WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Legacy Foundation has announced a $35 million three-year matching grant program to establish and support statewide youth movements against tobacco use as a companion initiative to the national truth(SM) adve

``By offering an opportunity to empower youth in the fight against tobacco use, we are giving states a powerful tool to build or enhance existing tobacco control efforts,'' said Cheryl Healton, Dr. P.H., CEO of the American Legacy Foundation. Statewide programs are an indispensable component of effective tobacco control efforts, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Foundation's Statewide Youth Movement Against Tobacco Use grants are available to the 46 states and six territories identified in the Master Settlement Agreement with tobacco product manufacturers (http://www.naag.org/tob2.htm). They are designed to build or extend statewide youth movements against tobacco use. Through these grants, youth will take responsibility in the fight against tobacco use, working with statewide coalitions that reflects the state's ethnic and social diversity. The coalition may consist of youth organizations, health departments and agencies, education departments, volunteer organizations, and the business sector. ``By identifying and supporting cutting-edge efforts in tobacco control, the American Legacy Foundation's grant program will further the goal of creating tobacco-free generations,'' Healton added. States that have completed or initiated the Youth Tobacco Survey are eligible for program grants of $500,000 to $1 million per year in 2000. (The Youth Tobacco Survey documents attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge about tobacco use, intent to use, exposure to tobacco use, and exposure to tobacco marketing and advertising.) Each program grant awarded may be renewed annually for a total grant period of three years and award size of $1.5 to $3 million. One-time planning grants of $50,000 to $75,000 are available to states that have never completed the survey. The American Legacy Foundation will require grantees to provide at least a one-to-one cash match, which may come from the state's settlement funds, and to participate in multi-program and site evaluations administered by the Foundation's Evaluation and Research Coordinating Center. Grantees must also demonstrate that program leadership, development and implementation come from a youth-led coalition. Grant application guidelines are available at the American Legacy Foundation's Web site (http://www.americanlegacy.org/grants/grants.html) or by request at grantsinfo@americanlegacy.org. Template versions of the application forms will be available online by February 11. Applications are due May 15, and awards will be made July 31, 2000. The American Legacy Foundation was established in November 1998 as a result of the Master Settlement Agreement between a coalition of Attorneys General in 46 states and five United States territories and the tobacco industry. The Foundation's goals are to reduce youth tobacco use, reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, and decrease tobacco consumption among all ages and populations.

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