on the requirements provided in this FOA and the statute. For more information, see Section IV.6. Funding Restrictions.

Target Population Competitive PREP efforts are dedicated to the development of comprehensive, culturally appropriate interventions and services that rely on the best available research to inform and guide practice. Grantees must provide PREP programming to youth who are the most high-risk; are vulnerable for pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS; or have other special circumstances, including youth in foster care, homeless youth, youth with HIV/AIDS, victims of human trafficking, pregnant youth who are under 21 years of age, mothers who are under 21 years of age, and youth residing in areas with relatively high teen birth rates compared to all youth within the state or territory. Youth are defined as those who are 10-19 years old (42 U.S.C.713(e)(4)), except in the case of pregnant and parenting youth, which may include youth under 21 years old (42 U.S.C.713(a)(1)(C)(III)).

FYSB recognizes additional youth populations that are the most high-risk or vulnerable for pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, or have other special circumstances including culturally underrepresented youth populations such as Hispanic, African American, or Native American youth; systems-involved youth; rural youth; runaway youth, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth; out-of-school youth; and fathers who are under 21 years of age. PREP projects must be welcoming and accessible to all youth and their participation must be voluntary.

Positive Youth Development Approach Competitive PREP programs must include a Positive Youth Development (PYD) approach as part of their programming to help participants build healthy life skills and protective factors that mitigate the impact of past and future negative factors, empower participants to make healthy decisions, provide tools and resources to prevent pregnancy and STIs, and prevent youth engagement in other risky behaviors. With a PYD approach, programs not only address early sexual activity, but they also address the risk and protective factors in young people's lives that are known to influence sexual activity. The program approach must also include service linkages to local community partners that support the safety and well-being of the target population.

PYD is an intentional, pro-social approach that engages youth within their communities, schools, organizations, peer groups, and families in a manner that is productive and constructive;

recognizes, utilizes, and enhances young people’s strengths; and promotes positive outcomes for young people by providing opportunities, fostering positive relationships, and furnishing the support needed to build on their leadership strengths. PYD programs promote a number of outcomes in youth, including social skills, emotional competence, positive relationships with peers and adults, and civic and school engagement. Typical elements of PYD program models include ongoing structured activities that facilitate progressive skill-building, positive interactions between youth and peers as well as adults, and high levels of youth participation and engagement.

The program approach should also include service linkages to local community partners that support the safety and well-being of the target population. For more information on PYD, please see “Putting Positive Youth Development into Practice: A Resource Guide (2007)” located at https://rhyclearinghouse.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/PosYthDevel.pdf.

Trauma-Informed Care Programs are required to address interventions that work with vulnerable youth and should take into account the trauma and mental health needs of many young people who have experienced maltreatment, abuse, or violence. Childhood abuse, neglect, and exposure to other traumatic stressors, known as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), are common. Exposure to ACEs can lead to a multitude of negative effects on health, well-being, and opportunity, including early initiation of sexual activity and teen pregnancy [6].

For youth with experiences of trauma, this means that program planning should take into account underlying skills, competencies, and attitudes that improve basic functioning across a range of life domains. For example, effective programming that supports mental health, development of coping strategies, and increased protective factors in a youth's life can minimize negative risk-taking behaviors and increase their capacity to thrive. For more information on trauma-informed care, please see the Promising Youth Programs Trauma-Informed Care brief at https://www.acf .hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/INCORPORATING%20TRAUMA-INFORMED

%20CARE%20IN%20ADOLESCENT%20PREGNANCY%20PREVENTION%20PROGRAMS

_0.pdf.

