The Affordable Care Act reauthorized State Abstinence grants, providing $50 million annually in mandatory funds for FY 10-14. In 2010, ACYF awarded $33 million in formula grants to 29 states and Puerto Rico for abstinence education programs and mentoring, counseling, or adult supervision programs. In 2011, 34 states and Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Federated States of Micronesia received abstinence grants.
The abstinence funds require a state match of three dollars (cash or in kind) for every four federal dollars. States are encouraged to consider research-based programs and strategies when developing their plans. States can determine the relative emphasis to place on each point of the A-H definition of abstinence, but funds cannot be used to contradict any of the A-H provisions. Since the law also instructs states to focus on youth at greatest risk of non-marital pregnancy, ACYF encourages states to serve youth in foster care with these funds.
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