 
Fact Sheet: Section 510 State Abstinence Education Program
History and Purpose
The purpose of Section 510 State Abstinence Education Program grants is to enable States to create or augment existing abstinence education programs and, at the option of the State, provide mentoring, counseling, and adult supervision to promote abstinence from sexual activity with a focus on those groups most likely to bear children out-of-wedlock. Section 510 of Title V of the Social Security Act was established under Section 912 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-193). This law provided for a mandatory annual appropriation of $50 million to States to carry out abstinence education programs for each of the fiscal years 1998-2002. First awarded in November 1997, the grants have continued to the present. A total of 43 States and 3 U.S. territories will receive funding in FY 2007.
In June 2004, the Section 510 State Abstinence Education Program was reassigned from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) to the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB).
The mission of the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) is to provide national leadership on youth and family issues. The Bureau promotes positive outcomes for children, youth, and families by supporting a wide range of comprehensive services and collaborations at the local, Tribal, State, and national levels.
Services Provided
States use Section 510 Abstinence Education grants to create or enhance programs that already exist. These grant projects must meet the legislative priorities as described in Section 510 of Title V of the Social Security Act. Abstinence education is defined in the legislation as “an educational or motivational program that:
- Has as its exclusive purpose, teaching the social, psychological, and
health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity;
- Teaches abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage as the expected
standard for all school age children;
- Teaches that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way
to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and
other associated health problems;
- Teaches that a mutually faithful monogamous relationship in context
of marriage is the expected standard of human sexual activity;
- Teaches that sexual activity outside of the context of marriage is
likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects;
- Teaches that bearing children out-of-wedlock is likely to have harmful
consequences for the child, the child’s parents, and society;
- Teaches young people how to reject sexual advances and how alcohol
and drug use increases vulnerability to sexual advances; and
- Teaches the importance of attaining self-sufficiency before engaging in sexual activity.”
Program Funding Process
State Abstinence Education Program grants are formula grants to States. Grants are awarded to States based on a statutory formula determined by the proportion of low-income children in a State to the total number of low-income children in all States according to the latest census data. The State is required to match 75 percent of Title V funds.
Funding for the State Abstinence Education Program has remained at $50 million each year, including FY 2007. FYSB solicits applications from States through an annual program announcement.
For More Information
For further information about FYSB's State Abstinence Education Program, contact the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth, P.O. Box 13505, Silver Spring, MD 20911-3505; (301) 608-8098; fax: (301) 608-8721; e-mail: ncfy@acf.hhs.gov; Web site: http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov.