Office of Family Assistance
Healthy Marriage Demonstration Grant

Allowable Activities: Public advertising campaign (#1); education in high schools on the value of marriage (#2); marriage education, marriage skills, and relationship skills programs for non-married pregnant women and non-married expectant fathers (#3); pre-marital education and marriage skills training for engaged couples and for couples interested in marriage (#4); marriage enhancement and marriage skills training programs for married couples (#5); divorce reduction programs that teach relationship skills (#6); and marriage mentoring programs which use married couples as role models and mentors in at-risk communities (#7).

Organization Description: WAIT (Why am I tempted?) Training is a non-profit organization founded to teach abstinence-until-marriage and marriage education to teens and young adults. Partner organizations include: Center for Community Excellence and Social Justice, PREP / University of Denver, We Care America, Rocky Mountain Family Council, CO Dept. of Human Services, etc.

Use(s) of ACF Program Grant Funds: The program grant funds will be used to conduct a public advertising campaign to reach approximately 150,000 people, particularly Hispanic and African American populations; will provide relationship education in high schools to 20,000 students and training to 150 teachers; will provide relationship education using the “WAIT Relationship and Parenting” program to 3 hospitals and 10 agencies so they can serve pregnant and parenting teens. (Will also use: “PREP” and “Love’s Cradle” to serve this population); will provide pre-marital education to a higher percentage of engaged couples using “PREP” and other curricula; will provide marriage enhancement training to 35 community-based organizations using “PREP” and other curricula who will then provide this training to married couples; and will provide training for 300 married couples to serve as mentors for 300 struggling couples.

Allowable Activities: Pre-marital education and marriage skills training for engaged couples and for couples or persons interested in marriage (#4) and marriage enhancement and marriage skills training programs for married couples (#5).

Organization Description: The National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society’s mission is to end the devastating effects of MS. The Society and its network of chapters nationwide promote research, education and advocacy on critical issues and organize a wide range of programs including support for the newly diagnosed and those living with MS.

Use(s) of ACF Program Grant Funds: The grant funds will be used to develop a model for marriage and relationship education that can be used by other non-profit health organizations that serve the millions of individuals with chronic illnesses. The Society will work with the target population living with MS who are served by the centralized Information Resource Center.

Allowable Activities: Marriage education, marriage skills and relationship skills program that may include parenting skills, financial management, conflict resolution, and job and career advancement for non-married pregnant women and non-married expectant fathers (#3) and marriage enhancement and marriage skills training programs for married couples (#5).

Organization Description: The Colorado State University Cooperative Extension (CSUCE; lead agency), Adams County Social Services Department, Tri-County Health Department and Alternatives to Family Violence, with additional help from secondary partners Goodwill Industries, Partnerships for Healthy Communities and Adams County Head Start, will implement the Family Success in Adams County (FASC) project.

Use(s) of ACF Program Grant Funds: Colorado State University plans to provide marriage education, marriage skills, and relationship skills programs for non-married pregnant women and non-married expectant fathers, as well as marriage enhancement and marriage skills training programs for married couples. They will annually provide educational interventions to 150 individual participants who are unmarried expectant mothers or unmarried expectant fathers to improve their interpersonal relationship, conflict resolution, job readiness/income, and parenting skills. They will also provide, annually, 150 married couples in Adams County who are struggling with conflict resolution and communication with tools and resources to achieve greater success.

Office of Family Assistance
Healthy Marriage Demonstration Grant

Allowable Activities: Public advertising campaigns on the value of marriage and the skills needed to increase marital stability and health (#1)and marriage education, marriage skills and relationship skills program that may include parenting skills, financial management, conflict resolution, and job and career advancement for non-married pregnant women and non-married expectant fathers (#3)

Organization Description: Power of Two, the brand-name for materials produced or sold by TherapyHelp Inc., is a small business with over a decade of experience providing quality resources for teaching the skills for marriage success. The Power of Two Team is a small, high-powered set of individuals passionate and knowledgeable about marriage education, well-steeped in the use of technology, and grounded in diverse areas of expertise.

Use(s) of ACF Program Grant Funds: Targeting non-married pregnant women and non-married expectant fathers, Therapy Help will create web-based marriage and relationship games to deliver marriage skills. A library of free on-line marriage, relationship and related skills game episodes will be created and placed onto web sites (e.g., a church web site or magazine web site). They will create eight episodes the first year and over 40 episodes over the five-year grant period. A wide network of communities who use the library by putting the free game episodes on their web sites will be cultivated. Public advertising campaigns on the value of marriage and the skills needed to increase marital stability and health will also be implemented.

Office of Family Assistance
Healthy Marriage Demonstration Grant

Allowable Activities: Public advertising campaign (#1); marriage education, marriage skills, and relationship skills programs for non-married pregnant women and non-married expectant fathers (#3); pre-marital education and marriage skills training for engaged couples and for couples interested in marriage (#4);marriage enhancement and marriage skills training programs for married couples (#5); divorce reduction programs that teach relationship skills (#6); and marriage mentoring programs which use married couples as role models and mentors in at-risk communities (#7).

Organization Description: Weld County Department of Social Services administers child welfare, assistance payments, child support, and prevention and intervention programs as part of County government. The Department is active in collaborative efforts in Weld County, organizing and facilitating the County’s “Faith-Based Initiative.”

