Rigorously Evaluating Approaches to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Problematic Sexual Behavior among Youth
CDC is funding research to rigorously evaluate programs or policies that prevent child sexual abuse and inappropriate sexual behavior among youth, especially in digital spaces or youth-serving organizations.
Funder: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA
Due Dates (Anticipated): December 2026 (Full application deadline, projected)
Funding Amounts: Up to $400,000 per award; total program funding $4.8M; up to 3 awards; project period typically 3 years
Summary: Supports rigorous research to evaluate programs and policies for primary prevention of child sexual abuse and problematic sexual behavior among youth.
Description
This forecasted opportunity from the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) seeks investigator-initiated research proposals to rigorously evaluate programs and policies aimed at the primary prevention of child sexual abuse (CSA) and problematic sexual behavior (PSB) among youth. Funded research will strengthen the evidence base for preventing CSA and PSB. Applicants must propose to evaluate a program or policy addressing one of three research priorities:
- Primary prevention of CSA or PSB in digital spaces (e.g., prevention of illegal image possession, nonconsensual image sharing, AI-generated explicit content).
- Prevention of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) or sex trafficking in digital spaces (e.g., online recruitment for sexual content, technology-facilitated exploitation).
- Organizational policy approaches for primary prevention in youth-serving organizations (e.g., community centers, juvenile residential care, faith-based organizations).
CSA is defined as sexual victimization of individuals under 18 by adults. PSB refers to developmentally inappropriate sexual behaviors among children under 18 that may cause harm, whether intentional or not.
