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National Park Service

The summer program features a 12-week internship (employment opportunity) tailored to various NPS career tracks for 100 participants. NPS Academy Summer internships will be made available in a variety of fields, including visitor services, education, resource management and more. The Academy Program, to include intern positions, are funded by the WASO, Youth Programs Division. NPS sites completed a rigorous application process in order to secure an intern through this summer program.

Fish and Wildlife Service

The purpose of this proposal is to provide $100,000 in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) funds to the National Wildlife Refuge Friends Program, managed by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). This funding will be used to support National Wildlife Refuge Friends organizations through a competitive grant process. These grants provide funding for Refuge Friends organizations to implement on-the-ground projects and to increase their organizations capacity. Need: Community-based partnerships between Refuge Friends organizations and National Wildlife Refuge Systems have played an increasingly vital role in building visibility and support for Refuges nationwide. Refuge Friends organizations provide many important and needed services to the Refuge System including community outreach, education program, habitat restoration, special event support, volunteer staff, and fundraising. Specifically, grants may focus on one of the following three areas: 1. Nonprofit Capacity Building Grants Funds will be provided to assist both starting and established refuge Friends organizations to build their capacity. Funds for newly forming organizations may include formative and/or initial operational support. For example, funds may be requested for such things as membership drives, tuition for training, brochure and newsletter development, logo design, or consultant fees for website development. Funds for established refuge Friends organizations may include activities that strengthen an organization s ability to fully achieve its mission and sustain itself over time. For example, funds may be requested for a communications strategy for an existing event, strategic plan, volunteer recruitment planning, membership development, new software, or contributing to the building of a new community partnership. 2. Project Specific Grants Funds will be provided to refuge Friends organizations seeking support for projects initiated and managed by the Friends. For these grants, Friends must clearly demonstrate their involvement in all elements of the project in their narrative, including how the project will benefit the Friends and foster increased engagement of the public, community, volunteers and/or members. For example, funds may be requested for a Friends organization which proposes to develop and deliver environmental education programs for local schools, manage a habitat restoration project from start to finish, manage the construction of an observation tower and how the Friends intend to use the facility to increase engagement with the Friends organization, or develop interpretive materials and programs that will be used by or delivered by the Friends organization. 3. Peer-to-Peer Coaching (P2P) Funds will be provided to refuge Friends organizations who propose to coordinate and execute a Friends training workshop for a minimum of four other refuge Friends organizations. Timeline: NFWF anticipates releasing the National Wildlife Refuge Friends Program RFP during the third quarter of fiscal year 2017. Subawards will likely be awarded during the first quarter of fiscal year 2018 with disbursements to grantees taking place over the next two years. The pace of NFWF invoicing will be based on the cash needs of the subrecipients. NFWF will invoice -FWS on a reimbursable basis for the funding. Outcomes: NFWF will continue to work with FWS to administer the National Wildlife Refuge Friends Program. This program is designed to increase the effectiveness of Refuge Friends through supporting on-the-ground and capacity building projects. Evaluation criteria include, but are not limited to the following elements: Program Goals and Priorities If applicable, Project contributes to the Program s overall habitat and species conservation goals, and has specific, quantifiable performance metrics to evaluate project success. Project addresses one or more of the program priorities outlined in the Request for Proposal. Technical Merit Project is technically sound and feasible, and the proposal sets forth a clear, logical and achievable work plan and timeline. When appropriate, Project engages appropriate technical experts throughout project planning, design and implementation to ensure activities are technically-sound and feasible. Budget Costs are allowable, reasonable and budgeted in accordance with NFWF s Budget Instructions cost categories. Federally-funded projects must be in compliance with OMB Uniform Guidance as applicable (OMB Uniform Guidance). Authorizing statues include Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1934 (16 U.S.C. 2901-2911); Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742(a)-754); Refuge Recreation Act of 1962 (16 U.S.C. 460k-460k(4)); National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd); Youth Conservation Corps Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1701-1706); Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (16 U.S.C. 470aa-47011); The National Wildlife Refuge System Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-57); National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer and Community Partnership Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-327); Federal Aid for Highways, HR 4348 (23 U.S.C. 201-204 and 206, Public Law 112-141).

