hhs-2026-acf-acyf-ak-0014_Full Announcement.pdf

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Application due Monday, August 31, 2026

Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) Division of Positive Youth Development (DPYD)

Competitive Personal Responsibility Education Program Opportunity number: HHS-2026-ACF-ACYF-AK-0014

Contents

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 4

Basic information 5

Eligibility 7

Agency priorities 9

Program description 11

Step 2: Get Ready to Apply 28

Find the application package 29

Get registered 30

Learn more 30

Step 3: Build Your Application 31

Application checklist 32

Application contents and format 34

Step 4: Learn About Review and Award 48

Application review 49

Award notices 58

Step 5: Submit Your Application 59

Application submission and deadlines 60

Step 6: Learn What Happens After Award 62

Post-award requirements and administration 63

Contacts and Support 65

Before you begin 3

Endnotes 69

Contents 2

Before you begin If you believe you are a good candidate for this funding opportunity, secure your SAM.gov and Grants.gov registrations now. If you are already registered, make sure your registrations are active and up to date.

SAM.gov registration (this can take several weeks)

You must have an active account with SAM.gov. This includes having a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).

See Step 2: Get Ready to Apply

Grants.gov registration (this can take several days)

You must have an active Grants.gov registration. Doing so requires a Login.gov registration as well.

See Step 2: Get Ready to Apply

Apply by the application due date

Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, August 31, 2026.

To help you find what you need, this NOFO uses internal links. In Adobe Reader, you can go back to where you were by pressing Alt + Left Arrow (Windows) or Command + Left Arrow (Mac) on your keyboard.

Before you begin 3 https://sam.gov/ https://grants.gov/

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Build 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1:

Review the Opportunity

In this step

Basic information 5

Eligibility 7

Agency priorities 9

Program description 11

Basic information Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB)

Division of Positive Youth Development (DPYD)

The Competitive Personal Responsibility Education Program (Competitive PREP) funds projects to educate young people on abstinence, contraception, and adulthood preparation subjects

(APS).

Have questions?

See Contacts and Support.

Key facts

Opportunity name:

Competitive Personal Responsibility Education Program

Opportunity number:

HHS-2026-ACF-ACYF-

AK-0014

Federal assistance listing:

93.092

NOFO version:

Original

Key dates

Application submission deadline: August 31, 2026

Expected project start date: September 30, 2026

See intergovernmental review for other submission processes that may apply to this NOFO.

Summary The Competitive Personal Responsibility Education Program (Competitive PREP) funds projects to educate youth and young adults on both abstinence and contraception to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS, and promote successful transition of youth to adulthood through education on key subjects. This opportunity supports the development and implementation of such projects in states that did not accept Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 allotments for State PREP.

Projects funded under this opportunity educate youth between the ages of 10 and 19 years (and, in the case of pregnant and parenting youth, under the age of 21) on the following topics:

• Abstinence

• Contraception

• At least three of the six Congressionally mandated adulthood preparation subjects

Recipients of grants awarded under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) are expected to implement medically accurate and age-appropriate interventions to prevent teen pregnancy by (1) promoting body literacy for optimal health; and (2) ensuring transparency and protection of parental rights. “Age-appropriate” content ensures the topics and themes are appropriate for the age group of the participants. All program content must be suitable for the developmental stage of the intended audience and support healthy, informed decision-making, including promoting delayed sexual initiation as a behavior associated with reduced teen pregnancy.

Building on this goal, recipients are expected to incorporate sexual risk avoidance (SRA) education as a component of program delivery.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 5

Funding details Type: Grant

Expected total program funding: $7,398,951

Total expected awards: 11

Minimum award amount (award floor): $250,000

Maximum award amount (award ceiling): $750,000

This is full funding. We plan to fund a three-year project period with one budget period.

Table: Funding available for FY 2026 CPREP awards

State/Territory FY 2026 Award Amounts Floor Ceiling

California $6,148,951 $250,000 $750,000

Florida $750,000 $750,000 $750,000

American Samoa $250,000 $250,000 $250,000

Marshall Islands $250,000 $250,000 $250,000

Awards made under this funding opportunity are subject to federal funds availability.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 6

Eligibility Eligible applicants Eligibility for this opportunity is unrestricted.

