Competitive Personal Responsibility Education Program

The Competitive Personal Responsibility Education Program is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Administration for Children and Families, specifically the Family and Youth Services Bureau. This program is part of a broader federal initiative authorized under the Affordable Care Act to support evidence-based educational efforts aimed at reducing teen pregnancy and improving youth health outcomes. The program targets states and territories that have opted not to accept direct State PREP allocations, thereby creating an alternative competitive funding pathway for eligible local organizations and entities to deliver these services. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to support the development and implementation of comprehensive personal responsibility education programs for youth populations. These programs must serve individuals aged 10 to 19, as well as pregnant and parenting youth under the age of 21. Funded projects are required to deliver medically accurate and age-appropriate education on abstinence and contraception with the goal of preventing unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV/AIDS. In addition to these core topics, grantees must incorporate at least three adulthood preparation subjects, which may include healthy relationships, adolescent development, financial literacy, parent-child communication, educational and career success, and healthy life skills. Funding under this program is structured as discretionary grants, with an estimated total program funding level of ten million dollars distributed across approximately twenty-one awards. Individual awards are expected to range from two hundred fifty thousand dollars to four hundred fifty thousand dollars. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement associated with this opportunity, allowing recipients to fully utilize federal funds for program implementation. Funds are intended to support program design, curriculum delivery, staffing, outreach, evaluation, and other necessary operational costs aligned with program objectives. Eligible applicants include a wide range of organizational types such as nonprofit organizations, local governments, school districts, higher education institutions, tribal governments and organizations, housing authorities, and for-profit entities. However, eligibility is limited to organizations that demonstrate the capacity to implement PREP programs in jurisdictions that are not receiving state-level PREP funding for the fiscal year. Applications from individuals and foreign entities are explicitly disallowed. Faith-based and community-based organizations are permitted to apply provided they meet all eligibility criteria and program requirements. The application process is expected to open following the estimated posting date of May 31, 2026. Applications must be submitted electronically through the designated federal grants system no later than July 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. The review process will likely involve a merit-based evaluation assessing program design, organizational capacity, target population reach, and alignment with statutory requirements, although specific scoring criteria are not detailed in the forecast notice. Successful applicants are expected to receive award notifications by August 29, 2026, with project implementation beginning on or around September 30, 2026. Applicants are encouraged to prepare in advance by ensuring compliance with federal registration requirements and by developing comprehensive program plans that integrate both required educational components and adulthood preparation topics. For further information, applicants may contact the program representative via email or phone as provided in the opportunity listing. As this is a forecasted opportunity, additional details including full application instructions and evaluation criteria are expected to be released in the official funding announcement.

Ensure program includes required educational components and at least three adulthood preparation topics aligned with federal priorities