National Park Service

: Groundwork USA is a national non-profit organization that coordinates, supports, and strengthens local Groundwork trusts operating across the United States. Each local trust is dedicated to renewing and restoring distressed neighborhoods through environmental projects and programs that bring local residents, government, youth, and businesses together. Groundwork trusts, which are independent non-profits, are established in places with an industrial past that have been largely left behind by economic growth in the last few decades. Groundwork USA was established in the United States through the leadership of the National Park Service s Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance (RTCA) Program and the USEPA Brownfields Program. To further this work, in collaboration with the National Park Service, Groundwork USA will recruit 60 youth ambassadors and youth leaders to attend a multi-day training program, October 11-15, 2017, in Richmond, Virginia. The purpose of this training is to recap the ways NPS has engaged Groundwork Green Team and Corps members at 16 National Parks over the past year, to evaluate the roles and jobs Groundwork youth have played at each park (including the skills necessary to complete the work), and to codify recommendations for future Groundwork training and expansion of competencies. Groundwork youth will also hear of other NPS programs such as Urban Archaeology and Mountains to Main Street to learn how the skill sets they utilize advance the mission goals of the National Park Service. During the training, Groundwork youth will visit a various national parks and learn from NPS officials how the Service uses federal lands for Americans enjoyment and edification, and about how Groundwork corps programs can become stepping stones for careers in conservation, recreation management and preservation both in the public and private sectors. These parks will include Fredericksburg National Military Park, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, Tradegar Iron Works National Historical Monument, as well as sites with work and training programs run by other federal agencies.

National Park Service

Develop and implement two Vermont Youth Conservation Community Corps crews. Crews will consist of six crew members and two crew leaders and will work for four weeks. The crews will address critical resource management projects while offering local young adults opportunities to explore concepts in conservation stewardship, leadership, and work skills.

Department of Housing and Community Development

Rather than utilizing a set-aside within the standard Homekey Program, this NOFA operates independently and is tailored to meet the specific affordable housing needs of California Tribes. Funds offered under this NOFA and the criteria specified herein are available solely and exclusively to eligible Tribal Entities. Funding available under this NOFA provides an opportunity for Tribal Entities to develop multifamily Rental Housing Developments, including rehabilitation of existing housing, new construction of apartments, town homes, or single-family rental homes, including manufactured housing, or conversion of non-residential space to residential housing. Projects developed using Homekey Tribal funding shall provide Permanent Housing for the Target Population. Keywords: Tribal, Tribal Entities, Native American, NAHASDA, Seniors, Youth, Homeless, At Risk of Homelessness.

Department of Housing and Community Development

Rather than utilizing a set-aside within the standard Homekey Program, this NOFA operates independently and is tailored to meet the specific affordable housing needs of California Tribes. Funds offered under this NOFA and the criteria specified herein are available solely and exclusively to eligible Tribal Entities. Funding available under this NOFA provides an opportunity for Tribal Entities to develop multifamily Rental Housing Developments, including rehabilitation of existing housing, new construction of apartments, town homes, or single-family rental homes, including manufactured housing, or conversion of non-residential space to residential housing. Projects developed using Homekey Tribal funding shall provide Permanent Housing for the Target Population. Keywords: Tribal, Tribal Entities, Native American, NAHASDA, Seniors, Youth, Homeless, At Risk of Homelessness.

