Drug-Free Communities

Preventing youth substance use is critical to ending the drug crisis in America. The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program is the nation’s leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth. Created in 1997 by the Drug-Free Communities Act, administered by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and now managed by CDC, the DFC Program provides grants to community coalitions to strengthen the infrastructure among local partners to create and sustain a reduction in local youth substance use.

• 

  Highlights the vital role of substance abuse prevention in both individual and community healthexternal icon.

  Drug-Free Communities (DFC)external icon is a $101 million grant program that establishes and strengthens collaboration among various sectors of a community working to prevent youth substance use. Drug-Free Communities are programs that work to reduce youth substance use rates in communities across the country.

• In addition, Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) Local Drug Crisis grants are funded at $4 million to enhance DFC efforts by creating sustainable community-level change to prevent and reduce the use of illicit opioids or methamphetamines and the misuse of prescription medications among youth.