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Statewide Family Network Program

Description

The Statewide Family Network Program builds on the work of SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services which helped to establish a child and family focus in programs serving children and adolescents with mental health challenges around the country.  Today, nearly every state has active family organizations dedicated to promoting systems of care that are responsive to the needs of children and adolescents with mental health challenges and their families. Although significant progress has been made, further support will ensure self-sufficient, empowered networks that will effectively participate in State and local mental health services planning and health care reform activities related to improving community-based services for children and adolescents with mental health challenges and their families.

SAMHSA has demonstrated that behavioral health is essential to health, prevention works, treatment is effective, and people recover from mental and substance use disorders. Behavioral health services improve health status and reduce health care and other costs to society. Continued improvement in the delivery and financing of prevention, treatment and recovery support services provides a cost effective opportunity to advance and protect the nation's health. To continue to improve the delivery and financing of prevention, treatment and recovery support services, SAMHSA has identified eight Strategic Initiatives to focus the Agency's work on improving lives and capitalizing on emerging opportunities. The Statewide Family Network program closely aligns with SAMHSA's Recovery Support Strategic Initiative. As part of the Strategic Initiative, SAMHSA funded the Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy (BRSS-TACS) to promote the widespread adoption of recovery concepts and practices throughout the United States. The BRSS-TACS will help facilitate the dissemination of information among consumer, family, and youth about health care reform initiated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.

The Statewide Family Network Program grants are authorized under 520A of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. This announcement addresses Healthy People 2020 Mental Health and Mental Disorders Topic Area HP 2020-MHMD.

Eligibility

Eligibility for this program is limited to:

Eligible applicants are family-controlled* domestic public and private nonprofit organizations in states, territories, and Tribes.  SAMHSA will make one award per state, territory, and tribe and is limiting eligibility to applicants in states, territories and tribes that do not have a currently funded Statewide Family Network grant. Family-controlled* organizations must meet the following requirements:

• An applicant must complete the Certification of Eligibility (see Appendix J of the RFA) indicating that the applicant meets all eligibility requirements and include necessary supporting documentation.

*A family-controlled organization is an organization that has a board of directors made up of more than 50% family members who have primary daily responsibility for the raising of a child, youth, adolescent or young adult with a serious emotional disturbance up to age 18, or 21 if the adolescent is being served by an Individual Educational Plan (IEP), or age 26 if the young adult is being served by an Individual Service plan in transition to the adult mental health system.

SAMHSA is limiting eligibility to family-controlled organizations to strengthen the capacity of families with children who have serious emotional disturbance to act as agents of transformation in influencing the type and amount of services provided to them and their children and to ensure their mental health care is family driven and youth guided.

A list of currently funded states can be found in Appendix K of the RFA.

Award Information

Funding Mechanism: Grant

Anticipated Total Available Funding: $475,000

Anticipated Number of Awards: Up to 5

Anticipated Award Amount: Up to $95,000 per year

Length of Project: Up to 3 years

Cost Sharing/Match Required?: No

Proposed budgets cannot exceed $95,000 in total costs (direct and indirect) in any year of the proposed project.  Annual continuation awards will depend on the availability of funds, grantee progress in meeting project goals and objectives, timely submission of required data and reports, and compliance with all terms and conditions of award.

Funding estimates for this announcement are based on an annualized Continuing Resolution and do not reflect the final FY 2015 appropriation.  Applicants should be aware that funding amounts are subject to the availability of funds. 

These awards will be made as grants.