SAMHSA Issues Two Notices of Funding Opportunity

Application deadlines:  October 13 for Project AWARE, October 17 for ReCAST

Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education):  SAMHSA plans to issue 20 awards of up to $1,800,000 (each) per year for up to four years. 

The purpose of Project AWARE is to develop a sustainable infrastructure for school-based mental health programs and services.  Grant recipients are expected to build collaborative partnerships with the state, local, and/or tribal education agencies, the state mental health agency, community-based providers of behavioral health care services, school personnel, community organizations, families, and school-aged youth.  Grantees will leverage their partnerships to implement mental health related promotion, awareness, prevention, intervention, and resilience activities to ensure that students have access and are connected to appropriate and effective behavioral health services.  SAMHSA expects that this program will promote the healthy social and emotional development of school-aged youth and prevent youth violence in school settings.

ReCAST (Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma):  SAMHSA plans to issue 10 awards of up to $1,000,000 (each) per year for up to four years.  The purposes of this program are to (1) promote resilience, trauma-informed approaches, and equity in communities that have faced civil unrest, community violence, and/or collective trauma within the past 24 months, and (2) assist high-risk youth and families through the implementation of evidence-based violence prevention and community youth engagement programs.  SAMHSA expects ReCAST to be guided by community-based coalitions of residents, non-profit organizations, and other entities such as health and human service providers, schools, institutions of higher education, faith-based organizations, businesses, state and local government, law enforcement, and employment, housing, and transportation services agencies.

Both of these grant programs require a high degree of public-private collaboration.  NACBH members are encouraged to review the descriptions with an eye to community partners you might approach to develop or support an application.