NIMH - National Institute of Mental Health

Though adolescence is the peak onset period for many psychiatric disorders, only a minority of youth with a psychiatric disorder receive mental health (MH) services. Family Navigation (FN) is a service delivery model that improves engagement in and utilization of MH services by ensuring prompt movement through a complex health care system. Though FN is highly acceptable and efficacious, limited research has focused on FN for youth MH. Adolescents with bipolar disorder (BP) and their caregivers are an ideal population with whom to adapt and test an FN model for youth MH, given the complexity of clinical presentation and service needs of youth with BP, as well as the challenges faced by their caregivers. In response to PAR-23-104, in this R34 we will fill this key scientific gap by adapting and testing an extant FN model among families of 50 youth (ages 11-15) referred for treatment at the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Spectrum (CABS) Services specialty clinic at Western Psychiatric Hospital. FNs will provide education, care coordination, and support to families, and will address barriers to care. We will enhance the existing CABS electronic measurement-based care system with database (CABS MBC) to ensure FN-relevant data and outcomes are gathered. FNs will leverage the CABS MBC to evaluate the service and navigation needs of each family, inform the FN plan, and track service engagement. We will test knowledge of BP and of the healthcare system and self-efficacy for navigating the MH system as mechanisms underlying improvement in MH service engagement. We will first conduct qualitative interviews with families presenting to CABS, providers evaluating and treating youth with a complex mood disorder (BP or other mood disorder indicating a high risk of developing BP), and FNs in our region (n=10 each group) to inform adaptation and manualization of the FN intervention and training program and enhancing the CABS MBC system. We will conduct an open trial (n=10; families of youth (11-15y) with a complex mood disorder referred to CABS for treatment) to iteratively refine the FN intervention and implementation. Then we will conduct a hybrid type-I RCT (n=50) examining FN + CABS usual care vs. CABS usual care alone, testing the feasibility and effectiveness of the FN intervention and provider training, and identifying implementation factors. We hypothesize the FN intervention and training procedures will be feasible, acceptable, and appropriate, and satisfaction with FN will be high. We hypothesize families receiving FN + usual care will be more likely to have a MH visit within 45 days; report fewer days to first MH visit; and will attend more MH visits than usual care alone. FN knowledge of BP will significantly improve, and treatment integrity will be reached. We will also examine the effect of treatment on changes in psychopathology. Feedback from CABS providers and staff, and FNs, youth, and caregivers involved in the RCT will identify barriers and facilitators to FN implementation. This R34 will support the adaptation and implementation of effective service delivery interventions, and will inform a larger trial testing the effectiveness and implementation of FN.

NIDA - National Institute on Drug Abuse

PROJECT SUMMARY Adolescent substance use is a significant public health issue with costly consequences. Youth exposed to household challenges (i.e., parental substance use, parental incarceration, and parental mental health challenges) are more likely to use substances compared to those who are unexposed. Youth exposed to negative neighborhood contexts (e.g., neighborhood violence and low social cohesion) are more likely to use substances compared to those who are unexposed. The nine selective substance use prevention programs have had little success changing outcomes for this group. None were informed by the lived experiences of children, who experience both household challenges and negative neighborhood contexts. Most programs have struggled to attract and retain these youth. Mechanisms such as social connections have primarily been ignored despite their relevance for substance use prevention among youth. Thus, additional selective prevention programs are needed to prevent substance use among youth at this intersection. The PI (Powell) partnered with families exposed to household and neighborhood challenges to develop the Better Together (BT) intervention. BT is an 8-session, age-appropriate intervention designed to prevent substance use among adolescents (ages 11 to 13) exposed to household and neighborhood challenges. BT is a novel and promising strategy to enhance internal and external assets and help youth abstain from substance use. Qualitative findings from a process evaluation suggest that BT is acceptable and feasible. Quantitative findings from a pilot study also provide strong preliminary evidence that our team can recruit, retain, and engage youth affected by household and neighborhood challenges. We propose a hybrid type 1 study with two aims to achieve our long-term goal of preventing drug use and its consequences among youth exposed to household and neighborhood challenges. In Aim 1, we will conduct a randomized trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the Better Together Intervention, compared to a time-matched control group, in preventing alcohol and marijuana use over 18 months. We will also examine individual and interpersonal factors that mediate the relationship between the intervention and substance use using the Karlson-Holm-Breen method for mediation. In Aim 2, we will examine contextual factors that impact effective program implementation using surveys, interviews, and geospatial data. In Aim 4, we will assess how contextual factors impact effective program implementation, youth participation, and substance use outcomes. This research addresses high-priority topics for NIDA and NIH, including personalized interventions informed by people with lived experiences as well as scaling and implementing an innovative evidence-based interventions that address poor health outcomes. This study will address key effectiveness, implementation, and cost questions critical for widescale dissemination. Study processes and findings can inform future research, practice, and policies on substance use prevention in other populations and across settings.

