Affordable Care Act (ACA) Personal Responsibility Education Program

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 (ST

The program supports prevention education services for youth ages 10 to 19, to include special populations of youth who are at risk for teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Such populations include youth in foster care and juvenile justice systems, victims of human trafficking, and youth in runaway or homeless situations. The program also provides participants with education on at least three of six adulthood preparation topics (adolescent development, healthy life skills, healthy relationships, parent-child communication, financial literacy, and career and educational success) to support successful transition to adulthood.

This program has a total annual appropriation of $75,000,000 from which funds in the amount of $55,250,000 are allocated annually to fund 59 states and territories to enable them to carry out Personal Responsibility Education Programs (PREP). Eligible applicants include the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. States or territories that did not apply for and receive funding in FY 2010 or 2011, are no longer eligible to apply for this program for the five-year project period and their allotments are made available as Competitive PREP grants to community-based organizations for the same State or territory. Competitive PREP 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, New Hampshire, American Samoa, and Marshall Islands. Funds ($10,000,000) were reserved to award PREP Innovative Strategies (PREIS) grants to entities to implement innovative youth pregnancy prevention strategies and target services to high-risk, vulnerable, and culturally under-represented youth populations. Funds ($3,250,000) were reserved for Tribal PREP grants to Indian tribes and tribal organizations. Funds ($6,500,000) were reserved for program support that may be provided directly or through a competitive award process. Program support includes research, training and technical assistance, providing consultation and resources on a broad array of teen pregnancy prevention strategies, and developing materials to support grant activities. Funds shall also be reserved to evaluate PREP programs and activities.

PREP projects provide services to adolescents and young adults. Applicants are encouraged to serve youth populations who are the highest risk or vulnerable for pregnancies or otherwise have special circumstances, including youth in and aging of out foster care, homeless youth, youth with HIV/AIDS, victims of human trafficking, pregnant youth who are under 21 years of age, parenting youth who are under 21 years of age, and youth residing in areas with high birth rates for youth.

A signed letter from the authorized representative must accompany each application; it should include documentation establishing the authorized representative's authority to apply for and administer the PREP grant program funds on behalf of the State or Territory. For other funding available under this Assistance Listing number, non-profit organizations applying for funding are required to submit proof of their non-profit status. Applicants must include the most recent pregnancy data for the State for youth ages 10 to 14 and youth ages 15-19, the most recent birth rates among the same age groups, and trends in those rates for the most recently preceding 5-year period for which data are available.

The purpose of this program is to carry out personal responsibility education programs designed to educate adolescents on both abstinence and contraception for the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.

Funds allotted to states and territories for a fiscal year shall remain available for expenditure through the end of the second succeeding fiscal year. The project period for State PREP awards is for three years. Competitive PREP awards are available over a 36-month project period. PREIS awards were funded through cooperative agreements over a 60-month project period. Tribal PREP awards are discretionary awards with a 60-month project period.

The PREP program includes formula and competitive awards to a range of entities for which Notices of Funding Opportunities are published. Applicants for competitive programs may find and apply to Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) on https://www.grants .gov. State PREP, a formula grant program, recipients submitted an application in FY2010 or FY2011. Applications, to include state plans, were rated "Approved" or "Approved with Conditions" by Program Administrators. States that received an "Approved" rating were issued awards without a requirement to submit additional information. States submitting state plans that were "Approved with Conditions" received grant awards with a request to submit documentation to address areas of weakness as noted in the review process. States and territories that applied for and were awarded FY2010 or FY2011 funds submitted a letter of intent in order to receive their FY2023 and FY2024 awards.

