U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Phase I Replicating Programs (Tier 1) Effective in the Promotion of Healthy Adolescence and the Reduction of Teenage Pregnancy and Associated Risk Behaviors

The Phase I Replicating Programs (Tier 1) Effective in the Promotion of Healthy Adolescence and the Reduction of Teenage Pregnancy and Associated Risk Behaviors Program aims to replicate and scale up programs that include the protective factors shown to be effective in the prevention of risk behaviors, including teen pregnancy. The goal is to promote healthy adolescence and to address youth sexual risk holistically or across the interrelated factors that promote optimal health and result in healthy decision-making and teen pregnancy prevention. The Office of Adolescent Health is requesting proposals for two funding opportunities: Tier 1 and Tier 2. Tier 1 grantees must replicate a proven program; Tier 2 grantees are required to test new and innovative strategies.

The Tier 1 program will fund projects that replicate one of the following effective programs: 1) The Center for Relationship Education’s Systematic Method for Assessing Risk-Avoidance Tool (SMARTool) or 2) the Tool to Assess the Characteristics of Effective Sex and STD/HIV Education Programs, developed by ETR (Education, Training and Research) Associates. Strategies to address protective factors can take a risk avoidance approach or a risk reduction approach. Replications should be conducted to address the key elements of effective programs recognized by social science research to affect adolescent risk behaviors. Curriculum must be selected, with necessary adaptations made or supplementary materials presented in tandem with an established curriculum, to address and replicate each of the elements in one of the two programs:

1. Systematic Method for Assessing Risk-Avoidance Tool describes nine elements essential for effective sexual risk avoidance: 1) enhance knowledge of physical development and sexual risks and personal relationships; 2) support personal attitudes and beliefs that value sexual risk avoidance; 3) acknowledge and address common rationalizations for sexual activity; 4) improve perception and independence from negative peer and social norms; 5) build personal competencies and self-efficacy to avoid sexual risk; 6) strengthen personal intention and commitment to avoid sexual activity; 7) identify and reduce the opportunities for sexual activity; 8) strengthen future goals and opportunities; and 9) partner with parents.

2. Tool to Assess the Characteristics of Effective Sex and STD/HIV Education Programs describes 17 elements of effective sexual risk reduction projects: 1) involve multiple people with different backgrounds; 2) assess relevant needs and assets of a target group; 3) use a logic model approach to develop the curriculum that specified the health goals, behaviors affecting the health goals, risk and protective factors affecting those behaviors, and activities addressing the risk and protective factors; 4) design activities consistent with community values and available resources; 5) pilot-test the project and contents of the curriculum; 6) focus on clear health goals; 7) focus narrowly on specific behaviors leading to the health goals; 8) address multiple sexual psychosocial risk and protective factors affecting sexual behaviors; 9) create a safe social environment for youth to participate; 10) include multiple activities to change each of the selected risk and protective factors; 11) employ instructionally sound teaching methods that actively involve participants and are designed to change risk and protective factors; 12) employ activities, instructional methods, and behavioral messages that are appropriate to youths’ culture, developmental age, and sexual experience; 13) cover topics in a logical sequence; 14) secure at least minimal support from appropriate authorities; 15) select educators, train them, and provide monitoring, supervision, and support; 16) if needed, implement activities to recruit and retrain youth and overcome barriers to their involvement; and 17) implement virtually all activities with reasonable fidelity.

While recognizing that approaches may lie along a continuum between the two programs detailed above:

• Projects that identify as risk reduction, should replicate the Tool to Assess the Characteristics of Effective Sex and STD/HIV Education Programs
• Projects that identify as risk avoidance are expected to replicate the Systematic Method for Assessing Risk-Avoidance Tool
• Projects that are on a continuum between the two programs may select either of the two programs

Amount: A total of $61,000,000 is available to make 270 awards that range from $200,000-$500,000 per budget period over a two year project period (two budget periods).

Eligibility: Nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)3 status; for-profit organizations; small, minority, and women-owned businesses; universities and colleges; research institutions; hospitals; community-based organizations; faith-based organizations; American Indian/Alaska Native tribal governments; American Indian/Alaska Native tribally designated organizations; Alaska native health corporations; urban Indian health organizations; tribal epidemiology centers; state and local governments or their Bona Fide Agents; and political subdivisions of states.

Applicants must serve, at a minimum, a population(s) within the community that has a teen birth rate, STD rate, sexual activity rate, or other measure of sexual risk that is either at or above the national average, as published in a current federal report or one that has not experienced a decline commensurate with national declines based on government reports.

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=302757

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