Announcement of Availability of Funds for Providing Capacity Building Assistance to Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Grantees

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The goal of this FOA is to provide CBA to OAH-funded TPP grantees in five key priority areas. OAH currently funds 58 grantees to replicate evidence-based TPP programs(Tier 1)and 26 grantees to develop and evaluate new and innovative approaches to preventing teen pregnancy(Tier 2). CBA is defined as the transmission of knowledge and building of skills to enhance the ability of organizations to implement,evaluate,and sustain TPP programs. CBA can encompass diverse strategies and approaches,including but not limited to,training and follow-up support, technical assistance, coaching, mentoring, peer-to-peer support, syntheses of available research and best practices, development of resources and tools, and virtual learning. Each application will address one priority area to provide CBA. (1) Program Implementation – includes, but is not limited to, program planning, using an implementation science framework, maintaining fidelity when implementing an evidence-based or evidence-informed program, adapting evidence-based TPP programs, recruitment and retention of youth and their families to participate in TPP programs, ensuring quality implementation, strategies for effectively engaging youth and families, reaching vulnerable populations (e.g., youth in out-of-home care, youth in juvenile detention, runaway and homeless youth, expectant and parenting teens), and using data to make decisions. (2) Community Mobilization and Sustainability – includes, but is not limited to, mobilizing the community to support the TPP program, effectively engaging a Community Advisory Group and Youth Leadership Council, developing and implementing a plan for sustainability that addresses the 8 key factors included in the OAH Sustainability Framework - Create an Action Plan, Assess the Environment, Be Adaptable, Secure Community Support, Integrate Programs and Services, Build a Team of Leaders, Create Strategic Partnerships, and Secure Diverse Financial Opportunities.(3) Implementing Programs in a Safe and Supportive Environment for Youth & their Families – includes, but is not limited to, creating safe spaces for program implementation, ensuring programs are culturally and linguistically appropriate, ensuring programs are inclusive and affirming of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) youth, using a trauma-informed approach in TPP programs, and applying Positive Youth Development practices when interacting with youth.(4) Establishing and Maintaining Linkages and Referrals to Youth-Friendly Health Care Services – includes, but is not limited to, identifying and recruiting organizations who provide youth-friendly healthcare services, assessing organizations to ensure services are youth friendly and accessible, developing protocols and procedures for making referrals, developing and disseminating a referral guide, training program staff to make referrals, and assessing the outcomes of the referrals and linkages made.(5) Communication and Dissemination – includes, but is not limited to, developing strategic dissemination and communications plans, identifying key stakeholder audiences, assessing communication preferences of program stakeholders, developing key messages, developing communications strategies and products to match stakeholder needs and preferences, sharing success stories, packaging programs to be implementation ready, publishing and presenting program results and lessons learned, and effectively managing controversy.Over the five-year project period, the national CBA providers are expected to (1) assess the CBA needs of all OAH-funded TPP grantees, (2) develop an annual coordinated CBA plan (3) provide CBA to the TPP grantees using diverse approaches that are designed to best meet the needs of the grantees, (4) evaluate the CBA provided and make continuous quality improvements, and (5) disseminate CBA products, lessons learned, etc. The priorities,content,and approach for CBA may differ across TPP grantees. All TPP grantees are expected to receive some level of CBA from each of the national CBA providers each year, but the type of CBA and level of intensity is expected to vary depending on the needs of the individual grantee. OAH expects that each national CBA provider will provide three levels of CBA to the TPP grantees: (1) Low-intensity - designed to meet the needs of all or most TPP grantees; likely to be delivered over a short period of time and/or in a format that is designed for immediate use.(2) Medium-intensity - more targeted, focused CBA that is designed to address a specific topic or is tailored for a smaller subset of TPP grantees.(3) High-intensity – individualized CBA that is designed and tailored to address a specific grantee need; likely to occur through multiple interactions and over a longer period of time for a small number of grantees. OAH will fund five cooperative agreements, each of which will provide CBA in one of the five priority areas. OAH will not fund more than one cooperative agreement per priority area. Funded national CBA providers will be expected to coordinate and collaborate with each other and with OAH to assess grantee needs and develop annual coordinated CBA plans. In addition, the applicant funded to provide CBA in the area of program implementation will be designated as the lead national CBA provider and will be responsible for ensuring coordination and collaboration across the five funded organizations. The program implementation national CBA provider can apply for up to an additional $75,000 to fulfill the additional leadership expectations.

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