PREP Performance Measures All grantees and subrecipient(s), including their implementation sites, will be required to collect and report information on program implementation and program outcomes through a common set of performance measures. This requirement applies to any community partners who agree to host a site or recruit program participants (e.g., school districts, non-profits). The purpose of the performance measures is to monitor and provide feedback about whether grantees are implementing PREP programs as intended and to demonstrate progress towards expected objectives. Performance measures can also create a foundation for program improvement efforts, prompted by federal, grantee, and program providers’ examination of the data. PREP performance measures provide information based upon the three categories of data collection https://rhyclearinghouse.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/PosYthDevel.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/INCORPORATING%20TRAUMA-INFORMED%20CARE%20IN%20ADOLESCENT%20PREGNANCY%20PREVENTION%20PROGRAMS_0.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/INCORPORATING%20TRAUMA-INFORMED%20CARE%20IN%20ADOLESCENT%20PREGNANCY%20PREVENTION%20PROGRAMS_0.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/INCORPORATING%20TRAUMA-INFORMED%20CARE%20IN%20ADOLESCENT%20PREGNANCY%20PREVENTION%20PROGRAMS_0.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/INCORPORATING%20TRAUMA-INFORMED%20CARE%20IN%20ADOLESCENT%20PREGNANCY%20PREVENTION%20PROGRAMS_0.pdf listed below while rigorous evaluations assess program effectiveness and impact.

PREP performance measures will be distributed to grantees and funded recipients, who will be required to collect and report on these measures approximately twice a year. ACF has defined measures at the grantee, provider, and program levels. For some performance measures, grantees provide data about activities they undertake directly at the grantee level. For other measures, data are based on information about each separate provider that serves youth directly (i.e., provider level) or each program model that a provider is implementing (i.e., program level). A program model is defined as the core curriculum plus other lessons or activities that may be integrated with the core curriculum to meet the PREP requirements. In addition, data are also collected from the youth themselves through participant entry and exit surveys. Ultimately, grantees are responsible for submitting performance measures from the grantee, provider, and program levels to ACF.

The following are the three categories of PREP performance measures for data collection and submission:

1. Structure, cost, and support for program implementation;

2. Attendance, reach, and dosage; and

3. Participants’ characteristics, behaviors, program experiences, and perceptions of effects

(through participant entry and exit surveys).

Applicants applying for funds must indicate their agreement to collect the PREP performance measures and submit the data to ACF. Grantees will be expected to check local and state laws, policies, and procedures to ensure that the collection of performance measures data is feasible and obtain any necessary permissions (e.g., formal agreements with partners, Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, copies of school district approvals) to collect these data. Grantees are responsible for ensuring all subrecipients and implementation sites collect and submit the PREP performance measures. FYSB will provide training on how to conduct performance measures data collection and reporting. Grantees may develop additional indicators of program performance, as needed, including adding items to the entry or exit surveys. However, all FYSB OMB-approved items must be administered first, in the order presented in the approved survey, before any additional items are added. Any additional survey items should be added at the end of the OMB-approved survey and should not be submitted to ACF.

For more information about the PREP performance measures, including definitions, survey instruments, and data collection tools, please see https://www.prepeval.com/DataCollectionT oolsAndGuidance.html.

NOTE: Consistent with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, (44 U.S.C.3501-3521), under this FOA, ACF will not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information covered by such Act, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. ACF has obtained OMB approval (OMB Control Number 0970-0497; Expiration Date June 30, 2023) under PRA to request and collect performance measures.

Local Evaluation Programs have the option to propose to conduct grantee-specific evaluations, called “local evaluations,” to answer one or more grantee-specific research questions of implementation sites to assess program effectiveness and/or impact. Programs that propose to conduct a local https://www.prepeval.com/DataCollectionToolsAndGuidance.html https://www.prepeval.com/DataCollectionToolsAndGuidance.html evaluation must ensure the evaluation addresses the following:

Answers important questions of interest to the program;

Includes an appropriate evaluation design; and Meets expectations of rigor that ACF provides through a system of technical assistance for those grantees and their local evaluators. Per ACF’s Common Framework for Research and Evaluation, research must be credible, consistently implemented, applicable (beyond the grant itself), and neutral: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/docum ents/opre/acf_common_framework_for_research_and_evaluation_v02_a.pdf.

