SAMHSA Grantmaking Priorities and Processes

2. SAMHSA Grantmaking Priorities and Processes David Shillcutt, J.D. 240-276-1020 David.Shillcutt@samhsa.hhs.gov

3. Overview

5. SAMHSA’S BUDGET • ACA • PHS • BA 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.

6. SAMHSA’S Strategic Initiatives

7. 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/

8. 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/

9. 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

10. 4. Recovery Support • Promote individual, program, and system-level approaches that foster health and resilience • Increase permanent housing, employment, education, and other necessary supports • Reduce barriers to social inclusion • www.samhsa.gov/recovery

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. Selected Grant Programs

16. Center for Mental Health Services • Works to expand the availability and accessibility of high-quality, community-based services for children and adults • Mental Health Services Block Grant • Discretionary grant programs

17. 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)

18. 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

19. 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

20. Drug Free Communities • Targeted to prevent underage substance abuse • $3,750,000 total • 30 awards • Up to $125,000 per year for 5 years

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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 1-800-662-HELP

24. Targeted Capacity Expansion-Health Information Technology • Domestic public and private nonprofit entitiesare eligible • Targeted to persons in treatment • $5.6 Million total • Up to 20 awards • $280,000 per year for 3 years

25. 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

26. Application Process and Tips

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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.

30. 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.

31. 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

32. 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

33. 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

34. 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

35. 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

36. 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

37. 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

38. 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

39. 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

40. 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

41. 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

42. 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

43. Questions? david.shillcutt@samhsa.hhs.gov