Rape Prevention and Education

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through its National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), released the funding opportunity “Rape Prevention and Education: Enhancing Capacity for Sexual Violence Prevention Across State and Territory Sexual Assault Coalitions.” This initiative aims to strengthen state and territory-level sexual assault coalitions by supporting implementation of comprehensive, evidence-informed strategies to prevent sexual violence (SV) perpetration and victimization. The program is authorized under the Violence Against Women Act (2022) and funded through the Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) Program under Assistance Listing 93.136. This grant program is specifically designed to increase the capacity of designated Sexual Assault (SA) Coalitions to prevent SV by targeting social and structural determinants of health at both the community and societal levels, following the Social Ecological Model (SEM). Funding supports SA Coalitions in developing and evaluating community-level strategies that promote protective factors and reduce risk factors associated with SV, using a public health framework. The program also encourages equitable collaboration with state and territory health departments to integrate prevention into broader public health systems. Eligible applicants are restricted to SA Coalitions that are officially recognized by the CDC. Specifically, for state coalitions, the applicant must be listed on the CDC’s approved State Sexual Assault Coalition list. For territories, the organization must self-identify as a Territory Sexual Assault Coalition in its application. Applications that do not meet these criteria are deemed ineligible and will not be reviewed. Each eligible coalition is expected to receive a fixed award of $135,000 annually, with a total program funding level of approximately $26.7 million. Up to 56 awards are expected under this opportunity. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement for recipients. The funding mechanism is a discretionary grant and does not involve the cooperative agreement structure seen in some other CDC prevention programs. Applications for this funding opportunity closed on April 16, 2024. All applications were required to be submitted electronically by 11:59 PM ET on the due date. The funding opportunity has since been archived as of May 16, 2024. While this cycle has concluded, the RPE program is a recurring initiative historically reissued on a multi-year basis. Based on prior patterns and program structure, the next expected competition cycle is anticipated in early 2027, assuming a 3-year recurrence interval. Applicants seeking further guidance or support with the application process were directed to contact Latonya Tripp-Dinkins at the CDC via email. Additional information about the RPE Program and the list of eligible coalitions is available through CDC’s Violence Prevention and Injury Center portals.