The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services this summer moved to cancel the majority of grants under a long-running federal effort to cut teen pregnancy and improve adolescent sexual health, officials and program leaders say.
Widespread grant cancellations
In late June, HHS abruptly terminated 53 of the 66 active grants under the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPP), according to organizations affected by the action. The program, set up by Congress in 2010, supports evidence-based sexual and reproductive health education for adolescents and historically has funded about $101 million a year.
One nonprofit that received notice, AccessMatters of Philadelphia, reported that its five-year award had two years of funding remaining — a balance the group valued at $2.4 million. The organization said it had been working with nine public and charter high schools in Philadelphia and reached more than 2,200 young people through those partnerships.
Programs and curricula at stake
AccessMatters and other grantees used TPP funding to deliver curricula promoting medically accurate information about sexually transmitted infections, HIV prevention, pregnancy prevention, consent, hygiene and healthy relationship skills. The Philadelphia nonprofit had been using a curriculum known as "Be Proud, Be Responsible" to guide classroom lessons.
HHS said some materials used with grant funds were “normalizing adolescent sexual activity” and “not age appropriate” because they contained “overtly sexually explicit or pornographic content.”
Program leaders dispute the characterization and say the lessons were focused on prevention and health. AccessMatters said it planned to expand its school partnerships before receiving the cancellation notice.
Appeals and litigation
Following the cancellations, AccessMatters filed a formal appeal requesting review by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health. Separately, a July lawsuit was brought against HHS by two local governments and Planned Parenthood of the Heartland challenging the department’s actions.
The legal and administrative challenges underscore broader tensions over how federal policy evaluates age-appropriate sexual health education and which curricula qualify for federal support.
What the program does and what’s at risk
Congress established TPP to support strategies shown to reduce risky sexual behavior, unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections among youth. The abrupt loss of funding threatens continuity for school-based programs and community organizations that have spent years building partnerships and training staff.
- Program size: roughly $101 million in grants annually.
- Grants canceled: 53 of 66 active awards terminated in late June.
- Example impact: AccessMatters reported losing $2.4 million and outreach to more than 2,200 students.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Annual TPP funding (approx.) | $101 million |
| Grants active before cancellations | 66 |
| Grants canceled in June | 53 |
School administrators and public health groups warn that sudden terminations could interrupt classroom instruction, staff positions and outreach to youth at risk of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. For organizations that relied on multi-year awards to plan and scale prevention programs, the financial loss may force program cuts or end services altogether.
The dispute places HHS at the center of a contest over federal standards for sexual health education and how those standards are enforced. With appeals and litigation underway, the future of many local programs remains uncertain while youth-serving organizations await a resolution that could determine whether funding is restored or programs must be redesigned.
As the legal process proceeds, affected schools and nonprofits may scramble to find alternative funding or adapt curricula to meet the department’s review — changes that could take months and limit services for the adolescents the program was intended to reach.
