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

This NOFO seeks proposals to rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of primary prevention programs, policies, or practices implemented by CDC-funded Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) programs to prevent sexual violence. Research funded under this announcement is intended to expand the evidence base for sexual violence prevention in one or more of the following strategy areas identified in the STOP SV technical package: Promote Social Norms that Protect Against Violence, Provide Opportunities to Empower and Support Girls and Women, and Create Protective Environments. CDC's STOP SV: A Technical Package to Prevent Sexual Violence outlines the best available evidence for sexual violence prevention and is used by state and local health departments participating in CDC's RPE Program to develop and implement programs, policies and practices to prevent sexual violence (https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/sv-prevention-technical-package.pdf). The proposed research is expected to rigorously evaluate practice-based prevention approaches to increase the evidence for sexual violence prevention programs, policies, or practices that have traction within the field, are feasible to implement by practitioners, and acceptable to communities. The research results are expected to expand on, and not replicate or adapt, the existing evidence base in sexual violence prevention. Applicants must clearly describe each partnership or collaboration necessary to conduct the research. These include, but are not limited to partnerships with the RPE Program implementing the prevention strategy, entities participating in the research evaluation, and entities providing research data or access to study populations. Research to evaluate RPE-funded programs, policies, or practices that address evidence-based risk and protective factors at the outer levels of the social ecological model (i.e., community-, societal-level) is encouraged. Research to evaluate programs, policies, or practices that address populations or communities that disproportionately bear the burden of sexual violence is encouraged.