NIAAA - National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

PROJECT SUMMARY Four out of five youth in the juvenile legal system (JLS) show evidence of being under the influence of alcohol or other drugs during their offenses and over half test positive at the time of their arrest. Alcohol use is associated with rearrest and the future development of substance use disorders among diverted youth, those with first time offenses or low-level second offenses living in the community. There is an opportune window to engage diverted youth and their families in alcohol treatment when they make initial contact with the JLS because they are motivated to avoid continued legal involvement. Yet only ~25% of adolescents in need of substance use treatment receive such services, in part due to limited treatment options and barriers associated with accessing treatment in the community. Diverse youth are even less likely to access treatment. Existing interventions for JLS-involved youth who use alcohol are designed for incarcerated youth; they are overly intensive and too long to be feasibly implemented in the 3-month court supervision period for diverted youth. Delivering alcohol intervention within the court, where families already obtain services, makes care more accessible and increases the potential for effectiveness and scalability. Interactive, counselor-augmented electronic protocols meet these needs, as they can be delivered at a low cost, with low demand on staff, protocol fidelity, portability, and ease of use. The goal of this study is to develop and pilot a brief, moderate intensity, motivation-enhancing, culture responsive intervention for youth alcohol use that can be delivered within the court and falls within the court supervision period of ~3 months. The target population is adolescents, ages 14-18, with past-month alcohol use recruited from the juvenile diversion program at the Rhode Island Family Court, the site of our prior work. In Phase 1 of the study, N=10 families will be recruited into an open trial to test the intervention. Exit interviews will be conducted, with a focus on cultural responsivity, and the protocol will be refined. In Phase 2, N=80 families will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions: 1) a computer-assisted, counselor-augmented motivational enhancement intervention + change plan development for youth and caregivers; or 2) active psychoeducation. A family session will occur 1-week post-baseline and a booster session will occur 1-month post-baseline. Outcomes will be examined at 1- and 3-months post-baseline. This trial will provide initial evidence for whether a fully powered trial is indicated. Developing an intervention that is brief, low barrier, easy to implement/scale, and culture responsive is innovative. The public health significance of the proposed research is reflected by the fact that it addresses four alcohol-related Healthy People 2030 objectives. Moreover, this project aligns with NIAAA’s 2024-2028 strategic plan, to develop targeted interventions to improve and reduce alcohol misuse across the life course and in different settings (Goal 3, Objective 2).

National Park Service

Activities supported under this agreement include conducting coordinated programs for getting young people onto their urban waterways in key cities, providing opportunities to learn outdoor and environmental skills, and providing a continuum of experiences through access to additional opportunities for recreation, career information, and skill development.

FIC - John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences

In Vietnam, adolescent and young men vulnerable to HIV through sexual behaviors are among those most affected by the infection, with an HIV prevalence that quadrupled from 3% in 2011 to 13% in 2020. More than 20% of Vietnamese young men living with HIV had moderate-to-severe depression and anxiety symptoms. These youths experienced extensive stigma related to their HIV status and sexual behaviors. There is a dearth of youth-friendly mental health services in Vietnam where there is less than one psychiatrist per 100,000 people. Project YES+ is an intervention integrating two evidence-based interventions, Project YES! and Self-Help+ to improve mental health, stigma, and HIV outcomes among youth living with HIV in Zambia (5R01TW012411). Youth Engaging for Success (Project YES!) is an HIV clinic-based peer mentoring CDC-designated intervention that successfully decreased HIV self-stigma and increased viral suppression. Self-Help+ is a group-based lay-delivered program endorsed by WHO that effectively prevents the onset of mental disorders and reduces mental health symptoms in different cultures. We propose to adapt Project YES+ for adolescent and young men living with HIV in Vietnam to create To Hieu (I Understand) and to pilot test the adapted intervention. The specific aims are to (1) Adapt Project YES+ to create To Hieu to improve mental health and reduce internalized HIV stigma for adolescent and young men living with HIV in Vietnam and (2) Examine acceptability and feasibility of To Hieu among adolescent and young men living with HIV through a pilot randomized controlled trial. In Aim 1, the adaption will follow the 8-step ADAPT-ITT framework.38 We will conduct in-depth interviews with adolescent and young men living with HIV (N=20) to explore preferences for the core components and formats of To Hieu. We will hold a human-centered design workshop to engage adolescent and young men living with HIV in co-design activities to refine To Hieu. In Aim 2, we will recruit 80 adolescent and young men living with HIV with depression or anxiety symptoms at two HIV clinics in Hanoi, Vietnam and randomize them 1:1 into two arms. The intervention arm will receive To Hieu in 4 months, while the control arm will receive standard of care at the clinics. The RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework will guide the measurement of the outcomes. We will calculate participation rates of participants (Reach) at baseline. We will assess acceptability through the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire and feasibility through intervention attendance (Adoption) at 4 months. Depression, anxiety symptoms, internalized HIV and sexual stigma, ART adherence and viral suppression of participants will be evaluated at baseline, 4 months and compared between groups (preliminary Effectiveness). We will conduct exit interviews with participants, youth peer mentors and HIV providers (N=30) to explore acceptability, feasibility (Implementation) and sustainability (Maintenance) of To Hieu. This research will build local capacity and develop networks for collaborative research on mental health and stigma among adolescent and young men living with HIV between Vietnam and the US.

