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The Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration


SAMHSA Grant Annoucement RFA

Application Information
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP)

Request for Applications (RFA)

Drug Free Communities Support Mentoring Program

(Initial Announcement)

 

Request for Applications (RFA) No. SP-07-002
Posting on Grants.gov: March 23, 2007
Receipt date: May 11, 2007
Announcement Type: Initial

Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) No
.: 93.276

Key Dates:

Application Deadline

Applications are due by May 11, 2007.

Intergovernmental Review
(E.O. 12372)

Letters from State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) are due no later than 60 days after application deadline.

Public Health System Impact Statement (PHSIS)/Single State Agency Coordination

Applicants must send the PHSIS to appropriate State and local health agencies by application deadline. Comments from Single State Agency are due no later than 60 days after application deadline.

The Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announce the availability of funds for new FY 2007 Drug Free Communities Support Mentoring Program (DFC Mentoring) grants.

The purpose of the DFC Mentoring Program is to provide grant funds to existing DFC grantees (mentors) to support development and/or expansion of new community coalitions (mentees) that are focused on strengthening communities and reducing substance abuse among youth.

The DFC Program, a collaborative initiative sponsored by ONDCP in partnership with SAMHSA, is designed to achieve two goals:

  • Establish and strengthen collaboration among communities, private nonprofit agencies, and Federal, State, local and tribal governments to support the efforts of community coalitions to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth.
  • Reduce substance abuse among youth and, over time, among adults by addressing the factors in a community that increase the risk of substance abuse and promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance abuse. (Substances include, but are not limited to, narcotics, depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, cannabis, inhalants, alcohol and tobacco, where their use is prohibited by Federal, State, or local law.)  Note: DFC projects must focus on multiple drugs of abuse. When the term “drug” or “substance” is used in this funding announcement, it is intended to include all of the above drugs. 

The Drug-Free Communities Program (DFC) was created by the Drug Free Communities Act, 1997 (Public Law 105-20).  The DFC Mentoring grants were established as a component of the DFC Program when the DFC Program was reauthorized on December 14, 2001, through P.L. 107-82, 115 Stat. 814 (2001). Congress again voiced its support for the DFC Mentoring effort when the DFC Program and the DFC Mentoring Program were reauthorized in December of 2006.

The community sites that have been awarded DFC Mentoring Program grants represent a cross-section from every region in the Nation and include rural, urban, suburban, and tribal communities. In FY 2006, 17 new DFC mentoring grants and 21 mentoring continuation grants were awarded. More information can be found on the DFC web site (www.ondcp.gov/dfc).

Eligibility

DFC Mentoring applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria or the application will not be forwarded for review. The mentor coalition:

  • Must have been in existence for at least 5 years.  
  • Must be a current DFC New or Continuation grantee.  If an applying coalition is simultaneously submitting a new “regular” DFC support application under RFA SP-07-001, consideration for funding under this announcement is contingent upon receipt of a “regular” DFC award. 
  • Must have achieved, through its own efforts, measurable results in the prevention of substance abuse among youth.
  • Must have at least one staff, and/or volunteers/members, willing to serve as mentors for persons seeking to start or expand the activities of other coalitions in the prevention of substance abuse.
  • Must show a willingness of the target community to actively participate in the mentee process, as evidenced by Memoranda of Understanding to be submitted in Section J of the application.  (Instructions for completing Section J of the application are contained in Section V of this funding announcement.)
  • Must propose to mentor a coalition or coalitions that are not in receipt of a “regular” DFC award during the period of the mentoring relationship.  Applicants must disclose in this application if the mentee has submitted an application for a “regular” FY 2007 DFC award.
  • The mentor coalition must assist the mentee coalition to gain demonstrable support from key sectors of the community(ies) where the coalition will carry out the specific mentoring activities supported by the grant. The key sectors are:
  • -youth (an individual 18 or under)
    -parents
    -business community
    -media
    -school
    -youth-serving organizations
    -law enforcement agencies
    -religious or fraternal organizations
    -civic and volunteer groups
    -healthcare professionals
    -State, local, or tribal governmental agencies with expertise in the field of substance abuse (if applicable, the State authority with primary authority for substance abuse)
    -other organizations involved in reducing substance abuse

SAMHSA and ONDCP will consider the information provided in the applicant’s project narrative and supporting documentation in order to determine whether or not an individual applicant meets the above criteria.

Award Information

Funding Mechanism: Grant
Anticipated Total Available Funding: $1.4 million
Anticipated Number of Awards: 21
Anticipated Award Amount:

Up to $75,000

Length of Project Period: Up to 2 years

Approximately $1.4 million will be available for approximately 21 new DFC Mentoring grant awards in FY 2007. Applicants may request up to $75,000 per year. New mentor applicants may request project periods of up to 2 years. Continuation awards will depend on availability of funds, grantee progress in meeting project goals and objectives, and grant terms and conditions.

Contact Information

For questions on program issues, contact:

Jayme Marshall, Branch Chief
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
1 Choke Cherry Rd., 4th Floor
Rockville, MD  20857
240-276-1270
Dfcnew2007@samhsa.hhs.gov

For questions on grants management issues, contact:

Kimberly Pendleton
Office of Program Services, Division of Grants Management
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
1 Choke Cherry Road, Room 7-1097
Rockville, MD 20857
(240) 276-1421
kimberly.pendleton@samhsa.hhs.gov

Documents needed to complete a grant application:

Applications that are not submitted on the required application form will be screened out and will not be reviewed.

Download the complete Announcement No. SP-07-002

MS Word Format Download RFA in MS Word format
PDF Format Download RFA in Adobe PDF format

PHS 5161-1 (revised July 2000): Includes the face page, budget forms and checklist.

Additional Materials

For further information on the forms and the application process, see Useful Information for Applicants

Additional materials available on this website include:

Technical Assistance and Training for SAMHSA Grant Applicants

Grants Management at SAMHSA: Useful Information for Grantees



Last Update: 3/23/2007