Other eligibility criteria Individuals (including sole proprietorships), federal entities, and foreign entities are not eligible to apply.

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

Locality Restrictions 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 state’s allotments 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.

In the case of consortia applying to serve an eligible state, applications from entities that are not located in the eligible state will be disqualified.

Eligible States:

• California

• Florida

• American Samoa

• Marshall Islands

Disqualifying factors We will review your application to make sure it meets these responsiveness requirements.

We won’t consider an application that:

• Requests funding above the award ceiling.

• Is submitted after the deadline.

• Is from an individual (including a sole proprietorship), a federal entity, or a foreign entity.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 7

• Is received in paper format that didn’t have a previously approved exemption from ACF.

• Is received from organizations located in ineligible states or territories.

• Is located in an ineligible state but proposes a project that serves an eligible state.

Application limits If you submit the same application more than once under this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), we will only acknowledge the last on-time submission.

Cost sharing This program has no cost-sharing requirement, meaning you do not need to contribute to the costs of this project.

If you choose to include cost-sharing funds, we won’t consider it during review. If you receive an award, we will include your voluntary commitment in the award, and you must report on the funds. If you don’t provide your promised amount, we may have to decrease your award amount or use other enforcement actions.

Post-award requirements

Before you apply, make sure you understand the requirements that come with an award.

See Step 6: Learn What Happens After Award for information on regulations that apply, reporting, and more.

Statutory authority PREP is authorized and funded by section 513 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 713).

Competitive PREP is specifically authorized at 42 U.S.C. 713(a)(4).

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Build 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 8 https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:42%20section:713%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section713)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:42%20section:713%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section713)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true

Agency priorities Required alignment with ACF vision, mission, values, priorities, and guiding principles The recipient of this award must implement any funds awarded under this NOFO to effectuate program goals or agency priorities in accordance with ACF’s vision, mission, values, priorities, & guiding principles when authorized. Funded activities must advance ACF’s vision of resilient, safe, healthy, and economically secure children, youth, families, and communities, and support ACF’s mission to foster health and well-being through effective, accountable, and compassionate human services when awarded in any programs that authorize these priorities.

Consistent with ACF’s values, in carrying out any project that is funded under this NOFO, the recipient is required to adhere to the following principle:

1. Program Integrity and Fiscal Stewardship: Administer funds in accordance with all applicable federal statutes, regulations, and award conditions; maintain strong internal controls; and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.

The recipient is also required to adhere to the following principles when consistent with the authority and scope of the award and its activities:

2. Evidence-Based and Outcome-Focused Practices: Design and deliver services using evidence-based or evidence-informed approaches, establish measurable performance goals, and use data to monitor outcomes and drive continuous improvement.

3. Partnership and Local Leadership: Coordinate with state, tribal, territorial, local, and community partners, as appropriate, and tailor services to meet community-identified needs while respecting local decision-making authority.

In addition, in keeping with ACF’s priorities, the recipient must administer any project that is awarded under this NOFO in accordance with the following objectives when consistent with the scope of the award and its activities in programs that are authorized to advance them:

4. Family Stability and Child Well-Being: Strengthen families, promote safe and stable home environments, and improve outcomes for children and youth through prevention-focused and developmentally appropriate services.

5. Work, Self-Sufficiency, and Economic Mobility: Support pathways to employment, job retention, and economic independence for individuals and

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Build 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 9 https://acf.gov/about/acf-vision-mission-values families, including through workforce development, education, and supportive services.

6. High-Quality Early Care and Learning: Where applicable, invest in high-quality early childhood programs that support school readiness, healthy development, and long-term success.

The recipient must demonstrate ongoing compliance with these values and 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 enforcement actions consistent with federal grant regulations found at 2 CFR Part 200 and the terms and conditions of this award.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 10

Program description Program goals and objectives The Competitive PREP program addresses the following ACF Priorities:

• Promoting Work and Self-Sufficiency. The Competitive PREP NOFO aligns with the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) priority of promoting work and self-sufficiency by supporting programs that strengthen participants’ job readiness, career pathways, and access to employment opportunities.