NIMHD - National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities

Project Summary Limited English proficiency contributes to adverse health outcomes. Latino youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) tend to have higher glycemic levels than non-Latino White (White) youth and are less likely to use continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGM), an advanced diabetes technology that can lower glycemic levels and improve health. Barriers to CGM use exist at family (e.g., skepticism about CGM), provider (e.g., not tailoring education to families), and healthcare system levels (e.g., complex insurance approval process, cost of devices). Due to limitations of our healthcare system (e.g., few bilingual providers), Latino families with limited English proficiency may have even more difficulty overcoming these barriers. In our ongoing research, we partnered with English-proficient Black and Latino youth with T1D and their caregivers to co-develop Type 1 Together, an intervention to promote use of CGM. In Type 1 Together, families meet monthly with peer mentor families and a community health worker. Families of youth with T1D and limited English proficiency report unique challenges to managing T1D, indicating a need for interventions tailored to family beliefs and values and delivered in their preferred language. The objective of this proposal is to adapt and pilot-test Type 1 Together for Latino youth from families with limited English proficiency. During the first year of this proposal, we will conduct focus groups to gather Latino adolescent and caregiver perspectives on the intervention and then work with family research partners to adapt the intervention accordingly. Then, we will conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial. Families (n=20) will be recruited during or after Endocrinologist clinic visits and randomized (1:1) to the adapted Type 1 Together or a 3-month waitlist control. Primary outcomes will be intervention acceptability and feasibility, use of CGM, and glycemic levels (i.e., HbA1c, time in range). Findings from the current study will inform future research aimed at testing the efficacy of the intervention in a larger, multisite randomized controlled trial.

NIMH - National Institute of Mental Health

The objective of the proposed K23 research and training plan is to support Dr. Emily Tilstra-Ferrell in obtaining training needed to become an independent clinical scientist with a program of research focused on developing highly scalable, efficient evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for adolescents with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that can be delivered in accessible, real-world, multidisciplinary settings. Over four million adolescents in the United States (US) have PTSD. Although PTSD EBTs are available, only one third (37%) of adolescents access these treatments. Among the few who access PTSD EBTs, over one-third (34%) prematurely drop out due to barriers including lengthy protocols (the majority of dropout occurs before session seven). The proposed study directly addresses this clinical gap by adapting Written Exposure Therapy (WET), an EBT for adult PTSD, for adolescents. WET is an efficient, five-session PTSD treatment that is non-inferior to lengthier gold-standard PTSD EBTs for adults. WET addresses many barriers faced by adolescents who seek EBTs for PTSD due its brevity and related cost-effectiveness. However, WET has not been formally adapted or rigorously tested with adolescents. In Aim 1, WET will be adapted following a systematic model: Assessment, Decisions, Administration, Production, Topical Experts, Integration, Training, and Testing (ADAPT-ITT). In Aim 2, a proof- of-concept randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be employed to compare WET to Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (the gold-standard PTSD EBT for youth) delivered in a pediatric primary care setting to adolescents with PTSD. The final exploratory aim will examine the potential emotional (fear extinction) and cognitive (changes in ruminative cognition) mechanisms of action in WET. The mentorship team is comprised of numerous highly experienced mentors with NIH-funded research related to the proposed project including RCTs for adolescents with PTSD (Primary Mentor: Dr. Carla Kmett Danielson), ADAPT-ITT (Dr. Cristina López), advanced qualitative and mixed methods (Dr. Byron Powell), WET (Dr. Christine Hahn), dissemination and implementation science and EBTs for trauma-exposed youth in primary care settings (Dr. Rochelle Hanson), and longitudinal data analysis (Dr. Naomi Brownstein). The research opportunities, mentorship, and formal coursework afforded by the proposed K23 will ensure Dr. Tilstra-Ferrell gains the following skills needed to achieve her career goals: (1) conducting clinical trials with trauma-exposed adolescents, (2) using qualitative and mixed methods design to adapt and implement EBTs, (3) longitudinal data analysis, (4) dissemination and implementation science methods, and (5) improved scientific communication. The candidate will complete all proposed activities at the Medical University of South Carolina in the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, which is internationally renowned for research on adolescent PTSD EBTs with a strong history of catapulting early career scientists to independence. The proposed K23 will ultimately prepare Dr. Tilstra-Ferrell to launch a program of research developing efficient and scalable PTSD EBTs for adolescents.

