The Trump administration recently eliminated grant funding across the state and in the Bronx for a program aimed at preventing teen pregnancy.
The nonprofit Children’s Aid has received millions in federal grant funds since 2015 and operated its Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) program under a recently renewed, multi-year grant set to end in 2028.
But the organization received a June 26 letter from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stating that funding was terminated as of that day.
The Bronx Times contacted the agency but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Rhonda Braxton, vice president of health and wellness at Children’s Aid, told the Bronx Times that the letter said their program no longer aligned with HHS priorities.
“There was no forewarning, there was no wind-down,” she said.
The TPP program had served approximately 1,200 young people throughout the state, including more than 360 across Bronx schools, afterschool programs, community centers and foster care settings.
The federal grant was also paying the salaries of several Children’s Aid staff members who may now be laid off. Salaries for six full-time and three part-time employees were fully funded by the grant, and ten more were partially grant-funded.
Amid the sudden cuts, “Staff are facing layoffs, and critical services and information is not being provided to vulnerable populations,” Braxton said.
Nationwide, teen pregnancy rates have plummeted to historic lows, but certain areas of New York City are still seeing increases.
For instance, the South Bronx has been a target area for the city and for Children’s Aid as teen pregnancy rates in the area increased each year from 2021 and 2023, according to an April report from the city Department of Health.
The report also showed a general increase in risky sexual behavior among NYC teens. The percentage of sexually active students not using contraception increased from 12% in 2021 to 20% in 2023. Also in 2023, 48% of sexually active students reported using a condom the most recent time they had intercourse, compared with 73% in 2009.
Braxton said Children’s Aid was one of 53 similar grantees whose funding was cancelled, even though they had been following a federally-created curriculum that has proven effective in reducing teen pregnancy.
The TPP program was based on comprehensive sexual health education and peer-to-peer education by trained young people. Those trusted messengers were “very effective,” Braxton said.
Program staffers held workshops, social media campaigns, youth summits, training for educators and caretakers and more. But now, across the state, about 19,000 young New Yorkers suddenly no longer have access.
“Right now, there’s no plan to fill that gap” Braxton said.
She said she worries that if students lack access to medically accurate, in-person programming, they might unknowingly believe in rumors and misinformation, especially online.
Braxton said she hopes elected officials and other stakeholders will lend their support as the organization fights to get bridge funding or another solution. But unless the grant is restored, “It’s creating a void where young people are losing trusted relationships in an era of disinformation and mistrust.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
