Grants: Manual Clarifies Application Process
 Writing successful grant applications poses a significant challenge. To help organizations
better prepare to compete for funding that can facilitate healthy changes in their communities,
SAMHSA recently released a new technical assistance manual entitled Developing
Competitive SAMHSA Grant Applications.
Designed to reach potential community-based grantees, the publication provides the practices needed to generate competitive, well-developed grant applications.
The manual will help grant applicants:
Identify which grant opportunities are appropriate for their organizations. Assemble current project and community data for planning ideas. Review SAMHSA grant announcements and plan application strategies. Examine eligibility and screening criteria to meet organizational and formatting requirements. Assemble resources and writing teams. Write grant applications that respond to the required outlines and grant evaluation criteria. Anticipate peer-review responses.
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Step-by-Step Assistance
The how-to manual is divided into six modules that guide applicants through the entire application
process, beginning with an overview of SAMHSA and its Centers so applicants can ensure that their
projects are aligned with the Agency’s priorities.
The act of writing is only part of producing a successful grant application. The first four modules
focus on activities such as understanding grant announcements, preplanning, and organizing.
Because the timeframe for grant application development is limited—usually 45 to 60 days—time
spent in this phase will make the process of writing the application later on much easier.
The manual does not neglect writing guidance, though. The longest module, “Write Your Grant
Application,” provides a roadmap to effective writing. The module offers 12 handouts including
those on developing an organization’s statement of need, goals, objectives, and tasks, and
preparing a project’s proposed budget.
Applicants also will find other helpful handouts and checklists on subjects such as conducting
a community assessment, creating a project notebook, formatting the document, and meeting application
timelines, among many others.
For a free copy of Developing Competitive SAMHSA Grant Applications, contact SAMHSA’s National
Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1 (800) 729-6686 (English), 1 (877) 767-8432 (Español),
or 1 (800) 487-4889 (TDD). Ask for publication number (SMA) 07-4274. To download the free publication,
visit SAMHSA’s Web site at www.samhsa.gov/Grants/TA. 
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Modules at a Glance
SAMHSA’s new grant-writing manual includes the following modules:
Module 1: Know SAMHSA and Its Centers
Module 2: Preplan and Organize
Module 3: Link Your Project to SAMHSA Grant Announcements
Module 4: Understand Grant Announcements
Module 5: Write Your Grant Application
Module 6: Study the Grant Application Review Process
For more information on SAMHSA grants, visit the Agency’s Web site at www.samhsa.gov/grants.
In addition, more than 1,000 grant programs, offered by all Federal grant-making agencies, are
detailed on the Federal Government’s grants Web site at www.grants.gov.
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