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

The Office of Population Affairs within the Department of Health and Human Services is soliciting applications for cooperative agreements to conduct rigorous impact evaluations of interventions aimed at promoting adolescent optimal health, preventing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, and addressing behavioral risk factors tied to these outcomes. The initiative seeks to fund approximately nine awards totaling up to $8.3 million over five years, with each award capped at $1.25 million, contingent upon final FY2027 federal budget appropriations. Applicants must design studies using randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental methods with comparison groups, ensuring evaluations are grounded in medically accurate, age-appropriate body literacy education and uphold transparency and parental rights, including advance notice of content and opt-out mechanisms. Proposals must align with criteria outlined in Appendix A, include at least one stated outcome from Appendix B, and be conducted under strict fidelity monitoring requiring annual review of at least 10% of intervention sessions and 100% of facilitators. The project timeline mandates formal partner agreements within six months, pilot testing within ten months, IRB approvals and full implementation readiness by the end of Year 1, study registration by Month 15, finalization of the analysis plan in Year 3, and submission of a complete implementation-ready intervention package by the end of the project period. Applications are evaluated under a merit review process weighted across six factors: significance of the intervention (40 points), research question and study design (15 points), methodology (15 points), implementation and project improvement (15 points), project management and dissemination plan (10 points), and budget clarity and alignment (5 points), for a total of 100 possible points. Applicants must pass three mandatory gates: responsiveness review, programmatic technical and compliance review, and risk assessment under 2 C.F.R. § 200.206, which includes evaluation of financial stability, management systems, past performance, audit history, and compliance capacity. All applicants must maintain active SAM.gov and Grants.gov registrations with a Unique Entity Identifier, certify legal and financial capacity via SF-424A, and comply with federal statutes including the False Claims Act, Program Fraud and Civil Remedies Act, Title VI, Title IX, Section 504, and the Age Discrimination Act. Human subjects research must adhere to 45 C.F.R. Part 46, with IRB approvals submitted within five days of issuance. Awards are subject to whistleblower protections, trafficking in persons compliance, HHS efficient spending policies,