Overview & Application Process for the Drug-Free Communities Support Program

1. Overview & Application Process for the Drug-Free Communities Support Program Executive Office of the President Office of National Drug Control Policy

2. Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997 • Established the DFC Program • Subsequent reauthorizations in 2001 and 2006 • Current reauthorization “in progress” • Funding for FY2013 is somewhere between $92 and 95million • Will fund around 100 grants next year • Request for Applications posted in January 2013 • All eligible coalitions are encouraged to apply

3. SAMHSA • Review/Program/Finance

4. Goals of the DFC Program • To establish and strengthencollaboration among communities, nonprofit agencies, and Federal, State, local and tribal governments to support the efforts of community coalitions to prevent and reduce substance use among youth • To reduce substance useamong youth and, over time, reduce substance abuse 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

5. Theory of the DFC Program • A small amount of Federal funding combined with a local match of resources and volunteer support can reduce youth drug use • Grantees receive $125,000/year in 5 year cycles • Maximum of 10 years • By mobilizing community leaders to identify and respond to the drug problems unique to their community, DFC is designed to change the entire community environment • Focusing on environmental changeultimately contributes to reductions in substance use among youth, and over time, substance abuse among adults

6. How DFC Works • Government issues Request for Applications • Coalitionsapply • Applications are scored through a Peer Review process • Award highest scored applications until all funds are exhausted

7. DFC’s Definition of a Coalition A formal arrangement for cooperation and collaboration between groups or sectors of a community, in which each group retains its identity, but all agree to work together toward a common goal of building a safe, healthy, and drug free community • DFC grants are intended to support community-based coalitions

8. Why Community Coalitions? • Local problems need local solutions • No one-size-fits-all way to solve problems • Communities needs to be able to adjust/adapt in real time • Efforts need to be owned by communities

9. Facts About: FY2012 DFC Grantees $92M appropriation funding 692 total grantees: $84.6M to 692 DFC grantees $2.8M to ONDCP (Administrative Operations) $4.6M to SAMHSA (Grant Monitoring & Management) $2M to CADCA (National Coalition Institute) DFC covers 49 states, DC, Puerto Rico, Palau, American Samoa and the Federated States of Micronesia

11. DFC Works!!! • Past 30-day use of alcohol, tobacco & marijuana has declined for middle & high school • Past 30-day use of alcohol, tobacco & marijuana was lowerfor high school youth in DFC-funded communities than a nationally representative sample (YRBS data) ICF International, 2011 DFC Status Report

12. DFC in Urban Centers • Currently, 57% of all DFC grants are in urban centers • $125k doesn’t seem like enough • Big cities need multiple DFC coalitions • Use the DFC Mentoring Program to get coalitions off the ground with the support of current DFC grantees • Help citizens understand that collaboration and leveraging of resources is the heart of coalition work • DFC is an infrastructure support grant—not intended to “buy” everything

13. January RFA public February Recruit Peer Reviewers March Applications Due March/April HHS Format/Requirement Screening May/June Peer Review Process June/July Rank Order Funding Packages Assembled April Statutory Eligibility Screening Eligible?Ineligible? September Notice of Awards Issued October Summary Sheets/Scores Mailed August Funding Decisions Announced December Mandatory New Grantee Training in Washington, DC

14. WHY DO APPLICANTS FAIL TO GET FUNDED? The $625,000-$1,250,000 Question is….

15. The Simple Stuff • Do not miss application deadline • Aim for a week ahead of the deadlineas your mail out date • Make sure you use the correct RFA…to the T • Not one from a previous year • Do notmake up your own questions • Do not mixRFA questions • Some from one year and some from another • Follow the RFA for the correct year as it is written using all provided templates where REQUIRED

16. The 12 Sectors (examples of potential representatives) • Youth • a person under 18; not a youth minister, coach, etc. • Parent • mother/father/guardian/grandparent • Business • Chamber of Commerce/owner of local business • Media • the outlet where the majority of the community gets information • School • Principal • Superintendent • Youth-Serving Organization • Boys & Girls Club

