The Agencies urge applicants to include all populations with cultural- and gender-specific needs, including sexual orientation, especially racial/ethnic minority groups and girls and women in the target population if feasible and appropriate.

In general, the composition of the target population should reflect the needs and demographics of the selected target community. Applicants should describe the composition of the project's target population with respect to race/ethnicity and gender and ensure that the project's design, intervention strategies, and staffing are sensitive, appropriate, and competent to address the special requirements of racial/ethnic minority groups and/or girls and women included in the target population.

When a proposal excludes a racial/ethnic minority group(s) and/or girls and women in the community from the target population, a justification for this action must be included in the application.

In general, when evaluating projects using a common intervention with populations differing by race/ethnicity, gender, or developmental age group, it is important to ascertain whether the intervention is differentially effective for these populations. Such statistical analyses should be done whenever the size of the subpopulation(s) can support such analysis.

All recipients of Federal grant funds are required to comply with nondiscrimination requirements contained in various Federal laws. All applicants should consult the assurances to understand the applicable legal and administrative requirements.

National Evaluation of the Safe Schools/ Healthy Students Initiative	Due Date: July 21, 1999