SAMHSA Grantmaking
Priorities and Processes
David Shillcutt, J.D.
240-276-1020
David.Shillcutt@samhsa.hhs.gov
Overview
SAMHSA Overview
Grant Programs
Application Process and Tips
Additional Resources
SAMHSA’S BUDGET
$3,32
SAMHSA FY 2008 - FY 2013 Total Program Level
#
$3,700
$3,583 M
$3,599 M
$3, 565 M
$3,600
$20
$3,466 M
$3,500
$88
$88
Dollars in Millions
$3,300
$3,356
$88
$132
$3, 423 M*
$132
$3,400
$3,560 M*
$129
$132
$129
$105
?
$122
$165
$3,200
$3,431
$3,379
$3,335
$3,100
$3,348
$3,343
$3,234
$3,152
$3,000
$2,900
FY 2008
Actual
FY 2009
Actual
FY 2010
Actual
FY 2011
Actual
FY 2012
Enacted
FY 2013
President's
Budget
FY 2013
Senate
Committee
Mark
FY 2013
House
Committee
Mark?
Total Program Level Includes: Budget Authority, PHS Evaluation Funds, and ACA Prevention Funds.
FY2012 Enacted amount incorporates the 0.189% recession. *FY2013 also includes $1.5 M estimated
for user fees for Extraordinary Data and Publication Requests.
 ACA
 PHS
 BA
SAMHSA’S Strategic Initiatives
1.
Prevention
2. Trauma
and Justice
3. Military
Families
4. Recovery
Support
5. Health
Reform
6. Health
Information
Technology
7. Data,
Outcomes
& Quality
8. Public
Awareness
& Support
1. Prevention of Substance Abuse and
Mental Illness
• Promote emotional health and reduce the
likelihood of mental illness, substance abuse
including tobacco, and suicide
• Includes a focus on the Nation’s high-risk
youth, youth in Tribal communities, and
military families
• www.samhsa.gov/prevention/
2.Trauma and Justice
• Reduce impact of violence and trauma
• Integrate trauma-informed approaches
throughout health, behavioral health, and
related systems
• Address the behavioral health needs of
people involved in or at risk of involvement
in the criminal and juvenile justice systems
• www.samhsa.gov/traumaJustice/
3. Military Families
• Ensure that needed behavioral health
services are accessible to military members
and family
• Ensure that outcomes are positive for
military members and their families
• www.samhsa.gov/militaryfamilies
4. Recovery Support
• Promote individual, program, and systemlevel approaches that foster health and
resilience
• Increase permanent housing, employment,
education, and other necessary supports
• Reduce barriers to social inclusion
• www.samhsa.gov/recovery
5. Health Reform
• Increase access to appropriate high-quality
care
• Reduce disparities that currently exist
between the availability of services for
substance abuse, mental disorders, and other
medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS
• www.samhsa.gov/healthreform
6. Health Information Technology
• Ensure that the behavioral health system
fully participates with the general health care
delivery system in the adoption of Health
Information Technology (HIT) and
interoperable Electronic Health Records
(EHR).
• www.samhsa.gov/healthIT
7. Data, Outcomes, and Quality
• Realize an integrated data strategy and a
national framework for quality improvement
in behavioral health care that will:
• Inform policy, measure program impact, and
• Improve quality of services and outcomes for
individuals, families, and communities.
