Rigorously Evaluating Approaches to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Problematic Sexual Behavior among Youth
🏛 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA (HHS-CDC-HHSCDCERA)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 15, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for organizations seeking to fund rigorous research evaluating programs or policies that prevent child sexual abuse (CSA) or problematic sexual behavior (PSB) among youth. Eligible applicants typically include universities, research institutions, nonprofits, and government agencies with research capacity. Applications must propose evaluation of one of three research priorities: prevention in digital spaces, commercial sexual exploitation prevention, or organizational policy approaches in youth-serving settings. The research must use gold standard rigorous evaluation designs to strengthen evidence for primary prevention.
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Key dates
- Jul 10, 2026 Applications open
- Dec 1, 2026 Application deadline in 138 days
- Aug 29, 2027 Award announced
- Sep 30, 2027 Project start
Program description
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) is soliciting investigator-initiated gold standard research proposals to rigorously evaluate programs and policies for their impact on primary prevention of child sexual abuse (CSA) or problematic sexual behavior (PSB) among youth. For the purposes of this NOFO:
- CSA is defined as sexual victimization during childhood (younger than 18 years of age) perpetrated by an adult.
- PSB is defined as sexual behaviors among children (younger than 18 years of age) that are not developmentally appropriate and have the potential to cause harm to the child or children involved (including behaviors that are unintentionally harmful or inappropriate as well as behaviors intended to cause harm).
Research funded under this announcement will strengthen the evidence base for primary prevention of CSA and PSB.
Applicants must propose to rigorously evaluate a program or policy for primary prevention of CSA or PSB that addresses one of the following three research priorities:
- Programs or policies focused on primary prevention of CSA or PSB in digital spaces (e.g., downloading or possession of illegal images of children, nonconsensual image sharing, use of artificial intelligence to create fake explicit images of children);
- Programs or policies addressing the use of digital spaces for commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) or sex trafficking (e.g., online recruitment of minors for sexual content creation, online advertisements soliciting minors for commercial sex acts, using technology to facilitate in-person meetings with minors for the purpose of sex);
- Organizational policy approaches focused on primary prevention of CSA or PSB in youth-serving organizations (e.g., community centers, youth development organizations, juvenile residential care facilities, faith-based organizations, group foster care).
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
- 501(c)(3) Public Charity
- City / Municipal Government
- County Government
- Nonprofits
- Private University
- Public Authority
- Public K-12 School
- Public University
- Small Business (SBA-defined)
- Special District
- State Government
- Tribal Nation
- Tribal Organization
Demographic focus
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- Project Narrative/Research Proposal
- Budget and Budget Justification
- Curriculum Vitae (key personnel)
- Letters of Support (from partner organizations/sites)
- Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval or documentation of pending review
Program contact
- 👤 Dr. Candis M. Hunter
- 📧 ncipc_erpo@cdc.gov
- 📞 770-488-1347
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.136 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$34,000,000
-
$31,738,059
-
$30,693,766
-
$28,459,850
-
$28,222,200
-
$26,704,737
-
$26,450,431
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$26,071,385
-
$26,070,052
-
$25,767,710
Top States by Funding
- DC 6 awards $120.7M
- OH 5 awards $95.2M
- GA 4 awards $80.9M
- FL 4 awards $68.0M
- PA 3 awards $65.5M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.136). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $456,943,397 | |
| 2025 | $458,397,564 | |
| 2026 est. | $458,397,564 |
FAQ
What types of organizations can apply?
Universities, research institutions, nonprofit organizations, and government entities with research capacity and infrastructure are typically eligible. Check the full NOFO for specific eligibility criteria and any institutional requirements.
What is the funding range?
Approximately $400,000 per award. The total funding pool is $4,800,000, supporting approximately 12 awards.
What must my research focus on?
Your proposal must rigorously evaluate a program or policy addressing one of three areas: digital space prevention, commercial sexual exploitation/sex trafficking prevention, or organizational policies in youth-serving settings.
How competitive is this grant?
This is a highly competitive research grant. Strong applicants will have established research teams, prior evaluation experience, and feasible timelines for rigorous outcome measurement.
What does "gold standard" research mean?
It requires rigorous evaluation designs with strong comparison groups, validated measures, and robust data analysis to produce credible evidence of program impact.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Ground your proposal in evidence showing the problem is significant and your approach is likely to work. Reviewers want confidence in your theory of change.
- Build in realistic timelines for recruitment, data collection, and follow-up measurements. Rigorous research takes longer than you might initially estimate.
- Partner with implementation sites early and document their commitment. Evaluation research depends on stable access to program participants and data.
- Use validated measures for your primary outcomes whenever possible. Reviewers favor established instruments over newly developed ones.
- Clearly articulate how your findings will influence practice or policy. CDC funds research meant to inform real-world prevention efforts.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Proposing evaluation of an untested or preliminary program without sufficient baseline evidence. Underestimating the resources and time needed for rigorous evaluation, especially longitudinal follow-up. Failing to secure genuine commitment from implementation sites before submission.
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