Evaluating Practice-based Programs, Policies, and Practices from CDCs Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) Program: Expanding the Evidence to Prevent Sexual Violence | RFA CE 20 001

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the purpose of CDC funding opportunity RFA-CE-20-001?

This opportunity is a CDC cooperative agreement focused on building strong, real-world evidence about how to prevent sexual violence before it happens. It funds rigorous evaluations of primary prevention efforts already being implemented through the CDC-funded Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) Program to determine whether and how they work.

Is this grant meant to create brand-new sexual violence prevention interventions?

No. The main emphasis is not on inventing entirely new interventions from scratch. The emphasis is on evaluating practice-based programs, policies, or practices that practitioners are already using through RPE, using rigorous methods to assess effectiveness.

What types of projects does CDC want to fund under this NOFO?

CDC is looking for methodologically strong evaluations of RPE-implemented primary prevention strategies that can credibly determine effectiveness (not just describe implementation). Projects should add meaningful new knowledge and help close evidence gaps for approaches that are already in use but not yet supported by sufficiently rigorous evaluation evidence.

What does CDC mean by “practice-based” strategies in this announcement?

In this context, “practice-based” refers to programs, policies, or practices that are already being delivered in real-world settings through RPE (for example, within schools, community organizations, coalitions, workplaces, or local systems), rather than being purely conceptual or newly developed for the application.

What framework or evidence base should proposed evaluations align with?

Proposed evaluations are anchored in CDC’s STOP SV: A Technical Package to Prevent Sexual Violence, which summarizes prevention evidence and provides strategy directions commonly used by RPE recipients to plan and deliver prevention work.

What are the main strategy areas emphasized for evaluation?

Proposed evaluations are expected to add meaningful new knowledge in one or more of these three STOP SV strategy areas: (1) promoting social norms that protect against violence, (2) providing opportunities to empower and support girls and women, and (3) creating protective environments.

Does CDC prioritize evaluations that focus beyond individual-level education or programs?

Yes. The NOFO particularly encourages evaluations that address risk and protective factors at the outer levels of the social-ecological model, emphasizing community- and societal-level change (such as environments, norms, policies, and structural conditions), not only individual knowledge or attitudes.

What level of rigor is CDC expecting from the evaluation design?

CDC expects methodologically strong projects designed to determine effectiveness. The intent is for evaluations to credibly answer whether the selected program, policy, or practice produces prevention impacts, rather than only documenting activities, participation, or implementation processes.

Can an application propose to replicate or re-test an intervention that is already well established?

The NOFO indicates the work should expand the evidence base rather than replicate, adapt, or re-test what is already well established. Applicants are expected to justify the evidence gap being addressed and explain how results will move the field forward, especially for interventions that are in use but not yet supported by rigorous evaluation evidence.

Are partnerships required to apply?

Yes. Partnerships are central to feasibility and success in this announcement. Applicants must clearly describe collaborations needed to conduct the evaluation, including coordination with the RPE program or jurisdiction implementing the prevention strategy and involvement of organizations delivering or supporting the intervention.

What kinds of partners and collaborations should be included?

Applications should specify coordination with the RPE program or jurisdiction implementing the strategy, participation from organizations involved in delivering or supporting the intervention, and any entities providing data or access to the populations being studied. The NOFO signals that partnerships and data-sharing arrangements should be explicit, not implied.

Why does the NOFO emphasize data access and data-sharing arrangements?

Many RPE strategies operate inside community systems (such as schools, community organizations, local policies, coalitions, workplaces, and similar structures). Because evaluation depends on access to settings and populations, CDC emphasizes that functional partnerships and clear data-sharing arrangements are essential to conduct a credible effectiveness evaluation.

Does CDC encourage a focus on communities disproportionately affected by sexual violence?

Yes. CDC encourages research focused on populations and communities that disproportionately experience sexual violence, including groups facing higher risk due to structural inequities, discrimination, or other contextual vulnerabilities. Proposals that connect an intervention to these inequities and measure outcomes relevant to those communities align with that priority.

What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?

This opportunity uses a cooperative agreement mechanism, which typically means CDC will have substantial involvement beyond standard grant monitoring. Examples mentioned include collaboration on technical aspects, performance expectations, or alignment with program goals.

What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling) for this opportunity?

The listed award ceiling is $375,000.

How many awards were anticipated?

The opportunity anticipated six awards.

What is the CFDA number and category for this funding opportunity?

The opportunity is in the health category and is identified as CFDA 93.136.

Who is eligible to apply?

The eligible applicant pool is broad and includes multiple levels of government, tribes and tribal organizations, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status, public housing authorities, for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and other eligible entities as clarified in the full announcement.

When was this NOFO created and when were applications due?

The NOFO was created on November 25, 2019. The original closing date was February 20, 2020, and applications were due by 5:00 p.m. ET on the due date.

How does this opportunity relate to the Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) Program?

The evaluations funded under this announcement are focused on primary prevention efforts already being implemented through the CDC-funded RPE Program. The goal is to rigorously test whether and how these RPE-supported strategies reduce sexual violence and related risk factors.

What is the overall goal of funding these evaluations?

The overall goal is to close the gap between what communities are already doing through RPE and what the research literature can confidently say works. By funding strong evaluations tied to the STOP SV framework, CDC aims to generate results that practitioners and health departments can use to make better decisions, invest in approaches that demonstrate impact, and strengthen prevention at community and societal levels where lasting change is more likely.