Programs may only propose one local evaluation. The research questions must drive the local evaluation, including its design, methods, data, and analyses. Examples of research topics may include the following:

APSs, e.g., the impact of adding specific skills-based programming related to APSs;

Populations, e.g., describing the populations of adolescents reached and whether programming addresses the perceived needs of target populations; and Adaptations, e.g., determining the differential outcomes or impacts of programming that adheres to standard curricula versus programming with significant adaptions.

Among these and other ACF-approved topics, programs may conduct implementation and/or impact studies on PREP implementation sites. Implementation studies are to document how PREP programs are designed and implemented. Impact studies require an appropriate study design to assess the effectiveness of programming. Programs may propose to conduct an implementation and/or impact local evaluation.

Programs are not required to propose local evaluations, and programs’ funding levels will not be affected if programs propose or do not propose to conduct a local evaluation. If the applicant is choosing to conduct a local evaluation, no more than 20 percent of the total budget can be allocated towards conducting the evaluation. Programs should not undertake evaluative activities with PREP funds unless they adhere to overall guidance in this FOA and best practices consistent with technical assistance from ACF.

Any proposed local evaluation should be in addition to the planned delivery of adolescent pregnancy prevention education designed to serve participants and shall not replace programming by the program or its providers. The purpose of these local evaluations is to learn from programs in order to improve their implementation in the future and to rigorously examine the efficacy of curricula with the targeted population.

Local evaluations must be conducted by an independent evaluator, referred to as the “local evaluator.” Local evaluators may be universities, research organizations, evaluation consultants, or other institutions with experience in conducting rigorous evaluations. In order to maximize learning from these projects, ACF will provide technical assistance and/or training on evaluation planning, implementation, analysis, reporting, and dissemination to states conducting local evaluations and to their local evaluators. As part of the technical assistance, grantees may also be asked to complete standardized forms and templates describing their evaluation plans and submit evaluation updates. These forms and templates are subject to OMB approval under PRA. ACF will obtain OMB approval prior to requiring states to complete the forms and/or templates. ACF https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/acf_common_framework_for_research_and_evaluation_v02_a.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/acf_common_framework_for_research_and_evaluation_v02_a.pdf will review and provide suggestions to programs to improve plans prior to the initiation of local evaluation activities. Improvements may include reconsiderations of evaluation design and funding.

Upon completion of local evaluations, programs may be required to submit a final report to ACF.

The final report template is subject to OMB approval under PRA, which ACF will obtain prior to use. Although ACF may provide technical support to programs that propose local evaluations, the programs will ultimately decide what data is to be collected and maintain oversight of the entity conducting the evaluation, as well as the subrecipient(s) that they select to participate in the evaluation. Programs conducting local evaluations are also required to collect the PREP performance measures.

ACF is interested in supporting high quality, well-designed, local evaluations from which programs will learn and expand the evidence base, and will help ACF learn more about what does and does not work at the state level. ACF will work in collaboration with programs to disseminate information about the evaluation findings.

NOTE: Consistent with the PRA of 1995 (44 U.S.C.3501-3521), under this FOA, FYSB will not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information covered by such Act, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

National Evaluation ACF is engaged in a learning agenda to increase understanding of what works and why for PREP programs. ACF may select projects funded under this FOA to participate in one or more rigorous federal evaluations. All prime recipients and applicable subrecipients will be required to participate, if selected, and must give their written assurance that they will participate. As part of these national evaluation efforts, prime recipients and subrecipients may also be required to complete surveys, standardized forms, and templates. These instruments are subject to OMB approval under the PRA. ACF will obtain OMB approval prior to launching any evaluations.