The goal of the Competitive PREP program is to prevent adolescent pregnancy, reduce the risk of STIs, including HIV/AIDS, and promote successful transition of youth to adulthood. Projects should be targeted and holistic in approach.

It is important that PREP programs place a substantial emphasis on both abstinence and contraception to prevent adolescent pregnancy and STIs.

The following are objectives of the Competitive PREP program:

• Use best practices to replicate evidence-based effective programs or substantially incorporate elements of effective programs that are proven on the basis of rigorous scientific research to change behavior, which means delaying sexual activity, increasing condom and contraceptive use for sexually active youth, or reducing pregnancy among youth.

• Implement curricula that include medically accurate and complete information and are age- and culturally appropriate.

• Include activities to educate youth who are sexually active regarding responsible sexual behavior with respect to both abstinence and the use of contraception.

• Place substantial emphasis on both abstinence and contraception for the prevention of pregnancy among youth and sexually transmitted infections.

• Promote successful and healthy transition to adulthood through implementing at least three of the six adulthood preparation subjects.

• Provide prevention education to youth between the ages of 10 and 19 and/or pregnant and parenting youth under 21 years of age, who are at high risk for becoming pregnant or who have special circumstances, including youth in foster care, homeless youth, youth with HIV/AIDS, and youth residing in areas with high birth rates for youth.

Projects must address all the requirements detailed in the following subsections.

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Step 1: Review the Opportunity 11 https://acf.gov/about/acf-vision-mission-values#:~:text=for%20America%E2%80%99s%20children.-,Promoting%20Work%20and%20Self-Sufficiency,-Work%20is%20not

Abstinence and contraceptive education Programs must place substantial emphasis on both abstinence and contraception education to prevent pregnancy and STIs, including HIV/AIDS, among youth (42 U.S.C.

713 (b)(2)(A)(i), 713(b)(2)(B)(iv)).

Prioritizing the well-being of every young person should be the cornerstone of all programs. Projects should focus on equipping youth with the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed choices about their health, avoid risky behaviors, and maximize their potential for success.

Adulthood preparation subjects (APS) PREP statute requires all programs to include adulthood preparation subjects (APS).

The APS subjects are designed to support youth’s successful transition to adulthood.

Your project must address at least three of the following six APS:

• Healthy relationships, including marriage and family interactions.

• Adolescent development.

◦ Examples include healthy attitudes and values about adolescent growth and development, body image, racial and ethnic diversity, and other related subjects.

• Financial literacy.

• Parent-child communication.

• Educational and career success.

◦ Examples include developing skills for employment preparation, job seeking, independent living, financial self-sufficiency, and workplace productivity.

• Healthy life skills.

◦ Examples include goal setting, decision-making, negotiation, communication, interpersonal skills, and stress management.

Evidence-based programs or elements of effective programs PREP programs are required to replicate or incorporate elements of programs that have been shown to be effective in changing youths’ behavior.

PREP projects must use programs or models that address content requirements while meeting the needs of your chosen populations.

You should check with program model developers to clearly identify the essential or core components of the program models you use.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Build 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 12 https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:42%20section:713%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section713)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:42%20section:713%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section713)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true

When implementing models, recipients must ensure that such programs models have:

• Demonstrated effectiveness.

• Show how the selected program applies core curriculum components that have been found to be effective in delaying sexual activity until marriage, increasing condom or contraceptive use for sexually active youth, or reducing pregnancy among unmarried youth.

• Addressed your selected APS topics.

Fidelity and adaptations To increase the likelihood that your selected program model demonstrates the desired effectiveness or behavior change, you must ensure that it is implemented with fidelity to the original, evidence-based or effective program model. When a full program model is being implemented with fidelity, adaptations to the program should be minimal. Any component you add to an evidence-based program model must be appropriately integrated into it and should not alter the core components of that program model.

Developers who distribute evidence-based program models or curricula often 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 prior approval for proposed adaptations.

We encourage you to work with program developers to adapt evidence-based models or elements of evidence-based models that address the unique needs of the populations that you serve.

