National Training Center (NTC) for Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) – AH-TPS-26-001: QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Applications are due on Friday, July 10, 2026, by 6 p.m. ET.

No. Since this is a competitive funding announcement, OPA cannot provide input regarding the content of individual grant applications and is therefore unable to answer questions specific to the content of an application.

Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the NOFO and should put forward the best proposal the organization can create based on application and evaluation criteria published in the announcement.

Any amendments, updates, or Q&A documents will be posted on Grants.gov for this opportunity. Applicants are strongly encouraged to subscribe to this opportunity on Grants.gov to receive automatic notifications of any updates. The opportunity can be found on Grants.gov.

• About the TPP Program
• Current TPP Grant Recipients

Any public or private (profit or nonprofit) entity located in a State (which includes one of the 50 United States, District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands) is eligible to apply for an award under this announcement. Faith-based organizations and American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native American (AI/AN/NA) organizations that are public or private entities are eligible to apply. See pages 2-3 of the NOFO for examples of eligible organizations.

Grants are awarded to organizations rather than individuals. An application may be submitted by an individual authorized to act/sign for an organization and to assume the obligations imposed by the grant and any additional conditions of the grant. However, the award will not go directly to an individual but to the organization which the individual represents.

Yes. More than one entity may choose to work together on a project under this opportunity, but only one entity may submit the application. If awarded, that entity will be the award recipient and will be responsible for conducting the project. The other entities may participate in the project, if awarded, and would be responsible to the recipient for their respective roles, typically as subrecipients.

Groups may form a consortium, partnership, or other legally recognized entity for the purpose of applying for this opportunity and carrying out any awarded project. The resulting entity must exist and be legally recognized when it applies and must have an active registration in SAM.gov.

Yes, but each application must be for a distinctly different project. If an organization submits multiple applications for the same project, only the last application submitted before the deadline will be reviewed; all others will be disqualified.

There is no restriction based on credentials or discipline. However, the PD/PI must not have an active government-wide exclusion, suspension, or debarment in SAM.gov. OPA expects the PD/PI to be actively involved in and have substantial knowledge of all project aspects throughout the period of performance.

Yes, the Authorized Official and Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) may be the same person. The NOFO does not indicate otherwise. As a reminder, only one PD/PI will be named on any resulting award. You should clearly identify the individual in that role in your application. You must also register an authorizing official for your organization.

No. OPA anticipates making one award under this NOFO.

No. OPA expects to fund awards in 12-month budget periods for a total period of performance up to 24 month(s) with an optional competitive third year to support. However, we may approve shorter periods of performance. Budget periods may vary from the estimated 12 months because of the timing of award issuance or other administrative factors.

For multi-year projects, recipients must submit a non-competing continuation (NCC) application for each budget period after the first. We anticipate offering a competing continuation for a third year for the purpose of providing funding to support selected recipients as they transition projects to sustainability. Continuation funding is contingent upon the availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the project, appropriate stewardship of federal funds, and the best interests of the government.

Your total application (i.e., the Project Narrative plus Appendices) must not exceed 100 pages. The following items do not count toward the Project Narrative page limit: all required forms, including SF-424, SF-424A, SF-LLL, Project Abstract Summary, and Budget Narrative (including budget tables).

Your Project Narrative must not exceed 50 pages. The following items do not count toward the Project Narrative page limit: all required forms, including SF-424, SF-424A, SF-LLL, Project Abstract Summary, and Budget Narrative (including budget tables).

No, but the Appendices do count toward the page limit for your total application. Your total application (i.e., the Project Narrative plus Appendices) must not exceed 100 pages. The following items do not count toward the Project Narrative page limit: all required forms, including SF-424, SF-424A, SF-LLL, Project Abstract Summary, and Budget Narrative (including budget tables).

No. The budget package — including the SF-424A and the budget narrative with tables — does not count toward the 50-page Project Narrative limit or the 100-page combined Project Narrative + Appendices limit.

No. Required standard forms and the Project Abstract Summary are excluded from the page limits.