Project Sustainability Plan Programs are to develop a sustainability plan that includes their subrecipients and collaborating partners. The plan should detail how the proposed project activities will continue after federal funding ends. Programs are encouraged to have their funded providers develop a plan to sustain key elements of their grant-supported projects (e.g., strategies, or services and interventions) that have been effective in improving practices and outcomes for youth and families.

POST-AWARD REQUIREMENTS

The acceptance of federal funds under this FOA will signify agreement by the grantee that it will comply with the following requirements:

Implement the fully functioning project and start serving youth within 90 days following the Notice of Award for grant.

Formally train facilitators/educators in the program model or elements of the program by professionals who can provide follow-up technical assistance to facilitators.

Budget the costs of sending two key staff persons to attend the 3-day Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (APP) Grantee Conference to be tentatively held in Atlanta, Georgia, or through a virtual platform in 2022, annually.

Budget the costs of sending a minimum of two staff persons to attend at least one of two topical training sessions offered each year of the project period in areas such as Washington, DC; Portland, Oregon; and Boston, Massachusetts, or through a virtual platform, annually.

Participate in a new grantee orientation webinar. The webinar will be held shortly after the official award date.

Collect and report biannually on all of the OMB- approved federal PREP performance measures (prime recipient, partners, and subrecipients).

Agree to participate in the national evaluation, if selected.

For those conducting local evaluations, participate in training and technical assistance provided by the government and follow related guidance provided by FYSB.

Participate in a medical accuracy review of selected curricula sponsored by FYSB.

Glossary of Terms For purposes of this FOA, the following definitions are applicable:

Activities – All the actions needed to prepare for and carry out the program. This includes program and financial management, intervention activities, training activities, and staff debriefings.

Adaptation – The modification of an evidence-based intervention that has been developed for a single, demographic, ethnic, linguistic, and/or cultural group for use with other groups.

Age-appropriate – The term “age-appropriate,” with respect to the information in pregnancy prevention, means topics, messages, and teaching methods suitable to particular ages or age groups of children and adolescents based on developing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral capacity typical for the age or age group.

Capacity – The resources (i.e., staff, skills, facilities, finances, technology, partnerships capabilities, and other resources) an organization has to implement a program.

Core Components – Program characteristics that must be kept intact when an intervention is being replicated or adapted for it to produce program outcomes similar to those demonstrated in the original evaluation research.

Continuous Quality Improvement – A continuous and ongoing effort to achieve measurable improvements in the efficiency, effectiveness, performance, accountability, outcomes, and other indicators of quality in services or processes.

Effectiveness – The impact of a program under conditions that are likely to occur in a real-world implementation.

Evidence-based – Interventions, strategies, approaches, and/or program models that have been evaluated using rigorous impact evaluation designs such as randomized controlled trials or high-quality, quasi-experimental studies, and that have demonstrated positive impacts for youth, families, and communities.

Fidelity – The degree to which an intervention is delivered as designed. Faithfulness with which a curriculum or program is implemented; that is, how well the program is implemented without compromising its core content that is essential for the program's effectiveness.

Implementation – The process of introducing and using interventions in real-world service settings, including how interventions or programs are adopted, sustained, and taken to scale.

Medically Accurate and Complete – Verified or supported by research conducted in compliance with accepted scientific methods, and published in peer-reviewed journals, where applicable or comprising information that leading professional organizations and agencies with relevant expertise in the field recognize as accurate, objective, and complete.

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) – A written statement from a stakeholder organization or individual describing a commitment, including possibly a financial role, in supporting the implementation of a program.

Objectives – The specific changes expected as a result of the program.

Performance Measures – Indicators that are designed to collect data for program monitoring, improvement, and reporting purposes.

Stakeholders – Individuals and organizations that have a shared interest in the program results.

Stakeholders include participants, families, staff and volunteers, funders, and community organizations that share the program vision and are actively committed to the program through a MOU.

Training and Technical Assistance – For the purposes of this FOA, the provision of training, advice, and/or assistance pertaining to the initiation, operation, or implementation of the proposed program.