Fish and Wildlife Service

The National Wildlife Refuge Association (Refuge Association) partnered with the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service (Service) in 2010 to develop Conserving the Future: Wildlife Refuges and the Next Generation, a vision for the National Wildlife Refuge System in the 21st century. Since then, the Refuge Association and the Service have cooperated together to implement the Conserving the Future vision across the nation and across many different constituencies of the Refuge System.The National Wildlife Refuge Association is the only nonpartisan, nongovernment, independent organization exclusively focused on advancing the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Building on a 41-year history of partnership, the Refuge Association works to amplify, assist and elevate the Refuge System s wildlife conservation and public engagement activities by providing expertise and assistance in partnership development, communications, outreach, education, land conservation and planning, as appropriate.In 2016 and 2017, we look forward to further collaborative work in our core areas of expertise and common interest: constituency-building, strategic habitat conservation and landscape conservation design, and communications and outreach. Building on work begun under similar cooperative agreements in 2014 and 2015, our activities in the coming year will include:Building Vibrant Partnerships: Strengthening grassroots partnerships across the nation by working with Refuge Friends Groups, Partners for Conservation, sportsmen's groups, NGO colleagues, and youth and university groupsCollaborative Landscape Conservation: Implementing strategic habitat conservation initiatives through our Beyond the Boundaries program work in selected landscapes across the nationGo Wild Raising the Profile of Refuges and Connecting with Refuge Visitors: Assisting the Refuge System in putting its communications strategy into action and developing a complementary branding and outreach campaign by the Refuge Association known as Go Wild, designed to connect with refuge visitors and engage them as refuge champions for the next generation.Authorizing statues for this program include the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, for the development and implementation of programs for the benefit of fish and wildlife species and their habitat (16 U.S.C. 661 and 742 et seq.); Fish and Wildlife Improvement Act of 1978, as amended (16 U.S.C. 753); Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531-1544, 87 Stat. 884).

Education Department

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Department is proposing an extension without change of a currently approved information collection request (ICR).

National Institute of Food and Agriculture

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Education and Workforce Development (EWD) focuses on developing the next generation of research, education, and extension professionals in the food and agricultural sciences. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) requests applications for the AFRI s Education and Workforce Development program areas to support:1. professional development opportunities for K-14 educational professionals;2. non-formal education that cultivates food and agricultural interest in youth;3. workforce training at community, junior, and technical colleges;4. training of undergraduate students in research and extension; 5. fellowships for predoctoral candidates;6. fellowships for postdoctoral scholars; and7. education and workforce development workshop grants.

Allstate Foundation

Funds youth empowerment programs, financial literacy, and domestic violence prevention through community-based organizations.

American Hotel & Lodging Foundation

Supports hospitality workforce development, education, and career programs for underserved youth and veterans.

