SAMHSA is accepting applications for up to $76 million in drug court funding

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is accepting applications for up to $76 million through its SAMHSA Treatment Drug Courts grant program. The money will be used to help drug courts break the cycle of criminal behavior and incarceration related to drug and alcohol use. 

The purpose of the SAMHSA Treatment Drug Courts grant is to expand substance use disorder treatment services in existing adult problem solving courts and adult Tribal Healing to Wellness courts. These courts use the treatment drug court model to provide substance use disorder treatment. 

The grants will be used to expand the services offered by courts to serve more people with treatment needs. Grantees will combine the sanctioning power of treatment courts with effective substance use disorder treatment. 

“Treatment for people with substance use disorders has been shown to reduce the likelihood of future incarceration,” said SAMHSA’s Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, Dr. Elinore F. McCance-Katz. “Treatment drug courts are an effective means of diverting people from jails and prisons and into recovery and productive lives.”

SAMHSA expects to fund as many as 38 courts with up to $400,000 per year for five years. The actual awards may vary depending on the availability of funds. 

The grants are available to existing treatment drug courts run by states, territories, local jurisdictions and tribal governments, as long as they did not receive a drug court grant in 2016 or 2017. SAMHSA urges interested entities to begin the application as soon as possible by reviewing the funding opportunity announcement at https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/grant-announcements/ti-18-008. Applications are due by February 28.

Reporters with questions should send inquiries to media@samhsa.hhs.gov.


The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA’s mission is to lead public health and service delivery efforts that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and provide treatments and supports to foster recovery while ensuring equitable access and better outcomes.

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