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

$3,234

$3,335

$3,431$3,379

$3,348

$3,152

$3,343

$122

$132

$132

$132$129

$165

$129

$20$88

$88

$105

$88

$2,900

$3,000

$3,100

$3,200

$3,300

$3,400

$3,500

$3,600

$3,700

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?

Dolla

rs in

Mill

ions

SAMHSA FY 2008 - FY 2013 Total Program Level$3,32

$3,356

$3,466 M

$3,583 M$3, 565 M

$3,599 M

$3, 423 M*

#$3,560 M*

?

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

AIM: Improving the Nation’s Behavioral Health (1-4)AIM: Transforming Health Care in America (5-6)AIM: Achieving Excellence in Operations (7-8)

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 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

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, community-based 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 1-

800-662-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