U.S. Mission to Indonesia

Indonesia is ASEAN s largest economy and most populous nation, with a young, fast-growing digital population that is rapidly adopting artificial intelligence and creative-technology tools. The choices this generation makes about which technologies, standards, and platforms to build on will shape Indonesia s digital economy for decades. Demand for trusted, high-quality AI tools is outpacing access to credible, hands-on training, and U.S. technology providers remain underrepresented in the venues where Indonesian youth, creators, and MSMEs first encounter AI.This program builds demand for full-stack U.S. artificial-intelligence technologies and standards and supports the continued growth of Indonesia s creative and technology economy. The U.S. Mission to Indonesia s American Spaces network reaches these audiences directly. The Mission has focused its network on five higher-impact American Corners American Corner Malang, American Corner Makassar, American Corner Yogyakarta, American Corner Pontianak, and American Corner Ambon. These corners put U.S. programming in front of technology adopters, content creators, MSME operators, future policymakers, and youth influencers.Past American Spaces programming has shown that one-off events generate limited, short-lived engagement, while sustained, skills-based programming tied to tangible participant outputs builds durable relationships and measurable behavioral change. This opportunity builds on those lessons by funding a coherent, network-wide program rather than isolated activities, and by recruiting and professionalizing the teams that operate the corners so that gains are sustained beyond the award period. Through this NOFO, the Public Diplomacy Section seeks a partner to operationalize the American Innovation Hubs program. Success will be defined by five corners visibly transformed into modern innovation spaces; a documented shift in participant preference toward American AI tools and standards; a steady cadence of locally produced digital content; and a trained, capable cadre of corner staff able to sustain the model.Project Audience(s): The program serves several distinct audiences across the five host cities of Pontianak (West Kalimantan), Malang (East Java), Yogyakarta (Central Java), Ambon (Maluku), and Makassar (South Sulawesi): Indonesian youth and young adults aged 18 35 technology adopters, content creators, digital entrepreneurs, and startup founders; MSME owners and operators in the creative and technology sectors seeking to adopt AI tools for content creation and online marketing; American Corner staff and host-institution counterparts who operate the five corners.Project Goal: Advance U.S. innovation leadership and build sustained Indonesian demand for the American AI technology stack by transforming five American Corners into American Innovation Hubs that equip Indonesia s youth, creatives, and MSMEs with full-stack American AI and digital skills.Project Objectives: Objective 1: Reposition and equip all five American Corners as American Innovation Hubs with professional U.S. AI hardware, licensed American AI software, and a unified visual identity, with all five corners meeting applicable American Spaces Standards by the end of the program. Objective 2: Recruit, hire, and professionalize the local staff who operate the three corners in Malang, Yogyakarta, and Makassar, and build the capacity of at least 25 American Corner staff across five competency tracks creative-hub operations; strategic programming; ecosystem integration; brand stewardship; and monitoring, evaluation, and reporting with each corner producing an Annual Programming Plan and a Partner Ecosystem Map of at least 20 active local relationships. Objective 3: Train at least 1,500 youth, creative professionals, and MSMEs (approximately 300 per corner) in full-stack American AI tools and standards, resulting in a documented increase of at least 25 percent in participant preference for U.S. AI solutions, as measured by pre- and post-program surveys. Objective 4: Deliver sustained, regular AI-focused programming across all five corners that produces tangible participant outputs, including at least 35 podcast episodes (seven per corner), AI-generated music and visual content, short animated films, and live online marketing campaigns built with American AI tools, culminating in local hackathons and a national Grand Final.2. Substantial InvolvementThis award will be issued as a cooperative agreement. Because the program directly implements U.S. foreign policy priorities and operates through the Mission s American Spaces network, the U.S. Mission to Indonesia will be substantially involved in implementation. The expected roles and responsibilities of the Embassy and the recipient are summarized below.U.S. Embassy Roles and Responsibilities: Oversee and approve the overall program design, the American Innovation Hub visual identity and branding, and the physical configuration of each corner; Review and approve the position descriptions and selection of funded corner staff, the Annual Programming Plans, training curricula, and the selection of AI tools and standards featured in programming; Participate in the selection and approval of major implementing partners and the content of flagship events, hackathons, and speakers; Coordinate access to Mission resources, including the U.S. Embassy Jakarta American Spaces team, the @america programs team, the U.S. Consulate General Surabaya American Spaces team, EducationUSA, and U.S. government alumni networks; Review and clear public-facing materials and content for branding and policy compliance; Approve any significant changes to the scope, schedule, or budget of the project.Recipient Roles and Responsibilities: Implement the program across all five American Corners (Pontianak, Malang, Yogyakarta, Ambon, and Makassar); Recruit, hire, onboard, and supervise the nine local staff for the three corners in Malang, Yogyakarta, and Makassar in compliance with Indonesian labor law, and integrate all corner staff into the Capacity-Building Framework; Procure, ship, install, and maintain the U.S. AI hardware and licensed American AI software, and apply the approved American Innovation Hub visual identity at each corner; Design and deliver recurring American AI Skills Labs (approximately every two months) and sustained programming that introduces full-stack American AI tools and standards; Produce tangible participant outputs, including the podcast series, AI-generated content, short films, online marketing campaigns, and hackathons; Build and steward local partnerships and produce a Partner Ecosystem Map for each corner; Establish and implement the monitoring and evaluation plan and meet all reporting, branding, and compliance requirements; Coordinate closely with the U.S. Embassy through regular updates and consultations.

