Today, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) announced a second phase of Fiscal Year 2020 grants for the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program of approximately $24 million in continued funding for 192 current DFC Support Program grant recipients advocating substance use prevention among youth across the United States. The grants announced today join the 340 continuation grants and nearly $42.5 million in support announced last month, with a third and final phase of funding to be announced later this year.
“With this latest round of Drug-Free Communities program funding, the Trump Administration continues to prove its unwavering commitment to lowering substance use rates among our Nation’s youth. It is fitting that this latest round of support for our DFC program be issued during National Substance Abuse Prevention Month. The fact is, DFC coalition leaders, volunteers, and — most importantly — its thousands of student participants work tirelessly all year long to promote the joys of a drug-free life. ONDCP is honored to provide the financial support that allows the 192 DFCs included in this second phase of grant announcements to continue their critical work,” said ONDCP Director Jim Carroll.
“CDC is committed to strengthening local capacity to develop innovative, community-based programs that save lives,” says Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D. “Our partnership with the ONDCP and with community coalitions is critical to our Nation’s efforts to prevent substance use among youth.”
The DFC Program provides grants to community coalitions to strengthen the infrastructure among local partners to create and sustain a reduction in local youth substance use. Recognizing that local problems need local solutions, DFC-funded coalitions engage multiple sectors of the community and employ a variety of environmental strategies to address local substance use problems.
In July, ONDCP released the 2020 Executive Summary and Annual Report for its DFC grant recipients, which continue to consistently yield a reduction in youth substances use rates.
Effective October 1, 2020, the DFC Program’s day-to-day management is being performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Injury Prevention and Control under an agreement with ONDCP.