• www.samhsa.gov/dataoutcomes
8. Public Awareness and Support
• Increase the understanding of mental and
substance use disorders to achieve the full
potential of prevention
• Help people recognize mental and substance
use disorders
• Encourage people to seek assistance with the
same urgency as any other health condition,
and make recovery the expectation
• www.samhsa.gov/PublicAwareness
Selected Grant Programs
Center for Mental Health Services
•
Works to expand the availability and
accessibility of high-quality, communitybased services for children and adults
•
Mental Health Services Block Grant
•
Discretionary grant programs
CMHS: National Traumatic Stress
Initiative
•
•
•
Category I: National Center for Child
Traumatic Stress
Category II: Treatment and Service
Adaptation Centers (TSA)
Category III: Community Treatment
and Services Centers (CTS)
CMHS: Campus Suicide Prevention Grants
•
•
•
•
Available to institutions of higher education
Targeted to students at high risk for suicide
$1.837 million total
Approximately 18 awards
• Up to $102,000 per year for 3 years
Center for Substance Abuse
Prevention
• Works to improve the quality of substance
abuse prevention practices in communities
nationwide
• Discretionary grant programs provide
States, communities, organizations, and
families with tools to promote protective
factors and to reduce risk factors for
substance abuse
Drug Free Communities
• Targeted to prevent underage
substance abuse
• $3,750,000 total
• 30 awards
• Up to $125,000 per year for 5 years
Strategic Prevention Framework –
Partnerships for Success II
• Targeted to prevent underage
drinking and prescription drug misuse
• $40 million total
• 11-18 awards
• Up to $1.2 million per year for 3 years
STOP Act Grants
• Domestic public and private
nonprofit entities are eligible
• Targeted to prevent underage
drinking
• $3.9 million total
• 78 awards
• Up to $50,000 per year for 4 years
Center for Substance Abuse
Treatment
• Works to promote the quality and
availability of community-based substance
abuse treatment services for individuals
and families
• Substance Abuse Treatment (SABG) Block
Grant Program
• Discretionary grant programs
• http://www.samhsa.gov/treatment/ or 1800-662-HELP
Targeted Capacity Expansion-Health
Information Technology
• Domestic public and private nonprofit entities
are eligible
• Targeted to persons in treatment
• $5.6 Million total
• Up to 20 awards
• $280,000 per year for 3 years
CSAT Grant: Addiction Technology
Transfer Centers
• Domestic public and private nonprofit entities
are eligible
• $10.53 million total
• 15 awards
• $665,000-$765,000 per year for 5 years
Application Process and Tips
Availability and Timing
• Some grants are available each year for
several years
• Other Requests for Applications (RFAs) are
posted only in fiscal years when Congress
appropriates funds for the program
• Follow the development of the federal
budget, and watch for increases or cuts to
line items that are relevant to your work
Availability and Timing
• Some grants are awarded for a multiple year
period
• Funds for subsequent years are distributed
on an annual basis as non-competing
Continuation Awards
Availability and Timing
• RFAs are posted throughout the fiscal year
• Deadlines vary, but are usually 30-60 days
from posting. Application receipt dates are
included in every RFA.
Availability and Timing
• The best way to find out what grants are
available at any given time is to check our
website, http://www.samhsa.gov/grants/
• Sign up on www.grants.gov to be notified
whenever a new SAMHSA grant is posted.
Review Process
• Applications are assigned to committees
of three or more reviewers
• Applications are screened for compliance
with specific application requirements
• Each application is considered and scored
only in accordance with the Request for
Applications (RFA) and its published
review criteria
Review Process
• Only what is actually written in the application
can be considered
• Reviewers assess the quality of your response
to the evaluation criteria found in the project
narrative of the funding announcement
• Reviewers assign points for each section of the
project narrative
Review Process
• All expenditures must be adequately
justified, but the budget is not a merit
issue and does not have a part in
determining the score of an application
• If the award meets a defined threshold of
$150,000 or more, the Center’s National
Advisory Council will perform a second
level of review
Review Process
• A summary statement is sent to every
applicant to summarize the reviewers’
assessment of the strengths and
weaknesses of the application
• May also include comments on budget and
participant protection issues
Review Process
• Reviewers are chosen for their experience
and expertise in the relevant field
• Review groups represent geographic,
gender, and ethnic diversity, especially
with regard to the specific population
targeted by the grant
• Standards to avoid conflict of interest are
strictly followed
Preparation and Planning
• Given the short turn-around of many RFA
postings, it is essential to begin your
planning process early
• Set up an alert on www.grants.gov to notify
you of newly-announced grants in your field
• Sign up for SAMHSA’s newsletter
• Visit www.samhsa.gov/grants/ regularly
Preparation and Planning
• Anticipate and pre-plan—don’t wait until
the announcement is published
• Find out what requirements are likely to
apply to your application by reading
previous RFAs for your grant program or
similar ones
Preparation and Planning
• Read the grant application manuals
(available on our website) and required
Federal forms
• Begin gathering relevant data
• Obtain licenses, certifications, assurances,
and letters of support you will need
Preparation and Planning
•
Develop partnerships to strengthen
your application
•
Some grants require certain types of
partnerships as a condition of
eligibility
•
Other grant applications ask you to
discuss partnerships to show
community understanding and
involvement
Pitfalls to Avoid
• Read the instructions in the RFA very
carefully and follow them to the letter
• Familiarize yourself with all screenout
requirements
• Read SAMHSA’s materials on cultural
competence carefully and ensure that they
are fully incorporated into your proposal
• Build time into your schedule for an
independent review of your application
Additional Resources
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
www.samhsa.gov/grants/
Technical Assistance Manual
Formatting requirements
SAMHSA grant application forms
Single State Agencies directory
Guidelines for assessing cultural
competence
Guidelines for consumer and family
participation
Additional Resources
National Registry of Effective Programs
and Practices (NREPP)
• Data sources to guide your grant
application (DAWN, NSDUH, etc.)
• Webinars with specific guidance for
currently-available grants
• store.samhsa.gov
•
Questions?
david.shillcutt@samhsa.hhs.gov