Medically accurate; age and culturally appropriate: PREP projects must be based on medically accurate and complete information and be age and culturally appropriate.

Medically accurate and complete: Project materials must be verified or supported by the weight of 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.

Age appropriate: Projects must provide age-appropriate information and activities.

Topics, messages, and teaching methods must be 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.

Culturally appropriate: The information and activities carried out under the program are provided in the cultural context that is most appropriate for individuals in the particular population group to which they are directed.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 13

The implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that prioritize services for one race, color, or national origin of youth participant over any other is not allowed unless authorized. Your program must ensure no discrimination based on race, color, or national origin of youth when accessing Competitive PREP funded services.

Referrals and connections to youth-friendly health care and other services Connections and referrals to health care and other services should be easy for youth to access. Your program should include referrals and service documentation to youth-friendly services such as:

• Educational services (such as tuition for formal K-12 or General Education Diploma classes).

• Career development.

• Counseling services (such as substance use disorder treatment, tobacco cessation, mental health counseling, and intimate partner violence counseling).

Referrals to outside agencies or contractors must not conflict with ACF published priorities unless authorized.

All referrals made with federal funds under this award or during program activities funded under this award must be related to activities authorized under the award.

Youth with foster care experience and pregnant or parenting youth are priority populations under the PREP statute due to their elevated risk of engaging in sexual risk behaviors and experiencing unintended pregnancy.

Delivering evidence-based pregnancy prevention programming and adult preparation subjects to these populations can address risk, including gaps in knowledge, relationship skills, and future planning. As part of the statutorily required comprehensive, medically accurate education, PREP may also provide information on parenting and adoption, along with available supports, so that youth are equipped to make informed decisions consistent with their goals and circumstances.

By strengthening youths’ capacity to form healthy relationships, make informed decisions, and effectively communicate within family contexts, PREP programming supports improved outcomes for both youth and their children. For pregnant and parenting youth in particular, these supports can enhance parenting stability and reduce risk factors associated with adverse outcomes.

Over time, these efforts contribute to interrupting intergenerational patterns of risk, including involvement in the child welfare system, by promoting stability, healthy development, and reduced rates of unintended pregnancy among populations as identified in statute.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 14

Age-Appropriate Information and Activities As required by the PREP authorizing legislation, all projects funded through this NOFO must provide information and activities that are age appropriate. See 42 U.S.C.

713(b)(2)(B)(v) . Grantees must ensure that topics, messages, and teaching methods are 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. See 42 U.S.C. 713 (e)(1) . Awards will be conditioned on a requirement that recipients ensure that all of their curricula, instructional materials, facilitator guides, participant materials, handouts, slides, videos, external links, examples, scenarios, prompts, role plays, demonstrations, activities, and other educational resources used in PREP-funded programming are age-appropriate for the specific youth population served.

Grant recipients must review their PREP-funded curricula and materials by age band before implementing their grant funded projects to ensure that all the activities and content and visuals, as well as the level of detail and teaching methods, are suitable for the intended age group. Grant recipients must submit the materials and any records documenting their review to ACF upon request.

Body Literacy Programs funded under this NOFO are expected to provide PREP programming that promotes body literacy education that is age-appropriate for adolescents to make informed and healthy decisions that advance optimal health.

Building on this goal, recipients are expected to incorporate sexual risk avoidance (SRA) education as a component of program delivery. SRA education provides adolescents with clear, evidence-informed information about the health and social benefits of avoiding sexual activity during adolescence, and supports young people in developing the knowledge, skills, and motivation to make risk-avoidance decisions consistent with their long-term well-being. Programs should draw on SRA curricula and frameworks that provide developmentally appropriate instruction on the risks associated with adolescent sexual activity, the benefits of delay, and strategies for resisting social pressure. SRA content should complement body literacy education by reinforcing connections between sexual decision-making, hormonal health, emotional well-being, and future reproductive outcomes.

Age-appropriate body literacy should help children understand normal growth, puberty, fertility, and how the body changes over time. Future-planning instruction may also help youth consider whether and when they may want to have children and how health, education, relationships, and life goals can support informed decisions about future parenthood.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Build 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 15 https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title%3A42%20section%3A713%20edition%3Aprelim)%20OR%20(granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title42-section713)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title%3A42%20section%3A713%20edition%3Aprelim)%20OR%20(granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title42-section713)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title%3A42%20section%3A713%20edition%3Aprelim)%20OR%20(granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title42-section713)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true

Online Safety All programs are expected to address online safety, harms of social media, and screen time advisory toolkits.

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

Grantees that implement funded projects in school settings must comply with these transparency and parental obligation principles, either directly or through documented measures to ensure that the school has complied with them, as these requirements are consistent with constitutional and statutory protections for religious liberty and parental rights. In Mahmoud v. Taylor, 606 U.S. 522 (2025), the Supreme Court reaffirmed that the government may not condition participation in a school program on a parent’s willingness to accept a burden on their religious exercise. Similarly, in Mirabelli v. Bonta, 607 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.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 16

Enforcement ACF may request curricula, program materials, facilitator guides, participant materials, external links, videos, lesson plans, documentation of age-appropriateness determinations, or related records at any time to determine compliance with this award condition, the PREP statutory requirements, and other applicable grant requirements.

If ACF determines that PREP-funded content is not age-appropriate for the youth population served, ACF may require the recipient to revise, remove, substitute, or age-segment the content; suspend use of specific materials; submit revised materials for review; provide additional documentation; implement facilitator training; or take other corrective action consistent with the terms and conditions of the award and applicable law. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in additional award conditions, disallowance of costs, withholding of funds, suspension or termination of the award, or other remedies available under applicable law and the terms and conditions of the award.

Age-Banded Review ACF has adopted criteria for the agency’s monitoring to enforce the statutory requirement that all PREP information and activities be age-appropriate, and those criteria are identified below as the point of reference for grant recipients when reviewing and monitoring their projects. These PREP age bands are generally consistent with developmental and educational frameworks used by CDC, WHO, UNESCO, and professional medical organizations. These PREP age divisions implement incremental, age- and developmentally appropriate instruction and recognize meaningful differences between late childhood, early adolescence, middle-to-late adolescence, and the transition to adulthood. They are as follows:

Ages 10–12 Parental Notification and Opt in For participants ages 10–12, PREP-funded content focuses on basic health, safety, puberty, personal boundaries, healthy friendships, respectful communication, and foundational decision-making skills.

Content for this age band may include basic puberty and body-change information, body literacy, general biological concepts presented in simple and non-graphic terms, personal boundaries, bodily autonomy, consent framed as respect and permission, and high-level information about pregnancy prevention and STIs without explicit sexual detail and MUST place substantial emphasis on abstinence.

Ages 13–14 Parental Notification and Opt In or Opt Out For participants ages 13–14, PREP-funded content may include more concrete

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 17 prevention, healthy relationships, and decision-making information, but must avoid graphic, explicit, or highly mature presentation.

Content for this age band may include puberty, biological concepts, body literacy, fertility, adolescent development, healthy relationships, respect, communication, boundaries, consent, coercion, peer pressure, help-seeking, pregnancy prevention concepts, basic contraceptive awareness where consistent with the approved curriculum and grant requirements, and basic STI/HIV prevention information.

Recipients must apply heightened review to any content for this age band that includes contraceptive information.

Ages 15–17 Parental Notification and Opt In or Opt Out For participants ages 15–17, PREP-funded content may include more detailed pregnancy prevention, STI/HIV prevention, relationship, consent, and decision-making information when medically accurate, tied to approved program objectives, and delivered in a manner suitable for the intended age group.

Content for this age band may include pregnancy prevention, STI/HIV prevention, risk avoidance, contraceptive information where consistent with program requirements, is medically accurate and promotes informed consent, healthy and unhealthy relationship dynamics, consent, coercion, pressure, sexual violence prevention, parent-child communication, protective behaviors, refusal and negotiation skills, future family planning and decision-making related to sexual health and relationships.

Ages 18+ Consent Form PREP-funded content may include prevention and relationship content within the youth age range, provided that the content is medically accurate, program-related, suitable for the setting, and consistent with the approved curriculum and grant requirements.

