Sustainability: Key Areas to Focus on Now 

Sustainability and Cultural Competence

Sustainability and cultural competence is at the heart of 

SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework, shown at the 

right. There are five steps in the framework, but the guiding 

principles are sustainability and cultural competence – and 

the implication is that you cannot have one without the 

other. Cultural competence helps insure the success of the 

project and the success of the project is vital to sustainability, 

as it is the outcomes that need to be sustained. 

SAMHSA’s Six Steps to Sustainability

SAMHSA’s six steps to sustainability are:

1. Build ownership among stakeholders

2. Share results to secure more funding 

3. Track and publicize outcomes

4. Identify program champions

5. Invest in capacity

6. Identify diverse resources

Native Connections Grantees’ Strategic Action Plan 

Sustainability Steps

Many Cohort 1 Native Connections (NC) grantees have developed goals and objectives 

in the Strategic Action Plans (SAP) that support the six steps of sustainability. Shown 

below are some of these goals and objectives, demonstrating how other grantees have 

incorporated culture and sustainability into their SAPs. Sample goals and objectives are 

taken verbatim from grantee SAPs.

Figure 1. SAMHSA's Strategic Prevention 

Framework
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Build Ownership Among Stakeholders

Some sample SAP objectives that target building ownership among stakeholders, which 

includes strengthening partnerships and marketing the project outcomes are shown 

below:

1. Collaborate with Tribal Court Development to bring teachings, healing 

opportunities and to deal with our own issues. (Alakanuk)

2. Develop Memorandum of Understanding agreements with a broad spectrum of 

Tribal entities and community members to generate greater and more effective 

attention to suicide prevention and a referral process. (Turtle Mountain)

3. Compile/develop and disseminate culturally appropriate information about 

mental health, substance abuse, and suicide intervention services - distribute 

information at community events and organizations regularly. (Selawik)

4. Address barriers to using Traditional and other Mental Health and Wellness 

services as they are identified and with Mescalero traditional 

methods. (Mescalero Cohort 1)

Share Results/Track and Publicize Outcomes

To sustain outcomes, grantees must share the results of their data with the community.

1. During year 4 present local statistics and information about suicide and 

substance abuse issues and resources to community groups that serve or are 

involved with Native American 

youth in at least two 

communities within the Osage 

Nation service area. (Osage)

2. Utilize evaluation and 

surveillance data to improve 

program, demonstrate results 

back to Wellness Board and 

Tribal Administration, and 

document all project outcomes 

to SAMHSA. (Shingle Springs)

United Indian Health Services Display Poster 
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3. Develop surveillance system and data related to suicide incidents and 

treatments. (Santo Domingo)

4. Collect data on the use of services before and after the Social Marketing 

campaign to assess its efficacy (as well as barriers to accessing and using Mental 

Health services). Disseminate information to the Mescalero community on the 

benefits of Mental Health and Wellness services. (Mescalero Cohort 1)

Identify Program Champions

For a prevention effort to thrive in a community, it needs respected leaders to carry the 

message and support community change.

1. Build Local leadership and empower 

communities to find/develop local 

solutions. (Maniilaq) 

2. Enhance the leadership’s role in their 

involvement with activities that 

support the program, individuals, 

family, and the communities over all 

well-being. (Nambé Pueblo and 

Standing Rock)

Invest in Capacity

Skills and knowledge carried by community members cannot be taken away, even if the 

funding ceases. Investing in the growth of these is one type of sustainability.

1. Build capacity to accurately identify and effectively support persons thinking 

about or at Imminent risk of suicide through appropriate referral or direct care. 

(Selawik)

2. Offer Mental Health First Aid training: 12-hour training to educate people about 

mental health disorders and crisis and to provide skills to identify and help 

when someone is developing a disorder or experiencing a crisis. (Selawik)

3. Staff will receive training in Adverse Childhood Experiences to understand 

factors that impact suicide risk for youth. (Round Valley) 

Photo Courtesy of Osage News

 
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Identify Diverse Resources 

The continued use and updating of the Community System Analysis or other asset 

mapping tools, helps strengthen the alliances that can sustain prevention efforts.

1. Monthly & Quarterly Community meetings/events to meet other partners and 

community members related to children, youth, young-adults, and families to 

introduce NC Project/Partnerships (lists nine boards/programs that director 

attends, including school attendance review board). (Shingle Springs)

2. To weave together and coordinate formal and informal systems and resources for 

suicide and drug and alcohol prevention programs, intervention programs, and 

efforts to create a focused community-driven culturally relevant program. 

(Seneca)

Resources

1. SAMHSA has a wealth of tools and resources, including funding resources, 

available on their website. Access these through SAMHSA’s Center for the 

Application of Prevention Technologies sustainability page: 

https://www.samhsa.gov/capt/applying-strategic-preventionframework/sustainability. This page has further links for each area of 

sustainability discussed in this fact sheet.

2. Prevention Collaboration in Action is SAMHSA’s Center for the Application of 

Prevention Technologies’ portal that offers resources organized in the categories:

stories, tools, explore by topic, and focus on opioids. This portal has many 

resources on health collaboration, tips for engaging various types of partners, 

such as prescribers and people who use drugs. The web address is: 

https://captcollaboration.edc.org/ 

3. The Grants.gov website offers much more than just a search engine for grants. 

There is a learning center, applicant resources, and lists of grants as well as links 

to non-governmental funding sources. The web address is: 

https://www.grants.gov/.