American Legion Foundation

Supports veterans assistance, youth programs, national security education, and community service through American Legion posts.

National Park Service

The goal for the program is to provide the NYC experience to deaf and hard of hearing youth so that they may have the same enriching experiences as their peers. This project has been successful by fully supporting accessible communication, which requires hiring professional interpreters as crew leaders and providing ASL interpretation at orientation, graduation, program presentations, question and answer sessions, skills trainings, safety trainings, recreation and games, weekend sites and general group interactions. This concept has worked extremely well for delivering this experience to interns during the past 3 years. ASLP crews work with NPS units throughout Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, introducing participants to career opportunities at individual Park units and Park staff to the ability and work ethic of these youth. ASLP crews live on the project site for up to five weeks at a time. While learning valuable lessons of teamwork and responsibility, youth gain a sense of pride that comes with hard work and a job well done. ASLP nurtures and encourages leadership development, diversity and cultural exchange among the youth and leaders in the program. The ASLP will provide an exclusive Corps opportunity for 20 deaf or hard of hearing youth with a five week long program during the summer of 2016, and provide five deaf or hard of hearing young adults with an eight week long AmeriCorps program. The ASLP will also provide opportunities throughout 2016 for up to 10 deaf or hard of hearing youth participants in other programs offered at Northwest Youth Corps.

National Park Service

The goal for the program is to provide the NYC experience to deaf and hard of hearing youth so that they may have the same enriching experiences as their peers. Providing ASL interpretation at orientation, graduation, program presentations, question and answer sessions, skills trainings, safety trainings, recreation and games, weekend sites and general group interactions.

NIDA - National Institute on Drug Abuse

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Family processes such as parental monitoring of the teens’ whereabouts or provision of discipline are core treatment targets in our most potent clinical interventions to reduce or prevent adolescent substance use, but we know relatively little about how family processes drive change. The dominant paradigm for studying the role of family processes consists of examining cross-sectional or longitudinal covariation between multiitem rating scales measuring “typical” parenting behavior over an extended recall period and teen reports of substance use over the past year/month. Because this data collection paradigm aggregates heavily across behaviors, time, and context, it precludes a precise, nuanced, or temporally sensitive understanding of how family processes drive changes in drinking and drug use, limiting translation relevance. To remedy this gap, we will develop a novel paradigm for collecting real-time, real-world intensive longitudinal data on the sequence of discrete parent and youth behaviors before and after episodes of substance use (i.e., antecedents and consequences). N=90 teens who use substances will complete 28 consecutive days of 4x/day EMA surveys, yielding ~120 observations of family processes per family over a 1-month period. Using this rich data, we pursue two aims. First, we will obtain validity, feasibility, and acceptability evidence for the novel paradigm and refine it for large-scale data collection (Aim 1). Validity evidence will be gathered by linking our momentary- and day-level assessments to pre-existing measures from the field’s standard paradigm. Usability, acceptability, and feasibility data for the paradigm will be gathered through structured interviews at baseline and exit assessments. Data from survey responses and interviews will be used to refine the paradigm in anticipation of future large-scale data collection (e.g., delete or replace poorly performing items, adjust schedule/frequency of surveys). Second, to demonstrate the value of the new paradigm, we will test 6 substantive hypotheses about which specific antecedent/consequent parent behaviors, performed when, for how long, and in which contexts, lead to changes in substance use and intent to use. Results will be proof-of-concept that the episode-based paradigm can reveal clinically useful insights not accessible with traditional, aggregated parenting rating scales. The expected outcome of this project is a new paradigm for studying which specific parenting behaviors, performed when and in which contexts, reduce risk for adolescent substance use over what timescale and for how long. If successful, findings obtained in a research program employing the new paradigm will replace the generic parenting advice offered in existing clinical interventions with precise, concrete, actionable recommendations on how busy and burdened parents can achieve greater impact with less effort. This developmental/exploratory (R21) proposal is expected to lead to a R01 submission to collect larger-scale data that will probe additional family processes, longer-term effects, and changes during clinical treatment.

National Park Service

Youth Engagement and Development Program. The project objective is to provide education and training to young adult crew in the areas of invasive species management; overgrown vegetation restricting water flow and causing flooding; and grave restoration and headstone alignment in the national cemetery at the Andersonville National Historic Site.