The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA) announces that it will be soliciting applications for the competitive award of grants that support “healthy marriage promotion” activities, including relationship

credit:

education, parenting, and job and career advancement activities as authorized under 42 U.S.C.

§ 603(a)(2).

The Relationships, Education, Advancement, and Development for Youth for Life (READY4Life) grants will be targeted exclusively to youth, for projects designed to support healthy relationships and marriage, including the value of marriage in future family formation and skills-based healthy relationship and marriage education.

Additionally, grants will support activities including parenting (for young fathers and mothers, as applicable), financial management, job and career advancement, and other activities.

Projects must be targeted to youth, specified as individuals in high school (grades 9-12), or that are high-school aged or in late adolescence and early adulthood (ages 14 to 24).

Applicants must submit proposals designed for youth as specified.

Applicants will be strongly encouraged to design programs targeted to one specific program model for one specific service population – e.g., youth in general high school settings, youth aging out of foster care, or youth who are parents– but not multiple models for multiple populations.

Grants awarded will support family formation and strengthening activities through one or more of three healthy marriage promotion activities specified under the authorizing legislation:
(1) marriage and relationship education/skills (MRES); (2) education in high schools; and (3) public advertising campaigns.

ACF is interested in funding a diverse range of projects, from high impact projects, to moderate scope projects, to smaller scope projects.

Applicants must provide evidence of organizational capacity to implement their proposed project.