Colorado Department of Education Announces Vaping Prevention Education Grant RFA for Colorado Education Providers from Juul Settlement Funds

On Wednesday, March 13th, the Colorado Department of Education announced a new funding opportunity for schools - RFA: Vaping Prevention Education Grant. This

Vaping Prevention Education Grant

is made possible by funding from the Colorado Attorney General’s Office (also the Colorado Department of Law or DOL) as a result of a settlement the DOL secured from JUUL Labs, Inc. on behalf of Coloradans to address the youth vaping crisis. The DOL is partnering with the Colorado Department of Education on this grant opportunity – and as part of a comprehensive, multifaceted approach combining education, prevention, and treatment – to support local education providers in their efforts to combat youth vaping. The focus of this funding is to help education providers serving K-12 address the immediate and long-lasting health implications of vaping and the use of electronic nicotine products by youth. Grants will be awarded to local education providers each year for three consecutive state fiscal years beginning in the 2024-2025 fiscal year. To be clear, this is NOT Amendment 35 funding nor affiliated with STEPP. While this RFA is intended only for local education providers in Colorado, it is an opportunity for A35 grantees to establish partnerships with schools in their areas. This is especially important if school districts in the communities you serve could be high need based on the criteria mentioned below. Here are some important aspects of this funding opportunity:

• The RFA is specifically for local education providers on behalf of K-12 schools in Colorado.
• Please note: This is separate from the “Combating Youth Vaping in Colorado RFA” that was released for local governmental and non-profit organizations in January 2024.
• Grants will be awarded to local education providers (LEPs) that demonstrate high need based on the following criteria:
• LEPs or communities disproportionately targeted by the vaping industry. (e.g., rural schools, schools with higher than average free and reduced lunch rates, minority students, or students identifying as LGBTQ or other data)
• LEPs or communities with high rates of students using electronic smoking devices or Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) and/or high rates of disciplinary action related to electronic smoking devices.
• LEPs located in an area with a higher percentage of retail stores that sell nicotine and/or vaping products.
• LEPs have limited mental, behavioral health, and health education staffing (based on staffing-to-student ratios, or health education staff, and limited grant funding from CDE).
• LEPs have limited mental, behavioral health, and health education resources (funding, curriculum, resources, systems of support).
• The school or district has not received any Juul Settlement Funds or any vaping prevention education funds, including, but not limited to, the direct JUUL settlements.

For local education providers who want additional information about the RFA, a recorded application informational webinar will be available on the

Colorado Department of Education’s Vaping Prevention Education Webpage

on March 20, 2024. Other helpful information:

Intent to Apply Due

: Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Applications Due

: Wednesday, April 24, 2024, by 4 p.m. If you have any questions about how this funding opportunity intersects with your current STEPP-funded work, please contact your Project Officer.

The associated files and links are available below.