HHS Awards $6.6 Million to Address Increased Need for Title X Family Planning Services

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is awarding $6.6 million through the Title X family planning program to address increased need for family planning services where restrictive laws and policies have impacted reproductive health access. This competitive grant opportunity addressing dire family planning needs was announced as part of a series of recent actions HHS took to protect patients and health care providers in response to the Texas Law SB 8. Today’s awards will go to entities in seven states, including Texas, and were made possible by funds from the American Rescue Plan.

“Our nation’s family planning clinics provide critical health care,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “We will continue to take the necessary actions to protect reproductive health care and ensure access to quality family planning services.”

“Everyone living in this country deserves access to family planning services,” said Admiral Rachel L. Levine, Assistant Secretary for Health. “These additional funds will support a broad range of family planning and preventive health services related to achieving pregnancy, preventing pregnancy, and preventing and treating sexually transmitted infections.”

Title X is the only federal grant program dedicated solely to providing individuals with comprehensive family planning and related preventive health services in communities across the United States. In addition to these awards, a $750,000 supplemental grant award was issued last month to Every Body Texas, the largest Title X grantee in Texas.

Today’s awards to entities in seven states will help meet the current and expected increase in need for emergency contraception and other family planning care in underserved communities. Four of the awards will support Title X care in states (Hawaii, Maine, New York, and Washington) that have been without a Title X provider since 2019.

“The Title X program has long had the distinction of being a safety net within communities,” said Jessica Swafford Marcella, HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs. “These grants are further confirmation of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to strengthening that safety net and increasing access to our nation’s Title X family planning services.”

HHS used funds made available through the American Rescue Plan of 2021 (Public Law No. 117-2) to award eight grants to public and private nonprofit entities for a 15-month project period starting in January.

Dire Need for Title X Family Planning Services Grant Awards

About the Title X Family Clinics

For more than 50 years, Title X family planning clinics have played a critical role in ensuring access to a broad range of family planning and preventive health services for more than 190 million low-income or uninsured individuals, including breast and cervical cancer screening, contraceptive counseling and care, and STI/HIV testing. Title X services are delivered through a diverse network of clinics including state and local health departments, federally qualified health centers, hospital-based sites, and other private nonprofit and community-based health centers.

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Key Biden-Harris Administration Actions Bolstering the Title X Program:

October 27, 2021:  announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the award of approximately $256 million in Title X national services grants to support equitable, affordable, client-centered, and high-quality family planning services;

November 23, 2021: announced a NOFO for the award of approximately $35 million in grants to enhance and expand the telehealth infrastructure and capacity of Title X family planning providers;

December 13, 2021: awarded a $750,000 single-source supplemental grant to Every Body Texas; and

January 21, 2022:  announced funding to address dire need for family planning service grant awards.