Breakthrough Accelerator Announces Inaugural Cohort of Innovation Teams Funded to Advance Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Equity

August 20, 2024

Rockville, MD

The Breakthrough Accelerator, a Child Trends project, announced today its first cohort of Innovation Development Teams that will test, refine, and scale youth-centered innovations that advance adolescent sexual and reproductive health equity. Over the next nine months, Breakthrough Accelerator will provide five Innovation Development Teams with $100,000 in funding, coaching, and resources to grow their innovations.

The inaugural five organizations and projects receiving Breakthrough Accelerator funding include:

• Children’s National Hospital for Beyond the Bump, a doula service program for pregnant teens ages 12–19 to improve their birth and postpartum outcomes and support self-advocacy within the health care system

• HBCU Wellness Collective, a sexual health peer education program that builds community and fosters student advocacy, translating to healthier students

• The Stigma RPG (Role-Playing Game), a role-playing game that provides a safe, engaging space for LGBTQ+ youth to explore sexual health concepts using an evidence-based cognitive behavioral health model

• UCLA Art & Global Health Center for Up to Us, a sexual health intervention combining entertaining and relevant short films and arts-based workshops for systems-impacted youth

• University of Oklahoma, School of Community Medicine for ATLAS (Autistic Teens Learning About Sexuality), a sexual health education web-application that deeply considers the learning needs and experiences of autistic youth

“We are inspired by the work Breakthrough Accelerator’s innovation teams are doing to advance sexual and reproductive health equity—they have authentically centered young people in their projects and are working to increase accessibility and quality of sexual and reproductive health education, programs, and services for populations that have otherwise been overlooked,” said Jenita Parekh, PhD, MPH, project director for Breakthrough Accelerator. “We are honored to be a part of their innovation journey.”

Led by Child Trends in partnership with Power to Decide and OkaySo, Breakthrough Accelerator champions and supports teams of innovators through tailored coaching, in-person workshops, peer learning opportunities, and equity-focused, human-centered design resources. The program will culminate with an opportunity to pitch innovations to potential future partners, investors/funders, and the public. Breakthrough Accelerator will open applications for its next round of funding in spring 2025.

For more information, visit: https://breakthrough.fund/

This project is supported by the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1,884,984 with 100% funded by OPA/OASH/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, OPA/OASH/HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit https://opa.hhs.gov/.

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About Breakthrough Accelerator

At Breakthrough Accelerator, we support teams as they test, refine, and scale youth-centered innovations that promote adolescent sexual and reproductive health equity. Teams receive funding, coaching, and community to take their innovation to the next level. For more information, visit: https://breakthrough.fund/

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About Child Trends

Child Trends is a nonprofit research organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth by providing accurate data, rigorous analysis, and evidence-based insights. With a focus on informing policies, programs, and practices, Child Trends works toward advancing the well-being of all children and ensuring they have the opportunity to reach their full potential. For more information, please visit www.childtrends.org.