Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program – NEW (Year 1) | CDC RFA CE 26 0061

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA CE 26 0061

The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program - NEW (Year 1) is a federal grant opportunity for Fiscal Year 2026 aimed at helping communities build or strengthen local coalitions focused on preventing youth substance use. The program was authorized by the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-20) and is administered jointly through the Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC). The overall intent is to support organized, community-led prevention work by bringing key local partners together and aligning them around a shared strategy to reduce youth substance use and its long-term impacts.

The grant is designed around two statutory goals. First, it seeks to establish and strengthen collaboration among community partners, including public and private nonprofit agencies and all levels of government (federal, state, local, and tribal), in order to support community coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance use among youth ages 18 and under. Second, it aims to reduce youth substance use in the near term and, over time, reduce substance use among adults by addressing local conditions that increase risk (risk factors) and reinforcing local conditions that protect against substance use (protective factors). In practical terms, the program is focused on coalition-based prevention that changes community environments, coordination, and shared priorities, not just standalone activities.

Eligibility is centered on community-based coalitions that address youth substance use and have not previously received a DFC grant, making this a true entry point for new DFC-funded coalitions. A coalition, for the purposes of this funding notice, is defined as a formal community-based arrangement where multiple sectors agree to cooperate and collaborate toward the shared goal of building a safe, healthy, and drug-free community, while each participating group still maintains its own identity. The legal applicant can be the coalition itself or an organization applying on behalf of the coalition, but in all cases the applicant must be located within the United States or U.S. territories.

The opportunity includes a wide range of eligible applicant types, reflecting the different ways coalitions are housed or fiscally sponsored. Eligible entities listed include nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) nonprofits), county and city/township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, institutions of higher education (public, state-controlled, and private), federally recognized tribal governments, tribal organizations, and other entities as allowed. The notice further explains that applicants must be either a nonprofit as defined by the IRS as a 501(c) organization, or another entity the Administrator determines appropriate, including entities that are part of or associated with an established, legally recognized domestic public or private nonprofit organization. Examples provided include state and local governments, federally and state-recognized tribes, urban Indian organizations, colleges and universities, professional associations, voluntary organizations, self-help groups, consumer and provider constituency groups, community- and faith-based organizations, and tribal organizations (referencing Pub. L. No. 114-198 Sec. 103). Even with this breadth, the core target remains community coalitions that have not yet had DFC support.

Funding is offered as a discretionary grant under CDC’s NCIPC, with CFDA/Assistance Listing number 93.276. The opportunity number is CDC RFA CE 26 0061. Awards are expected to be up to $125,000 (award ceiling), with an anticipated 50 awards. The original application closing date listed is April 14, 2026. As a Year 1 "NEW" award, this solicitation is positioned for coalitions that are early in their DFC funding lifecycle and need federal support to formalize partnerships, implement prevention plans, and build sustained local capacity.

The notice also states that, consistent with the Administration’s drug policy priorities, the DFC program is framed around protecting American youth from the dangers of drug use. Applicants are expected to support applicable Executive Orders, and the notice specifically references Executive Order 14168 (Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government), Executive Order 14159 (Protecting the American People from Invasion), Executive Order 14173 (Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity), Executive Order 13768 (Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States), and Executive Order 14182 (Enforcing the Hyde Amendment). This language signals that program implementation and award compliance expectations may include alignment with federal policy requirements tied to these orders.

In short, this DFC Year 1 opportunity funds new, community-rooted coalitions to coordinate prevention efforts, unite multiple sectors, and pursue community-level change to reduce youth substance use, with a defined funding cap, a national scope (including territories), and an emphasis on structured collaboration and risk/protective factor approaches.

• The Centers for Disease Control - NCIPC in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program – NEW (Year 1)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.276.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-09-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-04-14. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $125,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 50 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others, Unrestricted.

Apply for CDC RFA CE 26 0061

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