SAMHSA Suicide Prevention Grants

Work in suicide prevention? You may be able to apply for grant monies from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The agency has released announcements for two separate grant programs, one focused on preventing suicides on campus, and the other on preventing suicides among youth.

1. SAMHSA has made $5.5 million available for campus suicide prevention. Up to 18 grantees will receive awards of up to $102,000 a year for three years. Institutions of higher-education are eligible to apply. Applicants will need to outline local needs and a comprehensive strategy for addressing populations at risk.
   Applications are due March 4, 2011.
2. An additional $45.9 million is reserved for youth suicide prevention. About 32 grantees will receive up to $480,000 a year for three years. SAMHSA is seeking cooperative agreements with states or tribes to create “public/private sector collaborative programs” to prevent youth suicide. Eligible grantees are states, recognized tribes or tribal organizations, and “private non-profit organizations designated by state and/or tribe/tribal organization.” Multiple partners should be at the table, “including schools, juvenile justice systems, foster care systems, and substance abuse and mental health programs.”
   Applications are due February 16, 2011.  

Applicants for both grants will need to specifically identify in their proposals how they will serve populations identified as high-risk for suicide by the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) youth, American Indian/Alaskan Natives (AI/AN), and military family members and veterans.

FAQs, a grant writing manual, general SAMHSA grant guidelines, and a list of certificates and assurances required for a grant award can all be found on the agency’s “Applying for a New SAMHSA Grant” page.