Content for this age band may include more detailed pregnancy prevention and STI/ HIV prevention information, contraceptive methods where consistent with program requirements, healthy relationships, consent, coercion, partner communication, risk reduction, sexual decision-making, and future family planning.

Recipients must apply heightened review to any content for this age band that includes sexual visuals, sexual scenarios, and external links to non-vetted materials.

Cross-Cutting Requirements for All Age Groups Regardless of age group, recipients must not use PREP-funded content that:

• Is not medically accurate and complete

• Is not connected to the approved program model or learning objective

• Uses explicit sexual content

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 18

• Include activities that require youth to simulate sexual conduct

• Uses detailed sexual scenarios or role playing

• Requires youth to disclose personal sexual experiences

• Uses shame, fear, coercion, or stigmatizing language

• Includes unvetted external links, videos, websites, or handouts

• Exposes younger youth to content intended for older adolescents

• Fails to provide appropriate facilitation, context, or safeguards

• Cannot be justified as suitable for the intended age group under the statutory age-appropriate standard

• Encourages sexual initiation or increasing sexual pleasure

All content MUST include abstinence and delay of sexual initiation.

In alignment with Medical Accuracy requirements and informed consent, any method-specific discussion of contraception must include health risks and potential side effects of any intervention, method, medication or procedure.

PREP requirements do not mandate live or simulated condom demonstrations. Any grantee proposing to conduct such a demonstration in schools must explicitly identify this intention in the advance notice of the materials to parents or guardians and offer them a meaningful opportunity to review program content prior to their child’s participation. The grantee must also have in place a clear process for parents and guardians to either opt their child in or a process to opt their child out of attending the condom demonstration or program in general. Any condom demonstration activity may also be subject to additional federal review. Grantees must continue providing medically accurate, complete, and age-appropriate education on abstinence and contraception and should be prepared to submit supporting curriculum materials and justification upon request.

All curricula must align with evidenced based research regarding sex as biologically determined and defined.

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Human trafficking universal education Human trafficking is a crime involving the exploitation of a person to perform labor or a commercial sex act through the use of force, fraud, or coercion. Per 22 U.S.C. 7102(11), the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 as amended, human trafficking (severe forms of trafficking in persons) means:

• Sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age.

OR

• The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.

Recipients are strongly encouraged to provide universal education on human trafficking to all program participants. Universal education provides information, safety messages, and resource connections to all individuals, regardless of disclosure or identified risk, to mitigate risk across the population served. This approach normalizes access to support, reduces stigma, and promotes early connection to services. Program staff should offer resources regardless of whether a participant discloses trafficking, and universal education should not be used to require or elicit disclosure. This approach may use or adapt existing tools and materials, with emphasis on the quality of the interaction and the provision of resources.

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Step 1: Review the Opportunity 20 https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-2012-title22-section7102&num=0&edition=2012

Validated Screening Tools for Human Trafficking of Children and Youth[1]

Tool identifier In-depth

Short/ Rapid

Demographic Environment

Commercial Sexual Exploitation-Identification Tool

X Ages 10+, sex trafficking only

Multiple settings, including child welfare and juvenile justice systems, schools, homeless youth shelters, healthcare, and mental health settings

Human Trafficking Screening Tool

X X Ages 18–24, sex trafficking only

Runaway and homeless youth system settings

Quick Youth Indicators for Trafficking

X Youth who are homeless, sex trafficking and labor trafficking

Service provider setting

Rapid Appraisal for Trafficking

X Ages 18+, sex trafficking and labor trafficking

Healthcare setting

Short Screen for Child Sex Trafficking

X Ages 12–18, sex trafficking only

Healthcare setting

Mandatory reporting Human trafficking of children (labor and sex trafficking) is now defined under “child abuse and neglect” in the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, Pub. L. 93-247.

Therefore, if a recipient identifies potential concerns of human trafficking, the recipient is required to comply with all federal, state, tribal, and local mandated reporting requirements in the same way the recipient reports abuse and neglect within that jurisdiction (child welfare, law enforcement, etc.).

