Funding Opportunity: STOP Act Grants
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May 1, 2009
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2009 for Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act (STOP Act) grants. The purpose of this program is to prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth in communities throughout the United States.
According to the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking 2007, cultural change is necessary to prevent and reduce underage drinking. The Call to Action points out that culture is complex, however, and changing it requires sustained efforts on the part of multiple segments of society. Successfully addressing the public health problem of underage drinking will require cooperation, coordination, and collaboration among various community sectors, including local government, criminal justice, education, business, religious or fraternal organizations, civic or volunteer organizations, healthcare professionals, media, parents, youth, and other organizations involved in reducing substance abuse.
Prevention research indicates that community coalitions are best suited to implement environmental-level strategies that address the broader culture and context within which decisions are made about underage drinking, and to create wide-scale community change, rather than implementing strategies that are designed to effect individual level change. Therefore, grantees must focus on environmental strategies for preventing and reducing underage drinking, and grantees and coalition member organizations should continue to seek other funding sources to implement individual (non-environmental) change strategies that are a part of a comprehensive community plan.
The application deadline is May 26, 2009. Public or private universities and colleges, nonprofits, government entities, and other groups that have not previously received a STOP Act grant are eligible to apply. Approximately $1 million in grants will be awarded to up to 20 grantees, and the maximum annual award is $50,000. STOP Act grants are authorized under the Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb–25b), Section 519B.
To learn more and download the complete grant application, visit the STOP Act Web site.