Use(s) of ACF Program Grant Funds: The program grant funds will be used to launch a media campaign to raise the awareness of the benefits of healthy marriage to reach all residents of Weld County; will conduct marriage enrichment weekends for 300 couples and provide marriage education classes and booster sessions for 350 couples annually; will use marriage educators to develop relationship skill paths for couples who are facing divorce; and will conduct interactive seminars on building strong families that pair 210 married mentor couples with 210 young couples interested in marriage.

Office of Family Assistance
Healthy Marriage Demonstration Grant

Allowable Activities: Marriage education, marriage skills and relationship skills program that may include parenting skills, financial management, conflict resolution, and job and career advancement for non-married pregnant women and non-married expectant fathers (#3) and pre-marital education and marriage skills training for engaged couples and for couples or persons interested in marriage (#4).

Organization Description: Peer Assistance Services (PAS) was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in 1984 to provide comprehensive employee assistance program services to healthcare workers. Over time, the agency has expanded its role to include services for other populations in the community.

Use(s) of ACF Program Grant Funds: Peer Assistance Services plans to provide marriage education, marriage skills, and relationship skills programs for non-married pregnant women and non-married expectant fathers, as well as, premarital education and marriage skills training for engaged couples and couples or individuals interested in marriage. They will provide the PREP marriage relationship enhancement model program for a minimum of 300 low income participants who are currently married or in relationships per year; the How to Avoid Marrying a Jerk or Jerkette model program for a minimum of 150 low-income participants who are not currently married or in a relationship per year; and the Make Parenting a Pleasure model parent education program to a minimum of 450 low income participants who are also enrolled in the PREP or How to Avoid Marrying a Jerk or Jerkette programs per year. They expect to build a successful Healthy Marriage Initiative that will be expanded to a minimum of six new sites and sustained at the existing and new sites after funding ends

Office of Family Assistance
Healthy Marriage Demonstration Grant

Allowable Activities: Education in high schools on the value of marriage (#2); marriage education, marriage skills, and relationship skills programs for non-married pregnant women and non-married expectant fathers (#3); pre-marital education and marriage skills training for engaged couples and for couples interested in marriage (#4); marriage enhancement and marriage skills training programs for married couples (#5); divorce reduction programs that teach relationship skills (#6); marriage mentoring programs which use married couples as role models and mentors in at-risk communities (#7).

Organization Description: Northern Hills Pregnancy Care Centers (NHPCC) is a non-profit, faith-based community service organization based in Spearfish, South Dakota. NHPCC, for 20 years, have served over 1700 women, men and families in unplanned pregnancy situations throughout its service area. Crisis intervention programs include suicide hotlines and substance abuse facilities using well trained peer counselors. They have also taken the abstinence-until-marriage message to over 11,000 students in public schools and youth groups.

Use(s) of ACF Program Grant Funds: NHPCC will use the grant funds to accomplish the goals of the REAL project. The Project will serve participants from approximately 25 rural counties in western South Dakota, Eastern Montana, and Northeast Wyoming. REAL provides unique marriage preparation and sustainability courses to both engaged and married couples, relationship skills training to unmarried pregnant clients of tri-state pregnancy care centers, marriage mentor programs in the Northern Hills, and an innovative, evidence-based educational program to high school teens in the tri-state areas.

Office of Family Assistance
Healthy Marriage Demonstration Grant

Allowable Activities: Pre-marital education and marriage skills training for engaged couples and for couples or persons interested in marriage (#4) and marriage enhancement and marriage skills training programs for married couples (#5).

Organization Description: Utah State University (USU), a land-grant University, is a state-controlled institution of higher learning. USU’s mission includes serving the public through learning, discovery and engagement. The University has an established reputation in the community regarding community engagement efforts.

Use(s) of ACF Program Grant Funds: In collaboration with family service organizations in northern Utah, USU will offer educational classes at ten sites educating/teaching low-income couples in stepfamilies the skills required to prepare for re-marriage and/or marriage enhancement in their relationships in the context of blending/stepfamily living.

Office of Family Assistance
Healthy Marriage Demonstration Grant

Allowable Activities: Public advertising campaign (#1); education in high schools on the value of marriage (#2); pre-marital education and marriage skills training for engaged couples and for couples interested in marriage (#4); marriage enhancement and marriage skills training programs for married couples (#5); and marriage mentoring programs which use married couples as role models and mentors in at-risk communities (#7).

Organization Description: The High Country Consulting, LLC dba Faith Initiatives of Wyoming (FIWY) is a statewide intermediary organization for faith and community-based (F/CB) organizations founded in 2002. It currently serves more than 2400 F/CB organizations through training and technical assistance, fund development, identification of best practices and advancement and use of technology, all aimed at building service capacity at the local level. FIWY also assists with direct management services, data handling, event planning and coordination of partnership activities for F/CB projects.

Use(s) of ACF Program Grant Funds: High Country Consulting will implement and evaluate a marriage enrichment program that will target stepfamilies and couples in second marriages. They will provide marriage preparation, enrichment and divorce reduction services through both community-based and faith-based organizations, using a pilot program as a cultural model to reach out to over 1,250 participants.