Description

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2020 COVID-19 Emergency Response for Suicide Prevention (Short Title: COVID-19 ERSP) grants. SAMHSA recognizes there are currently 57.8 million Americans living with mental and/or substance use disorders (National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2018). Currently, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in our nation. The current national COVID-19 crisis will certainly contribute to the growth in the number of Americans needing urgent care to address mental health needs, including suicidality. Americans across the country will struggle with increases in depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, isolation, loss of employment, financial instability and other challenges, which can lead to suicide and suicide attempts. The purpose of this program is to support states and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic in advancing efforts to prevent suicide and suicide attempts among adults age 25 and older in order to reduce the overall suicide rate and number of suicides in the U.S.

SAMHSA recognizes the serious concerns for domestic violence victims that are posed by mass stay-at-home and quarantine orders. Under normal circumstances, domestic violence can lead to situations of increased stress, anxiety, depression and trauma. These are all contributing factors to risk for suicide if unaddressed. Current conditions exacerbate this situation for domestic violence victims. Given the unique situation for these particular individuals, SAMHSA is requiring that a minimum of 25 percent of direct services funding be used to support this population. This must be clearly identified in the budget narrative and justification.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are:

• State government agencies, including the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories. The State mental health agency or the State health agency with mental or behavioral health functions should be the lead for the ERSP grant.
• Community-based primary care or behavioral healthcare organizations.
• Public health agencies.
• Community-based service providers able to meet psychiatric and psychosocial needs of clients including, for example, shelters for victims of domestic violence, clubhouse-type facilities.
• Emergency departments.
• Federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) tribes, tribal organizations, Urban Indian Organizations, and consortia of tribes or tribal organizations.

See Section III-1 for full eligibility requirements.

Award Information

Funding Mechanism: Grant

Anticipated Total Available Funding: $40,000,000

Anticipated Number of Awards: 50

Anticipated Award Amount: Up to $800,000 for 16 months

Length of Project: 16 months

Cost Sharing/Match Required?: No

Proposed budgets cannot exceed $800,000 in total costs (direct and indirect) for the proposed project.