Work Plan – A written list of all of a program’s activities, broken down by resources, personnel, delivery dates, and accomplishments.

Youth – Youth is defined as someone who has “attained age 10 but has not attained age 20” (42 U.S.C. 713(e)(4)), except in the case of pregnant and parenting youth, which may include youth under 21 years old (42 U.S.C. 713(a)(1)(C)(iii)).

References [1] Leigh E. Szucs, PhD; Richard Lowry, MD; Amy M. Fasula, PhD; Sanjana Pampati, MPH;

Casey E. Copen, PhD5; Khaleel S. Hussaini, PhD3; Rachel E. Kachur, MPH5; Emilia H.

Koumans, MD3; Riley J. Steiner, PhD. Condom and Contraceptive Use Among Sexually Active High School Students — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States; 2019. https://www.cdc.gov /healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/2019/su6901-H.pdf [2] Martin J, Hamilton B, Osterman M, Driscoll A. (2019) Births: final data for 2018. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68 /nvsr68_13-508.pdf [3] Lindberg LD, Santelli JS, Desai, S. Understanding the Decline in Adolescent Fertility in the United States, 2007–2012. J Adolescent Health. 2016: 1-7 [4] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance, (2019) http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/sexualbehaviors/ [5] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, Major Findings. http://www.cdc.gov/ace/findings.htm https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/2019/su6901-H.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/2019/su6901-H.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_13-508.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_13-508.pdf http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/sexualbehaviors/ http://www.cdc.gov/ace/findings.htm

II. Federal Award Information Funding Instrument Type: Grant Estimated Total Funding: $21,000,000 Expected Number of Awards: 30 Award Ceiling: $700,000 Per Budget Period Award Floor: $250,000 Per Budget Period Average Projected Award Amount: $475,000 Per Budget Period Anticipated Project Start Date: 09/30/2021

Length of Project Periods:

Length of Project Period: 36-month project period with three 12-month budget periods

Additional Information on Awards:

Awards made under this announcement are subject to the availability of federal funds.

Applications requesting an award amount that exceeds the Award Ceiling per budget period, or per project period, as stated in this section, will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this announcement. This disqualification applies only to the Award Ceiling listed for the first 12-month budget period for projects with multiple budget periods. If the project and budget period are the same, the disqualification applies to the Award Ceiling listed for the project period. Please see Section III.3. Other, Application Disqualification Factors.

Note: For those programs that require matching or cost sharing, recipients will be held accountable for projected commitments of non-federal resources in their application budgets and budget justifications by budget period or by project period for fully funded awards, even if the projected commitment exceeds the required amount of match or cost share. A recipient's failure to provide the required matching amount may result in the disallowance of federal funds. See Section III.2. of this announcement for information on cost-sharing or matching requirements.

Applicants must provide a budget for Year 1 of the project. This chart establishes award floors and ceilings by state or territory. Based on the availability of funds, multiple awards may be made in each state or territory.

State/Territory Annual Award Floor Annual Award Ceiling

Florida $250,000 $700,000

Indiana $250,000 $450,000

Kansas $250,000 $494,747

North Dakota $250,000 $250,000

Texas $250,000 $700,000

Virginia $250,000 $700,000

American Samoa $250,000 $250,000

Marshall Islands $250,000 $250,000

Applicants that propose to serve more than one territory through a consortium are allowed to submit a Year 1 budget based upon the cumulative annual award floors and ceilings for each of the territories to be served.

Non-competing continuation awards will be offered for the second and third budget periods of the project based on the availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the grantee, and review and approval of the continuation application. The Grants Project Team (Grant Management Specialist, Federal Project Officer, and Technical Assistance Provider) will use the grantee’s semi-annual performance progress and financial reports, site visits, audit reports and other supporting documentation to determine, in accordance with the requirements in the Competitive PREP FOA and statute, if satisfactory progress is being made. FYSB will factor in the grantees ability to meet the dues dates as identified in the FOA. The Grants Project Team’s review of reports and other documentation will be used to assess progress in: 1) accomplishing the project goals, objectives, and activities; 2) completing proposed activities; and 3) documenting allowable expenses that support project goals, objectives, and the approved budget. Please refer to Section VI.3. Reporting for more information on required reports.

