Apply for Drug-Free Communities Support Program- NEW (US),

Deadline: 16-May-24

The Centers for Disease Control – (NCIPC) has announced a Grant program Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program. The purpose of the DFC Support Program is to establish and strengthen collaboration to support the efforts of community coalitions working to prevent youth substance use. By statute, the DFC Support Program has two goals:

Establish and strengthen collaboration among communities, public and private non-profit agencies, as well as federal, state, local, and tribal governments to support the efforts of community coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance use among youth (individuals 18 years of age and younger).
Reduce substance use among youth and, over time, reduce substance use among adults by addressing the factors in a community that increases the risk of substance use and promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance use.

Purpose

The purpose of the DFC Support Program is to establish and strengthen collaborations to support

the efforts of community coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance use among youth.

Strategies and Activities

Applicants are expected to work with youth, community members, and leaders of their

communities to identify, discuss, plan, and implement evidence-based and practice-based

prevention strategies to reduce the use of at least two named substances that are selected using a

community needs assessment or other local data and create sustainable community-level change.

Seven Strategies for Community-Level Change

1. Provide information about youth substance use: educational presentations, workshops or

seminars, and data or media presentations (e.g., Public Service Announcements (PSAs),

brochures, town halls, forums, web communication, social media).

2. Enhance skills so youth/adults and community members can build positive social skills and

enhance their decision-making capabilities: Workshops, seminars, or activities designed to

increase the skills of participants, members, and staff (e.g., training and technical assistance,

parenting classes, strategic planning retreats, model programs in schools).

3. Provide support to increase opportunities that reduce risk factors or enhance protective

factors for youth/adults: Creating opportunities for participation in activities that reduce risk or

enhance protection (e.g., alternative activities, mentoring, referrals for services, support groups,

youth clubs).

4. Enhance access, reduce barriers, and improve connections between systems and services that help prevent youth substance use: Improving systems/processes to increase the ease, ability,

and opportunity to utilize those systems and services (e.g., assuring transportation, housing,

education, safety, recreational facilities, and cultural sensitivity) in prevention initiatives.

5. Change consequences to incentivize positive practices and disincentivize negative

practices: Increasing or decreasing the probability of a behavior (incentives/disincentives) by

altering the consequences for performing that behavior (e.g., recognition programs for merchants

who pass compliance checks; publicizing businesses non-compliant with local ordinances).

6. Change the physical design of the community to reduce the risk for and enhance protection

against youth substance use: Changing the physical design of the environment to reduce risk or

enhance protection (e.g., re-routing foot/car traffic, adjusting park hours, alcohol/tobacco outlet

density). NOTE: DFC federal funds cannot support landscape and lighting projects, or

construction projects. As such, costs for these projects cannot be used as a match.

7. Educating and informing about modifying or changing policies that reduce access and

availability to substances among youth: Change in written procedures, by-laws, proclamations,

rules, or laws, to the extent applicable law and policies allow (e.g., workplace initiatives, law

enforcement procedures, and practices, public policy actions, systems change).

Funding Information

Estimated Total Program Funding: $31,250,000
Award Ceiling: $125,000
Award Floor: $0

Eligibility criteria

Independent school districts
Nonprofits having a 501(c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
State governments
Special district governments
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Private institutions of higher education
County governments
Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility"
City or township governments
Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments)