The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will award up $1.2 million in grants to projects that demonstrate the efficacy of Project CHOICES, a preconception intervention designed to prevent drinking and smoking during pregnancy.

The Reducing Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol and other Co-Occurring Risk Behaviors in the Preconception Period grants will be awarded in amounts up to $400,000 each for three programs that will implement Project CHOICES, which consists of motivational counseling and family planning sessions targeting women ages 18 to 44 who are considered at risk of an alcohol-involved pregnancy because they are current drinkers or binge drinkers and don't regularly use contraception.

The grant program is aimed at confirming the effectiveness of the Project CHOICES pilot project as well as determining the cost of the intervention and integrating it with the broader healthcare information system and a tobacco-intervention project.

Nonprofits, for-profit firms, schools, government and tribal agencies, and others are eligible to apply.

Deadlines for letters of intent is April 7; final applications are due May 7. For more information, see the full grant announcement online.