What to know
The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Program provides grants to community coalitions to strengthen the infrastructure among local partners to prevent youth substance use.
Why join the DFC Program?
The DFC Program is the nation's leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent youth substance use. Joining this program provides community-based coalitions with up to 10 years of funding to promote positive youth engagement and address the local conditions that drive youth substance use.
Directed by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the DFC Support Program partners with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ONDCP’s grant recipient, CADCA, to provide support and guidance to DFC coalitions related to coalition-building, programmatic expertise, and evaluation support.
The substances of focus are:
- Alcohol
- Marijuana/Cannabis
- Prescription drugs
- Tobacco/nicotine
- Heroin and fentanyl
- Methamphetamine
Who is eligible?
Community-based coalitions
A community coalition is a community-based formal arrangement for cooperation and collaboration among community groups, or sectors. Eligible entities are community-based coalitions. Community-based coalitions that are non-profits (501c3 status) can apply.
If community-based coalitions don't have 501c3 status, they can partner with another organization (e.g., school districts, local health departments, YMCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs, local hospitals, local governments, or other agencies) to apply for funding.
Partner organizations within a qualifying sector
- Youth
- Parents
- Business
- Media
- Schools
- Youth-serving organizations
- Healthcare professionals
- Volunteer organizations
- Religious organizations
- Law enforcement
- State/local government
- Substance use prevention organizations
Statutory requirements for community-based coalitions
To apply, coalitions must:
- Be in existence for 6 months
- Include representatives from 12 required sectors
- Have a mission statement related to youth substance use prevention
- Address multiple substances
- Participate in the DFC national cross-site evaluation
- Not overlap with another DFC coalition without a letter of mutual cooperation
- Have the ability to receive federal funding individually or through a partner
- Request no more than $125,000/year
- Secure 100% match from non-federal sources
- Have not received more than 10 years of DFC funding
Deadlines and decision dates
Additional information
Contact information
Printable version of this page.
Visit Drug-Free Communities Notice of Funding Opportunity: Questions and Answers for more information.