Yes. Tables within the project narrative may be single-spaced, but the text of the project narrative itself must be double-spaced. Tables must still be easy to read.

Yes. Documents such as resumes, CVs, organizational charts, and MOUs/MOAs/LOCs may use formatting common to those document types, including single-spacing, as long as the pages are easy to read.

Do not add your own page numbers. The grants management system will automatically generate page numbers after submission.

Do not include a table of contents in your project narrative or appendices.

Acceptable formats include Adobe PDF (.pdf), Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx), and image files (.jpg, .gif, .tif, .bmp). Excel files, compressed files (e.g., .zip, .rar), and password-protected files are not acceptable. OPA strongly recommends converting all files to PDF before submission.

No. Reviewers are not permitted to follow external links during their assessment of your application. All information relevant to the review must be contained within the page limits of the application. The only exception is a link to internal controls within the budget package.

A letter of commitment specifies the named organization's role, the resources it will provide, and the activities it will undertake in support of the project. It also describes the organization's expertise, experience, and access to the target population. A letter of support is general in nature — it expresses belief in the applicant's capability and may indicate interest in future collaboration but lacks specificity. Letters of support will not be considered during review. Submit only letters of commitment for organizations that will play a specific role in the project.

Formal written agreements are not required at the time of application but will be required prior to award. If possible, applicants should include formal written agreements such as MOUs, MOAs, contracts, etc. for organizations and entities that have been specifically named as a subrecipient or partner to carry out any aspect of the project. Signed agreements will be required prior to issuance of any award under this announcement.

No, unless a written exemption has been granted by the Grants Management Officer at least 2 business days before the deadline. To request an exemption, email OASH_Grants@hhs.gov with the required information at least 4 business days before the deadline. Exemptions are granted only in very limited circumstances — failure to register in SAM.gov in time does not qualify.

SAM.gov registration can take 2–3 weeks or longer during periods of high volume, plus an additional 24–72 hours to synchronize with Grants.gov. OPA strongly recommends beginning registration immediately and no later than 30 days before the deadline, with a target of completion at least 15 days before the deadline.

No. All award decisions, including the level of funding, if an award is made, are final and you may not appeal.

Recipients are required to align program design and activities with OASH priorities where consistent with program authority and the scope of the award. In addition, the recipient is required to administer any project awarded under this NOFO in accordance with the following objective authorized to advance TPP program goals: Promote body and health literacy to reduce teen pregnancy

For a full listing of current OASH priorities, applicants are encouraged to review the Priorities of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health.

The NOFO outlines the following deliverable deadlines:

• Within 1 month of funding — TTA plan and its execution for the budget year and communication strategy
• Within 2 months of funding — Evaluation plan
• Within 3 months of funding — A fully functioning user-friendly website and knowledge management system that is accessible by TPP grant recipients

Yes. Some TPP grant recipients rely on subrecipients and partners to deliver services and implement programs. Therefore, OPA expects the funded training center to provide TTA at the grant recipient, subrecipient, and implementation partner level to support grant recipients and the efforts of their networks.

Universal TTA: Broadly available, low-intensity, self-directed resources accessible to all grant recipients (e.g., webinars, toolkits, website resources).

Selected TTA: Designed for specific groups of grant recipients with common needs; more interactive and tailored, short- to medium-term (e.g., peer learning groups, affinity groups).

Targeted TTA: Highly customized, intensive, long-term support for individual grant recipients or sites, often involving a collaborative work plan with measurable objectives (i.e., 1:1 TA).

The organizational chart should reflect the management structure for the project and show where the project resides within the broader organizational structure. It should illustrate the project team structure, reporting relationships, and the roles of key personnel and partners.

Awards made under this funding opportunity will be in the form of a cooperative agreement, which allows for substantial involvement between OPA and the NTC during the project period. Substantial programmatic involvement from OPA may include:

• Reviewing and providing input on the proposed plan for training and technical assistance for TPP grant recipients.
• Assisting the funded training center to establish, review, and update priorities for activities conducted under the auspices of the cooperative agreement.
• Reviewing and providing input on TTA products and materials to confirm that they are consistent with OASH priorities and expectations for TPP grant recipients.

