Rigorous Impact Evaluation of Programs to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and Achieve Optimal Health | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the Rigorous Impact Evaluation of Programs to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and Achieve Optimal Health grant?

This is a discretionary federal funding opportunity from the Office of Population Affairs (OPA), within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health. It supports projects that conduct rigorous impact evaluations of promising interventions intended to improve adolescent health outcomes, with a central emphasis on identifying what works to prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), reduce behavioral risk factors that contribute to teen pregnancy, and address other related risk factors that affect adolescent well-being.

What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?

The main purpose is to build credible evidence about intervention effectiveness. Funded projects are expected to use rigorous evaluation methods to estimate causal impacts and to produce findings and implementation lessons that can be replicated by adolescent health practitioners and youth-serving professionals in other settings.

What outcomes or focus areas does OPA prioritize in this grant?

Based on the opportunity description, the focus includes: preventing teen pregnancy, preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs), reducing behavioral risk factors that contribute to teen pregnancy, and addressing other related risk factors affecting adolescent well-being. The notice also emphasizes adolescent optimal health with a focus on body literacy, along with transparency and the protection of parental rights.

What kinds of projects are intended to be funded?

Projects that conduct rigorous impact evaluations of promising interventions. The interventions are described as promising but not yet definitively proven, and applicants are invited to test them using research designs strong enough to credibly estimate causal effects.

Is this grant for delivering services, or for research and evaluation?

The opportunity is explicitly framed around rigorous impact evaluation. While an intervention may be implemented as part of the project, success is described as producing high-quality, transferable evidence about effectiveness, including clear documentation of what was implemented, for whom, under what conditions, and what outcomes resulted.

What type of award is this (grant vs. cooperative agreement)?

Awards will be made as cooperative agreements. This typically means recipients should expect substantial federal involvement beyond standard grant monitoring, which may include collaboration on evaluation design, implementation oversight, and dissemination expectations.

What does "substantial federal involvement" mean for awardees?

The notice signals that OPA may be involved beyond routine monitoring. Examples mentioned include collaboration on evaluation design, oversight related to implementation, and expectations around dissemination of results. The specific level and form of involvement would be consistent with the cooperative agreement structure described in the opportunity.

What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) and CFDA listing for this program?

The Funding Opportunity Number is AH TP2 26 001, and the CFDA listing is 93.297.

How much funding is expected to be available, and how many awards will be made?

OPA anticipates making roughly 8.3 million dollars available in FY 2026 to support about nine awards.

What is the maximum award amount per project?

The maximum award amount (ceiling) listed is 1,250,000 dollars.

How long can projects last under this opportunity?

Projects may last up to five years.

When is the application deadline?

The application deadline (original closing date) is July 23, 2026.

Is the funding amount guaranteed as stated?

No. While the program is announced for FY 2026, the notice states that final funding levels depend on the enactment of the FY 2027 federal budget. That means the exact amount ultimately available could change.

Who is eligible to apply?

The opportunity is open to a wide range of applicants, including: state, county, and local governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and other entities as allowed under the notice.

Are U.S. Territories eligible or within scope?

Yes. The description indicates applicability to U.S. Territories, signaling that territorial entities are within scope for participation.

Are small businesses eligible to apply?

The eligibility list includes "for-profit organizations other than small businesses," which indicates that small businesses are not included in that for-profit eligibility category as described in the provided information.

What is meant by "rigorous impact evaluation" in the context of this grant?

The opportunity emphasizes evaluation designs strong enough to credibly estimate causal impacts. In practical terms, that means the evaluation approach should be capable of determining whether observed outcome changes are attributable to the intervention being tested, rather than to other factors.

Does the program only fund interventions that are already proven?

No. A defining feature is that applicants are invited to test interventions that are considered promising but not yet definitively proven, using rigorous methods to determine impact.

What is expected regarding dissemination of results?

Dissemination is explicitly tied to the grant purpose. OPA wants funded projects to share research results and lessons learned so they can inform future studies and practical decision-making. The opportunity frames success as producing transferable evidence and clear implementation documentation that others can use.

What kinds of deliverables or documentation does OPA appear to want?

Based on the description, OPA is seeking (1) credible findings about whether the intervention works, and (2) implementation lessons and documentation describing what was implemented, for whom, under what conditions, and what outcomes resulted, so that the work can be replicated or adapted in other settings.

What is the overarching goal of the competition?

The overarching goal is to strengthen the evidence base around interventions that promote adolescent optimal health, with attention to body literacy, transparency, and protection of parental rights, and to identify what works to prevent teen pregnancy and STIs and reduce related behavioral and other risk factors.