The Department of Health and Human Services will be releasing several youth-related requests for proposals in the spring of 2015. Below are selected grants of interest to The Chronicle and its readership.
The Department of Health and Human Services is planning on making 38 awards for the Street Outreach Program. The Department is looking for contractors to provide street-based services to runaway, homeless and street youth who have been subjected to, or are at risk of being subjected to, sexual abuse, prostitution, or sexual exploitation.
The goal is to meet youth on the street where they congregate to provide assistance in housing and making healthy choices.
Expected funding: $4.7 million.
Eligibility: Open
Expected amount: $90,000-$200,000
Estimated post date: 3/2/15
Estimated application due date: 5/4/15
National Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood Quality Assurance
The Department is looking for a contractor to create a National Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood Quality Assurance. The center will disseminate high-quality research-informed resources and provide training and technical assistance to state child care agencies, Head Start/Early Head Start agencies, and other early care and education settings across regions, states, tribes and territories.
Eligibility: Open
Expected amount: $2.5 million
Estimated post date: 3/30/15
Estimated application due date: 6/30/15
National Center on Parent, Family and Community Engagement
The Department of Health and Human Services is planning on awarding one grant to create a National Center on Parent, Family and Community Engagement.
The center will promote family well-being, effective family and community engagement, and children’s school readiness. The Center will help programs support pregnant women and families with children ages birth to five years-old.
The Center’s work will include, but will not be limited to, integrated and systemic family engagement approaches, relationship-building practices with families, consumer education, family leadership, family financial stability, and individualized support for families facing adversity.
Eligibility: Open. Eligible applicants may apply on their own or as the lead applicant for a consortium.
Expected amount: $5.5 million – $6 million
Estimated post date: 3/30/15
Estimated application due date: 6/30/15
The Department of Health and Human Services is planning on awarding one grant to run the national domestic violence hotline.
The grantee will operate a 24-hour, national, toll-free telephone hotline that will:
- Provide information and assistance to adult and youth victims of family violence, domestic violence, or dating violence, family and household members of such victims, and persons affected by the victimization
- Provide assistance and referrals for youth victims of domestic violence and for victims of dating violence who are minors, which may be carried out through a national teen dating violence hotline
- Provide digital services including chatting and texting as needed to fill the needs of certain users
- Commit to diversity and ensure the provision of services to underserved populations, including ethnic, racial, and non-English speaking minorities, in addition to older individuals and individuals with disabilities including those with hearing impairments
- Provide services that include crisis intervention, safety planning, counseling, information and referral (including direct connection to service providers)
- Utilize skilled and knowledgeable staff and show a commitment to diversity
- Demonstrate that it has a record of high quality service to victims of family violence, domestic violence, or dating violence, including a demonstration of support from advocacy groups and State Domestic Violence Coalitions.
Eligibility: Open
Expected amount: $4.1 million
Estimated post date: 3/9/15
Estimated application due date: 5/8/15
Competitive Abstinence Education Program
The Department of Health and Human Services is planning on awarding 10 grants to implement the Competitive Abstinence Education Program (CAE).
HHS will be releasing an RFP for the implementation of the Competitive Abstinence Education Program (CAE). The program will focus on the social, psychological, and health gains to be realized by delaying initiation of sexual activity and engaging in healthy relationships.
Grantees under this program will be expected to develop a targeted and medically accurate approach to reducing teen pregnancies through abstinence education.
Grantees must agree not to provide any other education regarding sexual conduct to adolescent participants.
Estimated funding: $4.6 million.
Eligibility: Open
Expected amount: $200,000-$700,000
Estimated post date: 5/1/15
Estimated application due date: 6/30/15
Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Head Start Graduate Student Research Grants
HHS will be releasing an RFP for research proposals for Head Start Graduate Student Research Grants to support dissertation research by advanced graduate students who are working in partnership with Head Start programs and with faculty mentors. The department expects to make six awards.
Competitive applicants will:
- Demonstrate a collaborative partnership with their program partners
- Pursue research questions that directly inform local, state, or federal policy relevant to early care and education practice.
Applicants are expected to demonstrate an established partnership with their early care and education program partners that should be apparent throughout the research plan, from development and refinement of the research questions through the proposed data collection, interpretation, and dissemination.
Estimated funding: $150,000, and six grantees are estimated to receive awards.
Eligibility: Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education
Expected amount: $20,000- $25,000
Estimated post date: 3/10/15
Estimated application due date: 6/08/15
Judith Fenlon is editor of the Money & Business section of The Imprint.