SAMHSA Grants Funding to Tribes

Summary of SAMHSA’s Tribal Portfolio Programs

• Tribal Behavioral Health Grant (TBHG/Native Connections): This new program for tribes and tribal

organizations is intended to prevent and reduce suicidal behavior and substance abuse and promote mental

health among American Indian and Alaska Native young people up to and including 24 years of age.

• Garrett Lee Smith State/Tribal Youth Suicide Prevention program: The focus of this program is on 

implementation of statewide or tribal youth suicide prevention and early intervention strategies. Grants support

public/private collaboration among youth-serving institutions, schools, juvenile justice systems, foster care

systems, substance abuse and mental health programs, and other child and youth supporting organizations.

• Campus Suicide Prevention Program: This program advances a comprehensive approach to preventing

suicide in institutions of higher education. The intent is to assist colleges and universities—including tribal

colleges and universities—to build a foundation to prevent suicide. It also enhances services for students with

mental and substance use disorders that put them at risk for suicide and suicide attempts.

• Circles of Care (COC) Program: Through this program, tribes receive support to increase the capacity and

effectiveness of mental health systems serving their communities. COC grantees focus on reducing the gap

between the need for mental health services; the availability and coordination of mental health, substance use,

and co-occurring disorders; and, the impact of historical trauma.

• Systems of Care (SOC) Program: A system of care helps children, youth, and families function better at

home, in school, in the community, and throughout life. The SOC program is intended to improve behavioral

health outcomes for children and youth with serious emotional disturbances and their families. The program

supports the availability and provision of mental health and related recovery support services along with

systemic changes in policy, financing, services and supports, training and workforce development, and other

areas that are necessary for expanding and sustaining the system of care approach.

• Strategic Prevention Framework Partnerships for Success (SPF-PFS) Program: In fiscal year (FY) 2014,

this program was expanded to include grants to tribes. The program supports efforts to prevent underage

drinking among 12 to 20 year olds and prescription drug misuse and abuse for those aged 12 to 25. 

• Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health (Project LAUNCH) Program: This program

promotes wellness of young children from birth to 8 years by addressing the physical, social, emotional,

cognitive, and behavioral aspects of their development. Project LAUNCH drives the development of networks

that coordinate key child-serving systems and integrate behavioral and physical health services. The intent is

for children to thrive in safe, supportive environments and enter school ready to learn and able to succeed.

• Drug-free Communities (DFC) Support Grant Program: The Office of National Drug Control Policy

(ONDCP) and SAMHSA collaborate on the DFC program—ONDCP funds and provides oversight and

SAMHSA manages the funded grants. The intent of the DFC program is to: (1) establish and strengthen

collaborations among communities, public and private non-profit agencies; and federal, state, local, and tribal

governments to support the efforts of community coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance use
among youth; and (2) reduce substance use among youth and, over time, among adults by addressing the 

factors in communities that increase the risk of substance abuse and promote factors that minimize the risk of 

substance abuse.

• Adult Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts and Juvenile Treatment Drug Courts Program: This program

expands and/or enhances substance abuse treatment services to provide alcohol and drug treatment—including

recovery support services supporting substance abuse treatment, screening, assessment, case management, and

program coordination—to defendants/offenders.

• Residential Treatment for Pregnant and Postpartum Women Program: This program expands the

availability of comprehensive, residential substance abuse treatment, prevention, and recovery support services

for low-income women, aged 18 and over, who are pregnant or postpartum, and their minor children, aged 17 

and under, who have limited access to quality health services.

SAMHSA grant programs have their own application deadlines each FY. Information can be accessed at 

http://www.samhsa.gov/grants.

Data, Information, and Technical Assistance

• SAMHSA Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality (CBHSQ) promotes access and use of the 

nation's substance abuse and mental health data through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive

(SAMHDA). SAMHDA provides public-use data files, file documentation, and access to restricted-use data

files to support a better understanding of this critical area of public health. To access this data, visit:

http://www.datafiles.samhsa.gov/. To request data or ask a SAMHSA data question, visit:

http://www.samhsa.gov/data/request-data-ask-a-question.

• SAMHSA also provides a variety of technical assistance opportunities and web and written materials to help

communities, and especially tribes, apply for funds and prevent and address substance abuse and suicide among

all age groups, as well as to help build emotional health among youth. There are two SAMHSA technical

assistance centers specifically devoted to tribal issues:

o SAMHSA Tribal Training and Technical Assistance Center: The Center provides tribes and

tribal organizations access to culturally relevant and evidence-based support to address mental and 

substance use disorders, suicide prevention, and promotion of mental health. There are a range of 

technical assistance opportunities and specific information may be accessed at:

http://www.samhsa.gov/tribal-ttac.

o National American Indian and Alaska Native Addiction Technology Transfer Center: The

Center provides workforce development resources, manuals, webinars, and curricula to increase the

skills of the substance use disorder workforce in providing culturally and linguistically sensitive

services; and, increase the number of American Indians and Alaskan Natives in the substance use

disorders workforce.

For additional information and assistance, please contact the SAMHSA Office of Tribal Affairs and Policy at 

otap@samhsa.hhs.gov.