The CDC National Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention (YVPCs): Rigorous Evaluation of Prevention Strategies to Prevent and Reduce Community Rates of Youth Violence | RFA CE 21 005

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CE 21 005

The CDC National Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention (YVPCs) funding opportunity (RFA CE 21 005) is a CDC Injury Center (NCIPC) cooperative agreement designed to strengthen what is known about how to prevent youth violence before it happens. The program is focused on primary prevention and is meant to support place-based centers that can test, measure, and help scale strategies that reduce community-level rates of youth violence. Rather than funding isolated projects, CDC is investing in a small network of Centers of Excellence that operate in real communities with high youth violence burdens and that can generate rigorous evidence about what works, for whom, and under what conditions.

At its core, the opportunity funds YVPCs to build and expand the evidence base by implementing and rigorously evaluating prevention approaches in one or more geographically defined communities experiencing high rates of youth violence. The emphasis is on community rates and community conditions, meaning applicants are expected to choose a defined locality (or set of localities) and align all proposed work around that setting. As a cooperative agreement, the CDC is not just a pass-through funder; it typically indicates substantial federal involvement through collaboration, shared learning, and alignment with CDC priorities, including participation in the broader YVPC Network.

Applications are required to include five core elements that show the applicant can function as a true “center” rather than a single study. First, applicants must propose an administrative infrastructure capable of supporting implementation, evaluation, and dissemination, and capable of convening and sustaining local collaborations. This is essentially the operational backbone: governance, staffing, partnerships, and processes that keep the work coordinated and accountable. It also includes the capacity to work with other CDC-funded YVPCs as part of a national network, which implies shared methods, cross-site learning, and collective contribution to the field.

Second, applicants must clearly identify the community or communities with high youth violence rates that will be the focus of all center activities. The community selection is not incidental; it is foundational to the center model. The funded work is expected to be embedded in the local context, drawing on local data, local systems, and local partners so that prevention strategies are relevant and measurable at the community level.

Third, and most central to the research purpose, each applicant must propose a rigorous evaluation of at least two distinct prevention strategies. These strategies must connect to at least two of the four research areas identified in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The requirement for “at least two” strategies and “at least two” research areas signals that CDC wants a portfolio approach within each center, not a single intervention study. The phrase “rigorous evaluation” suggests strong designs and analytic approaches that can credibly estimate effects (for example, well-implemented quasi-experimental or experimental designs when feasible), clear outcome measurement tied to youth violence, and attention to implementation and context so results are interpretable and useful beyond one site.

Fourth, applicants must establish a youth advisory council to shape the selection, implementation, and evaluation of the prevention strategies. This requirement elevates youth voice from a token role to a structured, ongoing mechanism for input and accountability. In practice, this means youth are expected to inform priorities and decisions, helping ensure strategies fit local realities, are acceptable to young people, and are implemented in ways that improve reach and impact.

Fifth, the NOFO requires integrated training activities for early-career and junior researchers in youth violence prevention. The intent is to build the next generation of experts while the center is conducting applied prevention work. Training is expected to be integrated with implementation, evaluation, and scholarship, meaning trainees should gain hands-on experience with real-world violence prevention research, partnerships, data, and dissemination rather than being limited to classroom-style learning.

In terms of basic logistics and funding profile, this opportunity sits in the health funding category under CFDA 93.136 and is offered through the CDC ERA system as a discretionary cooperative agreement. The award ceiling is listed at $1,200,000, and CDC anticipated making about five awards, indicating a competitive program with a limited number of well-resourced centers. The original posting date was January 6, 2021, with an original application deadline of April 21, 2021 (applications due by 5:00 p.m. ET), which helps place the announcement historically even if similar YVPC competitions may recur in later years.

Eligibility is broad and intentionally inclusive, reflecting the multidisciplinary, cross-sector nature of violence prevention. Eligible applicants include state, county, city, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses, with additional clarifications referenced in the NOFO. This wide eligibility supports the idea that strong YVPCs may be led by universities, health departments, community-based organizations, tribal entities, or other capable institutions, as long as they can build the necessary infrastructure and partnerships and execute high-quality evaluations in high-burden communities.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as an investment in community-embedded research centers that can simultaneously implement prevention strategies, rigorously test their effects on youth violence outcomes, engage youth as partners in decision-making, train emerging researchers, and share lessons through a national CDC-supported network. The end goal is practical and measurable: expand the evidence base in ways that help communities and the field identify prevention strategies and approaches that can reduce youth violence rates at the community level.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "The CDC National Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention (YVPCs): Rigorous Evaluation of Prevention Strategies to Prevent and Reduce Community Rates of Youth Violence" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.136.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 06, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 21, 2021 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 500 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,200,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification), Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for RFA CE 21 005

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