While significantly cutting abstinence-only programs, the Obama Administration has also signaled the importance of addressing the inter-related health needs of adolescents by establishing the Office of Adolescent Health (OAH), charged with coordinating all activities within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services “related to adolescent health promotion and disease prevention.” The office is responsible for implementing and administering “a new discretionary grant program to support evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention approaches” (OAH).

At least $75 million is slated for replicating evidence-based programs that have been proven effective to reduce teenage pregnancy behavioral risk factors underlying teenage pregnancy, and at least $25 million for testing additional models and innovative strategies.

OAH has already released three Funding Opportunity Announcements: Tier 1 for evidence-based programs, Tier 2 for innovative approaches, and Tier 3 for community-wide approaches.