Funded State programs must replicate evidence-based, effective programs or strategies that 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. The programs must include activities to educate youth who are sexually active regarding responsible sexual behavior with respect to both abstinence and the use of contraception. Such activities should teach "adulthood preparation" subjects including healthy relationships, adolescent development, financial literacy, parent-child communication, educational and career success, and healthy life skills. The programs must: be medically-accurate and complete; 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; and must provide age-appropriate information and activities. The information and activities carried out under the program must be provided in the cultural context that is most appropriate for individuals in the particular population group to which they are directed. REQUIREMENTS OF INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES PROJECTS: Proposals are funded based on how effectively they can develop, replicate, refine, and test innovative strategies for preventing teenage pregnancy. Programs must be medically accurate, age appropriate, and target services to identified vulnerable and at-risk populations. The programs must include activities to educate youth who are sexually active regarding responsible sexual behavior with respect to both abstinence and the use of contraception. Such activities should teach "adulthood preparation" subjects including healthy relationships, adolescent development, financial literacy, parent-child communication, educational and career success, and healthy life skills. Funded projects are expected to generate lessons learned so others can benefit from these strategies and innovative approaches and increase the capacity of communities to develop, implement, and evaluate interventions for dissemination and replication by others. Funded projects must show that the proposed intervention is: (a) based on some preliminary evidence of effectiveness; (b) a significant adaptation of an evidence-based program; or (c) is a new and innovative approach to teenage pregnancy prevention with a sound basis in research. REQUIREMENTS OF TRIBAL PROJECTS: Criteria for Tribal projects were developed by the Secretary, in consultation with Indian Tribes and Tribal Organizations that were deemed appropriate. Tribal PREP funding is directed toward the development of culturally appropriate comprehensive teen pregnancy prevention programs that incorporate medically accurate approaches replicating effective programs or elements of programs that have been demonstrated to change behavior. Tribal PREP focuses on the same fundamental requirements as the State PREP projects-the education of youth on both abstinence and contraception and on other adulthood preparation subjects with the goal of preventing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS. Funds support PREP efforts that are dedicated to the development of comprehensive, high quality interventions and services that rely on the best available research evidence to inform and guide practice. Since there are few studies of teen pregnancy prevention programs targeting youth in Tribal communities, adaptation and innovation are important. Further, programs that currently serve Native youth have not been rigorously evaluated and may not offer strong models for replication. Tribes and tribal organizations are encouraged, therefore, to adapt evidence-based (EB) models (or elements of EB models) that address the unique cultural needs of their communities. Adaptation must retain core elements of proven effective programs. REQUIREMENTS OF COMPETITIVE PREP PROJECTS: Competitive PREP funds support projects that educate youth between the ages of 10 and 19, and pregnant and parenting youth, under age 21, on abstinence and contraception for teen prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS. Applicants must also provide programming on at least three of six adulthood preparation subjects that are discussed in the published FOA. Further PREP funding is directed toward the development of comprehensive, teen pregnancy prevention programs that incorporate medically accurate approaches, while replicating evidence-based programs or elements of programs that have been demonstrated to change behavior. FYSB's Competitive PREP funding supports efforts that are dedicated to the development of comprehensive, culturally appropriate interventions and services that rely on the best available research to inform and guide practice.

There are 50 State PREP recipients. In FY2025, it's anticipated states and territories will submit a letter of intent to receive awards. For discretionary awards, each application is reviewed against four factors: eligibility, the application deadline, required electronic submission or waiver requested and approved, and the Award Ceiling. If the application does not meet all of these factors, then it is disqualified from the merit review process. After the initial review, applications are reviewed and evaluated by merit review panels using only the criteria described in the Application Review section of the NOFO. Each panel is composed of experts with knowledge and experience in the area under review. Generally, review panels include three reviewers and one chairperson. While merit review scores and their ranking are not binding, ACF does consider them when selecting projects for funding. Scores and rankings are only one element used in the award decision-making process. Other criteria are explained in the Program Description section and in the Application Review section of the NOFO. For example, ACF may reserve the right to consider preferences to fund organizations serving emerging, unserved, or under-served populations, including those populations located in pockets of poverty. In addition, ACF reserves the right to evaluate applications in the larger context of the overall portfolio by considering the geographic distribution of federal funds (e.g., ensuring coverage of states, counties, or service areas) in its pre-award decisions. ACF may elect not to fund applicants with management or financial problems that would indicate an inability to successfully complete the proposed project. In addition, ACF may elect to not allow a prime recipient to subaward if there is any indication that they are unable to properly monitor and manage subrecipients. Applications may be funded in whole or in part. Successful applicants may be funded at an amount lower than requested.

See the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for deadline information.

A competitively funded PREP recipient may request non-competing continuation awards in subsequent budget periods of the designated project period. Non-competing continuations will be issued based on availability of funds, satisfactory progress, compliance with grant terms and conditions and a determination that continuation funding is in the best interest of the federal government. For the State PREP formula grants, after the initial award, states can submit a letter of intent to receive subsequent annual awards throughout the five-year award cycle.

There is no appeal process for unsuccessful applicants. For existing recipients, appeals regarding disputes may take place in accordance with 45 CFR Part 16, subject to the limitations of the Appendix A.