HHS-2026-ACF-ACYF-CY-0159 FY2026 Runaway Homeless Youth Training, Technical Assistance, and Capacity Building Center (RHYTTAC)

The Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau announces the availability of funds under the Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE) Program. The purpose of the SRAE Program is to fund projects to implement sexual risk avoidance education that teach participants how to voluntarily refrain from non-marital sexual activity. The services are targeted to participants that reside in areas with high rates of teen births and/or are at greatest risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The goals of SRAE are to empower participants to make healthy decisions, and provide tools and resources to prevent pregnancy, STIs, and youth engagement in other risky behaviors. Successful applicants are expected to submit program plans that agree to: 1) use medically accurate information referenced to peer-reviewed publications by education, scientific, governmental or health organizations; 2) implement sexual risk avoidance curricula and/or strategies with an evidence-based approach to integrate research findings with practical implementation that aligns with the needs and desired outcomes for the intended audience; and 3) teach the benefits associated with self-regulation, success sequencing for poverty prevention, healthy relationships, goal setting, and resisting sexual coercion, dating violence, and other youth risk behaviors such as underage drinking or illicit drug use without normalizing teen sexual activity.

The Title V Competitive SRAE program competitively funds projects to implement sexual risk avoidance education that teaches youth ages 10-19 how to voluntarily refrain from non-marital sexual activity. Projects must: 1) use medically accurate information referencing peer-reviewed publications by educational, scientific, governmental, or health organizations; 2) implement an evidence-based approach integrating research findings with practical strategies that align with the needs and desired outcomes for the intended audience; 3) teach the benefits associated with personal responsibility, self-regulation, goal setting, healthy decision making, and a focus on the future; 4) discourage sexual coercion, dating violence, and other youth risk behaviors such as underage drinking or illicit drug use; 5) be culturally appropriate, recognizing the experiences of youth from diverse communities, backgrounds, and experiences; 6) normalize avoiding non-marital sexual activity; and 7) be age-appropriate. This opportunity supports the development and implementation of such projects in states that do not accept FY 2026 allocations for Title V State SRAE.

Tribal PREP competitively funds projects that educate American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth ages 10-19, and expectant and parenting youth under age 21, on both abstinence and contraception for the prevention of pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and HIV and promote successful transition of youth to adulthood through education on key adulthood preparation subjects (APS). Projects must implement at least three of the six congressionally mandated APS which include: 1) healthy relationships, 2) adolescent development, 3) financial literacy, 4) parent-child communication, 5) educational and career success, and 6) healthy life skills. Additionally, projects must 1) replicate evidence-based effective programs or substantially incorporate elements of effective programs that have been proven on the basis of rigorous scientific research to change behavior within the AI/AN tribal communities, which means delaying sexual activity, increasing condom or contraceptive use for sexually active youth, or reducing pregnancy among youth; 2) be medically-accurate and complete; 3) provide age-appropriate information and activities; and, 4) be provided in the cultural context that is most appropriate for AI/AN youth.