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Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) Partnerships with Community-Based Organizations (CBO)

Description

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2014 Minority AIDS Initiative (MAI) funding for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) Partnerships with Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) (Short Title: MSI CBO) grants.  The purpose of this substance abuse (SA) prevention education and testing program is to equip and empower Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) located in communities at the highest risk of SA, HIV and Hepatitis-C (HCV) infections with evidence-based methodologies to increase access to comprehensive, integrated SA, HIV and HCV prevention services on their campuses/institutions and surrounding community.  The aim is to achieve normative and environmental changes to prevent and/or reduce SA problems as risk factors for the transmission of HIV/AIDS among African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American/Pacific Islander (AA/PI) and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) young adult  populations (ages 18- 24) on campus.  CSAP expects MSIs to partner with one or more community-based organizations (CBOs) to provide integrated SA, HIV and HCV prevention programs to these populations in the surrounding communities.

The MAI program is designed to focus special attention on solving a growing public health problem and to develop and improve the capacity of minority community-based organizations (MCBOs) to more effectively serve their communities.  The focus on MCBOs is an intended acknowledgement of the cultural and geographic linkages such organizations often have to the populations of focus. The term “MCBOs” generally applies to organizations with a history of providing services in minority communities and whose boards of directors, management and/or other key staff are representative of the minority populations they serve.

Due to the fact that HIV and HCV share common modes of transmission, one third of HIV infected persons are co-infected with HCV; for these reasons, this program includes Hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevention and education training. 

The MSI CBO program seeks to address behavioral health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities by encouraging the implementation of strategies to decrease the differences in access, service use, and outcomes among the racial and ethnic minority populations served (see Appendix H of this RFA: Addressing Behavioral Health Disparities).

MSI CBO grants are authorized under Section 516 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. This announcement addresses Healthy People (HP) 2020 Substance Abuse Topic Area HP 2020-SA. The objectives of this program support the four primary goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy which includes: 1) reducing new HIV infections, 2) increasing access to care and improving health outcomes for people living with HIV, 3) reducing HIV-related disparities and health inequities, and 4) achieving a coordinated national response to the HIV epidemic.

Eligibility

SAMHSA is limiting eligibility to MSIs (i.e., HBCUs, HSIs, AANAPISIs and TCUs) because the purpose of the MSI CBO grant program is to prevent and reduce SA, HIV/AIDS and HCV among minority at-risk populations.  Data have shown that young adults from minority populations represent the majority of new HIV/HCV infections.  MSIs have a documented and consistent concentration of minority adult populations between the ages of 18 and 24.  AANAPISIs were not included as eligible applicants in the FY 2013 RFA, because there was no means of identifying eligible institutions.  SAMHSA has included these institutions as eligible applicants in this RFA because there is now a list of AANAPSI institutions designated by the Department of Education at the website listed below.  MSIs have the greatest likelihood of achieving success through the MSI CBO grant program because: 1) their student populations are comprised of young adults who are members of racial/ethnic minorities; 2) they have ready access to minority students to provide them with routine HIV/HCV screening, testing, and prevention education and information on substance abuse, HIV and HCV; 3) they have an established infrastructure for addressing SA, HIV/AIDS and HCV prevention that can be sustained as part of the community fabric; and 4) SAMHSA has shown success in using the MSI model to address SA, HIV and HCV prevention at the community level.  Consistent with the intent of the MAI initiative, MSIs also have experience in working collaboratively with minority community-based organizations (MCBOs) in surrounding communities to achieve SA, HIV/AIDS and HCV prevention goals.

To determine if your institutions meet the requirements of an MSI, please visit the appropriate websites listed:

• Definition and listing of HBCUs used by the White House Initiative on HBCUs from Department of Education
• Definition and listing of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) from the Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities
• Definition and listing of Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Institutions (AANAPISIs)
• Definition and listing of TCUs from Department of Education

If an application is received from an entity that is not included on the above websites, or the application does not include Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) or a letter of commitment from a partnering CBO, the application will be screened out and will not be reviewed or considered for an award.  

The statutory authority for this program prohibits grants to for-profit agencies.

Award Information

Funding Mechanism: Grant

Anticipated Total Available Funding: $6.8 Million

Anticipated Number of Awards: 23

Anticipated Award Amount: Up to $300,000 per year

Length of Project: Up to 3 years

Cost Sharing/Match Required?: No

Proposed budgets cannot exceed $300,000 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.

These awards will be made as grants.