Additionally, OPA expects that the TTA plan will be refined collaboratively with OPA following award and prior to implementation. The TTA plan should also be revised each subsequent budget period to be responsive to grant recipient, OPA, and OASH needs and priorities.

Note: For a full list of what substantial programmatic involvement from OPA may include, please refer to pages 12-13 of the NOFO.

Within one month of funding, the NTC is expected to complete the development of a comprehensive TTA plan for the budget year. Execution of the TTA plan is expected to begin within one month of its development and continue throughout the budget year.

The TTA plan should be revised each subsequent budget period to be responsive to grant recipient, OPA, and OASH needs and priorities.

The NTC is expected to coordinate and collaborate with partners such as developers of effective TPP programs and subject matter expert organizations to enhance the TTA plan and ensure that support and resources provided to TPP grant recipients are valuable, efficient, cohesive, relevant, and non-duplicative.

Additionally, the NTC should ensure that content in the knowledge management system is not duplicative of other OPA-funded organizations. Where topics and content may be similar, the recipient is expected to collaborate with other OPA-funded organizations for alignment and recognition of each organization's contribution.

OPA expects the NTC's evaluation plan to align with the framework developed by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) for measuring TTA effectiveness. Resources are available on ASPE's website. The framework recommends collecting data across five stages of TTA delivery.

“Age-appropriate” content assures that topics and themes are appropriate for the age group and other specific characteristics of the target audience. All program content must be suitable for the developmental stage of the intended audience and support healthy, informed decision-making, including promoting delayed sexual initiation as a behavior associated with reduced teen pregnancy.

Medically accurate materials and instruction are expected to be grounded in current, evidence-based scientific and clinical knowledge, and be within the scope of TPP statutory requirements to prevent teenage pregnancy. When materials provide information on widely prescribed medications for sexual and reproductive health, for example, the information should reference potential health risks to support minors and their parents or guardians in informed decision-making, which may include a desire to consult with their healthcare provider.

The NTC's TTA is expected to include body literacy training and programming that teaches grant recipients how to strengthen adolescent understanding of both female and male reproductive health. Specifically:

For girls, this includes instruction on:

• The menstrual cycle
• Ovulation as a key indicator of health
• Recognition of normal versus abnormal patterns
• The connection between reproductive health and overall physical and mental well-being

For boys, this includes education on:

• Male pubertal development
• Hormonal rhythms
• Fertility
• The ways sleep, nutrition, physical activity, and behavior influence endocrine health and long-term reproductive function

Funding levels for all approved budget periods after the first are generally the same as the initial award amount and may be subject to an offset with funds unused in the previous budget period.

As of January 2026, the Executive Level II salary cap is $228,000. No award funds may be used to pay an individual's salary at a rate exceeding this amount. This applies to the recipient and all subrecipients.

Training awards are limited to a fixed rate of 8% of Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC), exclusive of tuition and fees, equipment, and subawards in excess of $50,000. If your organization has a negotiated indirect cost rate lower than 8%, use your negotiated rate. If you do not have a negotiated rate, you may use the de minimis rate up to 15% of MTDC, but for this award, the cap is 8%.

Yes. Subrecipient costs are included under the Contractual object class category. You must provide a detailed budget and narrative for each named subrecipient. If subrecipients will be selected post-award, describe the nature of the work to be transferred, estimated costs, and your selection process.

Yes. The NOFO specifically mentions travel stipends when appropriate to facilitate grant recipient participation in TTA activities. These would be included under the "Other" object class category as participant support costs and must be justified in the budget narrative.

Applicants must provide a detailed budget for Year 1. For subsequent budget years, applicants should provide a summary narrative and line-item budget for each year beyond the first. For categories or items that differ significantly from the first budget period, a detailed justification explaining these changes should be provided.