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are limited to local organizations and entities or consortia in the following states and territories: Florida, Indiana, Kansas, North Dakota, Texas, Virginia, American Samoa, and Marshall Islands. Applicants serving an emerging, unserved, or underserved population, or remote geographic area, are encouraged to apply for funding under this FOA.

Collaborative efforts and interdisciplinary approaches are encouraged.

The following types of organization are eligible to apply:

County governments City or township governments Special district governments Independent school districts Local and regional school districts Public and state controlled institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments) Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities

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

Private institutions of higher education For-profit organizations other than small businesses Local affiliates of national organizations Small businesses Faith-based organizations may apply for this award on the same basis as any other organization, as set forth at and, subject to the protections and requirements of this part and 42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq., the Department will not, in the selection of recipients, discriminate against an organization on the basis of the organization's religious character, affiliation, or exercise.

Applications from collaborative groups (consortia) must identify a primary applicant responsible for administering the grant. A primary applicant must be named in the application, and the application must include a MOU for each partnering organization. The primary applicant must be local to the eligible state. Collaborative groups (consortia) may propose to serve one, or more than one, eligible territory. Collaborative groups (consortia) proposing to serve an eligible state must serve only one state.

Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this announcement. See Section III.3. Other, Application Disqualification Factors.

Faith-based and community organizations that meet the eligibility requirements are eligible to receive awards under this funding opportunity announcement.

See Section IV.2. Legal Status of Applicant Entity for documentation required to support eligibility.

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement: No

For all federal awards, any shared costs or matching funds and all contributions, including cash and third-party in-kind contributions, must be accepted as part of the recipient’s cost sharing or matching when such contributions meet all of the criteria listed in 45 CFR § 75.306.

For awards that require matching by statute, recipients will be held accountable for projected commitments of non-federal resources in their application budgets and budget justifications by budget period, or by project period for fully funded awards, even if the projected commitment exceeds the amount required by the statutory match. A recipient’s failure to provide the statutorily required matching amount may result in the disallowance of federal funds. Recipients will be required to report these funds in the Federal Financial Reports.

For awards that do not require matching or cost sharing by statute, where “cost sharing” refers to any situation in which the recipient voluntarily shares in the costs of a project other than as statutorily required matching, recipients will be held accountable for projected commitments of non-federal resources in their application budgets and budget justifications by budget period, or by project period for fully funded awards. These include situations in which contributions are voluntarily proposed by a recipient or subrecipient and are accepted by ACF.

Non-federal cost sharing will be included in the approved project budget so that the recipient will be held accountable for proposed non-federal cost-sharing funds as shown in the Notice of Award (NOA). A recipient’s failure to provide voluntary cost sharing of non-federal resources that have been accepted by ACF as part of the approved project costs and that have been shown as part of the approved project budget in the NOA, may result in the disallowance of federal funds. Recipients will be required to report these funds in the Federal Financial Reports.

III.3. Other

Application Disqualification Factors Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this announcement.

Award Ceiling Disqualification Applications that request an award amount that exceeds the Award Ceiling per budget period or per project period ("per project period" refers only to fully funded awards), as stated in Section II. Federal Award Information, will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this announcement. This disqualification applies only to the Award Ceiling listed for first 12-month budget period for projects with multiple budget periods. If the project and budget period are the same, the disqualification applies to the Award Ceiling listed for the project period.

Required Electronic Application Submission ACF requires electronic submission of applications at www.Grants.gov. Paper applications received from applicants that have not been approved for an exemption from required electronic submission will be disqualified from competitive…