17. The 12 Sectors (con’t)(examples of potential representatives) • Law Enforcement • Chief of Police/Sheriff • Religious/Fraternal Organizations • Pastor/Rabbi/Imam/ Masons • Civic/Volunteer Groups • Sertoma Club/Kiwanis Club/Big Brothers & Big Sisters • Not just a random “volunteer” on the coalition • Healthcare Professionals • Doctor/Nurse/Dentist/Behavioral Health Professional • State/Local/Tribal Government w/ expertise in substance abuse prevention • SSA/State Prevention or Treatment Director • Other Substance Abuse Organization • Local prevention/treatment provider

18. Statutory Eligibility Requirements: Coalition Minutes • Typically, the RFA asks for • One set between January 1-September 30of the year PRIORto the RFA beingpublished • Second set from October 1of the year PRIORto the RFAbeing publishedand the application due date (March of the current year) • Purpose: • To prove 6 months existence, as well as recent coalition activity • To indicate significant involvement bysector members • To show that youth substance use prevention is apriority

19. Statutory Eligibility Requirements: Mission Statement • Coalition must haveas its principal mission the reduction of substance abuse, which at a minimum includes the prevention of the use/abuse of drugs…with a primary focus on youth… • Mission statement must belong to the applicant coalition • Problem - Mission statement is generalizedtoward public health issues

20. Statutory Eligibility Requirements: Multiple Drugs • …developed a strategic plan to reduce substance abuse among youth, which targets multiple drugs of abuse • Multiple = more than 1 • Cannot be an “underage drinking” coalition that does not address other drugs • Do notuse the terms “ATOD”, “substances” or “substance abuse” to account for all substances • List multiple drugs in dataquestion and in the Action Plan

21. Statutory Eligibility Requirements: National Evaluation • Provide this information in the correct Attachment: • The name of the survey utilized to collect the survey for the four core measures. • How often/whenwill the survey(s) be administeredfor core measures data collection? • usually a year; tell us how often the survey is administered (yearly/every 2 years) • What, if any, supplemental survey(s)/data will be used to meet the requirements of the DFC National Cross-Site Evaluation? • Name of the survey/description of data or NA (if not applicable)

22. Statutory Eligibility Requirements: Legally Eligibility Entity • Scenario One: • The coalition is it’s own 501(c) 3and is legally eligible to apply for a DFC grant on its own • On a single sheet of paper, labeled “Attachment 5: Statement of Legally Eligibility Entity” • Write and sign a statement indicating the coalition is a legally eligibility entity

23. Statutory Eligibility Requirements:Legally Eligibility Entity • Scenario Two: • The coalition is partnering with an outside agencyto serve as the legal applicant/grantee on its behalf • Mayuse the sample in the RFA for the Memorandum of Understanding between the partnering agency and the coalition • Musthavetwo signatures: one from the legal applicant/grantee and one from the coalition

24. Statutory Eligibility Requirements: Legally Eligible Entity • If the legal applicant (#8 on the 424) is not the coalition, then there must be an MOU signed between the legal applicant (#8 on the 424) and the coalition the grant, if awarded, will support • Even if the coalition is operated in the same building or under the same staffing structure as the legal applicant, an MOU must be in place between the legal applicant and the coalition

25. Statutory Eligibility Requirements: 1:1 Match • Must indicate one-to-onematch requirement • Problems:Incorrect math and/or forget to add match in the places indicated • Must show a dollar-for-dollarmatch from non-Federalsources equaling amount of Federal request • Know the originof any funding you put forth as match(i.e., Is the police officer’s salary paid for with Federal funds passed through the State/County/City?) • Do notoverpromisematch • Must account for every matched dollar to the Government

26. Statutory Eligibility Requirements: $125k/year • No more than $125,000/yearwithinall parts of the application • Make sure ALL the numbers match • Make sure they do not exceed $125,000

27. Overlapping Zip Codes & Letter(s) of Mutual Cooperation • If an applicant coalition is going to overlap zip codeswith a current DFC grantee or an applicant applying in the same cycle, the following must be included in a Letter of Mutual Cooperation: • Which zip codes overlap—list the specific zip codes • What the two (or more) coalitions will do to work together • Must have one signature from each overlapping coalition(s) on the letter

28. One DFC Grant at a Time Grantee = Entity awarded a grant • Only one grant can be issued to a grantee at one time • Sign the form titled “Applicant Assurance of No More than One DFC Grant” and place under the correct Attachment number • This Appendix also states that you can only fund one coalitionat a time. One grant, one coalition. Coalition with 501c(3) status Outside Fiduciary Agent

29. End of Grant Policy(aka The 10 Year Rule) • Maximum of 10 years of DFC funding per coalition • Outside agencies acting as grantees on behalf of a coalition cannot seek funding for the same coalitionfor more than 10 years • Sign the form titled “Applicant Assurance of Compliance with the End of Grant Policy” and place under the correct Attachment number

30. The Content: Project Narrative • Problem - Application contains fluff& not enough substance • Answer the question in the first 2-3 sentences of the first paragraph of the answer • Name your community—make it specific • “In the ABC neighborhood/town/city/county, local conditions increase the likelihood that youth substance use will take place….” • Do not write an application full of “obvious statements” • “Youth substance use is a problem that increases the opportunities for youth to fail at school and not become productive members of their community, and society as a whole.”

31. The Content: Project Narrative • Problem - Application lacks consistent focus beginning with problem identification & throughout each question including the Action Plan • Example: Applicant lists underage drinking & Rx as main problems early in application, but fails to provide strategies to address underage drinking & Rx in Action Plan (or throughout application) • RFA has always contained a question that implies the use of data to determine the community’s most significant youth substance use problems • RFA will continue to ask for a 1-year Action Plan

32. The Content: Project Narrative • Make the best useof the pages allotted for response to the Project Narrative • If a question has a high point value, it will most likely requiremore pages • The Action Plan will carry the most points in the RFA • Why? Because it tells us what you are going to do and what you want us to fund

33. The Content: Project Narrative • Application lacks focus on environmental strategies • If you don’t know what “environmental strategies” are…learn • They are requiredfor DFC grantees • Applications include strategies that are considered “environmental” will score higher • Action Plan should be comprehensivewith a focus on environmental strategies

34. 7 Strategies for Community Change • Provide information • Build skills • Provide support • Change incentives / consequences • Reduce barriers / enhance access • Change physical design of the environment • Modify policies and broader systems Individual Environmental

35. The Content: Environmental Strategies • Seven Strategies for Community Change • Strategies 1-3=educational/individual • Strategies 4-7=environmental • Support the use of all 7 withemphasis of the use of DFC funding on strategies 4-7 • Newer coalitions may use 1-3 to prep a community for the implementation of 4-7 • New initiatives may require 1-3 to prep a community for the implementation of 4-7

36. The Content: Action Plan • MUST use the template as provided in the RFA • Must address BOTH DFC goals • May add your own in addition to the two indicated • Includemeasurable objectives • Include specific strategiesthat will move the objectivesaddressing the drugs named as priorities for the coalition • Must include activities relevant to each strategy for each drug being addressed

37. Start Working on Your Action Plan TODAY! • Please use Landscape Orientation • 10 pt. font (ONLY IF USING PAPER SUBMISSION) • Learn how to write a measureable objective • Understand the difference between a “strategy”and an“activity” • Get technical assistance from the Institute (800-542-2322, ext. 240) and have the Action Plan reviewed

38. Reading/Using Old Applications • Do notwaste your time reading old applications—even if they were funded • Do notdust off the one you wrote last year/the year before that/five years ago & submit it for the FY2013 RFA funding cycle • RFA questions change every year purposefully • The DFCProgram evolves& changes • We get smarter • What was funded 1, 2, 3, 5 years ago might notget funded next year

39. Who are Peer Reviewers? • DFC granteesin Years 1-4 or 6-10 or former grantees • Can include any member of the coalition • Go through training from ONDCP &SAMHSA • Want to read your “story” • Write application for one of your peers to read • Human elementsto the process • Do not make it hard for Reviewers to find information • Lose the “fluff” • White space

40. Questions?Shannon WeatherlyActing Administrator202.395.6774SWeatherly@ondcp.eop.gov