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Build 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

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Success Sequence for Poverty Prevention To further these statutory goals, we encourage you to incorporate promoting the Success Sequence for Poverty Prevention in your program.

The Success Sequence teaches youth the importance and benefits of achieving three core steps to ensure successful financial, physical, and emotional outcomes in adulthood.

The steps include:

1. Graduating high school.

2. Getting a full-time job.

3. Getting married before having children.

Populations served Programs should collaborate with young people and their local communities.

Youth are defined as those who are 10 to 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.

Your project must be welcoming, non-stigmatizing, and accessible to all youth. Their participation must be voluntary.

You must provide PREP programming especially to youth who are at the highest risk for or vulnerable to pregnancies and STIs, including HIV/AIDS, or who have other special circumstances, such as:

• Youth in foster care.

• Youth experiencing homelessness.

• Youth living with HIV/AIDS.

• Pregnant and parenting youth who are under 21 years of age.

• Youth residing in areas with relatively high teen birth rates compared to all youth within the state or territory.

Your program should coordinate, communicate, and engage with community-based organizations whose mission is to reach such populations. Your program should also include staff development and training opportunities to increase knowledge of barriers such youth face and opportunities to address those barriers.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Build 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 22 https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:42%20section:713%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section713)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true

Positive youth development approach Incorporate a positive youth development (PYD) approach that ensures a young person has a sense of self-worth, belonging and membership, safe and structured settings, closeness in interpersonal relationships, positive adult role models, skills development, and opportunities to serve others. Any PYD approach utilized, including in any project curricula, products, or resources, must not be used in a way that conflicts with the ACF Vision, Mission, Values, Priorities, or Guiding Principles unless authorized by law, including any relevant court orders.

Trauma informed care PREP programs should consider the mental health needs of young people who have experienced maltreatment, abuse, or violence.

For youth with experiences of trauma, you should consider underlying skills, competencies, and attitudes that improve basic functioning across a range of life domains. For example, implementing effective programming that supports mental health, develops coping strategies, and increases protective factors in a youth’s life, can minimize negative risk-taking behaviors and increase their capacity to thrive.

PREP performance measures The performance measures must be Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved, and the purpose is to monitor and provide feedback about whether recipients are implementing PREP programs as intended and to demonstrate progress toward expected objectives.

All recipients and subrecipients, including their implementation sites, are required to collect and submit information on program implementation and program outcomes through a common set of PREP performance measures twice a year. This requirement applies to any community partners that agree to host a site or recruit program participants (such as school districts or nonprofits). Recipients are responsible for making sure all subrecipients and implementation sites collect and submit the PREP performance measures.

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

• Structure, cost, and support for program implementation.

• Attendance, reach, and dosage.

• Participants’ entry and exit surveys (which capture characteristics, behaviors, program experiences, and perceptions of effects).

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Build 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 23

FYSB will provide training on how to collect and submit data on performance measures.

For more information about the PREP performance measures, including definitions, survey instruments, and data collection tools, please visit the PREP Performance Evaluation website.

Note: Consistent with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C.3501-3521), under this NOFO, 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 0970-0139; expiration date April 30, 2029) under PRA to request and collect performance measures.

Local evaluation Local evaluations are optional. You may choose to conduct recipient-specific program evaluations of your Competitive PREP projects. Programs’ funding levels will not be affected if programs do not conduct a local evaluation. If you opt to conduct a local evaluation, it must:

• Be conducted by an independent evaluator.

• Answer important questions of interest to the program.

• Include an appropriate evaluation design.

• Meet expectations of rigor that FYSB provides through a system of technical assistance for recipients and their local evaluators.

Per FYSB’s Common Framework for Research and Evaluation, research must be credible, consistently implemented, applicable (beyond the grant itself), and neutral.

You 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:

• The impact of adding specific skills-based programming related to APS.

• The groups of adolescents reached (such as youth in foster care) and whether programming addresses the perceived needs of target populations.

• Determining the differential outcomes or impacts of programming that adheres to standard curricula versus programming with significant adaptations.

Among these and other FYSB-approved topics, programs may conduct descriptive and/ or impact studies on PREP implementation sites.