March 22, 2024

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $39.4 Million in Funding Opportunities for Grants to Help Advance the President’s Unity Agenda

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), has announced notices of funding opportunities for grant programs addressing behavioral health across the country. The grant opportunities total $39.4 million and are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s priorities to beat the overdose epidemic and tackle the mental health crisis – two key pillars of the President’s Unity Agenda for the nation.

“We are building a truly integrated, equitable and accessible behavioral health care system,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Our efforts to change the way mental health is viewed and treated in this country are making it possible for more people to get the care and support they need. This funding is a critical investment that the Biden-Harris Administration is making to strengthen behavioral health in America.”

“The Department remains committed to ensuring we can connect more Americans to the care they need, and integrating behavioral health into our communities and primary care systems is critical to meeting people where they are,” said Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. “The resources SAMHSA is announcing today further demonstrate our commitment to improving access to behavioral health care.”

“SAMHSA grants allow individuals and their families to get the support and care they need for mental health and substance use challenges,” said Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA. “This funding addresses a broad range of supports including integrating primary and behavioral health care and facilitating substance use prevention and recovery. It will also improve the lives of people across the United States by helping to bridge gaps for mental health services in communities.”

These awards facilitate ongoing efforts to advance HHS’ Overdose Prevention Strategy, which is focused on prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery. These awards also support the Biden-Harris Administration’s comprehensive mental health strategy, as well as the National Drug Control Strategy, which deliver on President Biden’s Unity Agenda for the nation.

The grant funding opportunities being announced are:

• Building Communities of Recovery – $6 million – This program helps to mobilize and connect a broad array of community-based resources to increase the availability and quality of long-term recovery support for individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) and co-occurring substance use and mental disorders (COD). Recipients will be expected to support the development, enhancement, expansion, and delivery of recovery support services directly to individuals, as well as to advance the promotion of, and education about, recovery at a community level.
• Promoting the Integration of Primary and Behavioral Health Care: States – $6 million – This program promotes integration and collaboration between behavioral health and primary physical health care providers. It also supports bi-directional integrated care models that improve wellness and that better manage illness across physical and behavioral health. Additionally, it works to improve the delivery of evidence-based screening, assessment, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and recovery services for mental health conditions and SUDs, and co-occurring physical health conditions and chronic diseases through integrated care.
• Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness – $15.2 million – This program helps implement new Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) programs in communities to support adults with serious mental illness (SMI) who meet state-specific criteria for AOT. Recipients are expected to implement a multidisciplinary AOT program, working with courts, community partners, and other entities to support and facilitate community-based treatment.
• Promoting the Integration of Primary and Behavioral Health Care: Collaborative Care Model – $5.2 million – This program supports implementation of the Collaborative Care Model. This model improves care for mental and substance use conditions in primary care settings. With this program, SAMHSA aims to increase the identification and treatment of mental health conditions for individuals who access care through primary care practices – conditions that too often go untreated and cause disability.
• Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act (STOP Act) Grant Program – $4.6 million – This program aims to prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth and young adults ages 12 to 20 in communities throughout the United States. Award recipients will be expected to implement activities that support capacity-building such as implementing evidence-based community approaches; enhancing collaboration, cooperation and coordination among communities, federal, state, and local and tribal governments; and convening town halls.
• Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention Grant Program – $2.4 million – This program supports a comprehensive public health and evidence-based approach that enhances behavioral health services for all college students, including those at risk for suicide, depression, SMI, serious emotional disturbances (SED), and/or SUD that can lead to school failure; prevents and reduces suicide and mental disorders and SUD; promotes help-seeking behavior and reduces stigma; and improves the identification and treatment of at-risk college students so they can successfully complete their studies.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org . To learn how to get support for mental health, drug or alcohol issues, visit FindSupport.gov. If you are ready to locate a treatment facility or provider, you can go directly to FindTreatment.gov or call 800-662-HELP (4357).

Reporters with questions should send inquiries to media@samhsa.hhs.gov.###