Today, the White House Office of National Drug Control (ONDCP), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced the availability of new, Drug Free Communities (DFC) Support Program funds totaling $19 million. ONDCP expects to award approximately 150 new grants to community drug prevention coalitions throughout the United States. The deadline to submit DFC grantee applications is Friday, March 21, 2008.

"The DFC program is aimed at helping American communities—be it in the inner-cities, suburbs, or rural areas—identify local problems and solve them with local solutions," said Director of National Drug Control Policy, John P. Walters. "By leveraging the best a community has to offer, the DFC program organizes and mobilizes community efforts against youth substance use in true partnership with the Federal government. Community-by-community we can continue the successful gains against youth drug use—24 percent reduction over the past six years—and continue to push back against illicit drugs."

The DFC support program is a collaborative Federal program sponsored by ONDCP, and administered in partnership with SAMHSA. The program aims to establish and strengthen communities, private nonprofit agencies, and Federal, State, local and Tribal governments and entities to support community-based efforts to prevent, reduce, and eliminate substance abuse. The DFC program was created in 1997 under the Drug Free Communities Act, and was reauthorized in 2001, and again in 2006. The latest reauthorization extends the DFC program for an additional five years, until 2012.

"The Drug-Free Communities Support Program is the foundation of our efforts to continue to prevent and reduce substance abuse in our nation," said SAMHSA Administrator Terry Cline, Ph.D. "This community-wide approach promotes safe and healthy environments where families can raise children free from the ravages of substance abuse."

In order to assist potential Drug Free Communities applicants through the grant process, ONDCP, SAMHSA, and the National Coalition Institute have scheduled six regional DFC FY08 application workshops. The workshops are free and open to the public. They will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in five different cities. (Applicants do not have to attend a workshop in order to apply for a grant).

Wednesday, January 23, 2008 New Orleans, Louisiana

Tuesday, January 29, 2008 Los Angeles, California

Thursday, January 31, 2008 Chicago, Illinois

Tuesday, February 5, 2008 Denver, Colorado

Wednesday, February 6, 2008 Denver, Colorado (Native American Summit)

Friday, February 15, 2008 Washington, DC

The Drug Free Communities Support Program is the largest Federal drug prevention effort in the United States with over $90 million in total investment. Since 1998, ONDCP has awarded approximately 1,300 Drug Free Communities grants in all 50 states. This year, each successful DFC grantee will receive up to $125,000 per year in Federal matching funds over a five-year cycle to support community-based substance abuse prevention and reduction efforts.

To learn more about the Drug Free Communities Support Program, or the upcoming grant application deadline, visit http://www.ondcp.gov/dfc.