Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA)

The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program was created by the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-20). The Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) are accepting applications for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) Community-based Coalition Enhancement Grants to Address Local Drug Crises Grants (CARA Local Drug Crises Grants) as an enhancement to current or formerly funded Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program recipients. The purpose of this program is to prevent and reduce the use of opioids and methamphetamines and the misuse of prescription drugs among youth ages 12-18 in communities throughout the United States.

The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program was created by the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-20). The Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) are accepting applications for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) Community-based Coalition Enhancement Grants to Address Local Drug Crises Grants (CARA Local Drug Crises Grants) as an enhancement to current or formerly funded Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program recipients. The purpose of this program is to prevent and reduce the use of opioids and methamphetamines and the misuse of prescription drugs among youth ages 12-18 in communities throughout the United States.

Eligible applicants are community-based coalitions addressing opioid, methamphetamine, and/or prescription drug use/misuse by local youth. They must be a nonprofit (as defined by the IRS as a 501(c) organization); or an entity that the Administrator determines to be appropriate; or part of, or is associated with an established legally recognized domestic, public or private nonprofit organizations. For example, state and local governments, federally recognized tribes, state-recognized tribes, urban Indian organizations (as defined in Pub. L. No. 94-437), public or private universities and colleges, professional associations, voluntary organizations, self-help groups, consumer and provider services-oriented constituency groups, community- and faith-based organizations, and tribal organizations. (Pub. L. No. 114-198 Sec 103). In addition, applicants must document rates of misuse of opioids or use of methamphetamines that are higher than the national average over a sustained period. The statutory authority for this program (Section 103 of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act) limits eligibility to domestic public and private nonprofit entities that are current or former Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program recipients. The intent of the CARA Support Program is to fund coalition activities in the United States and does not authorize the funding of organizations or activities outside the United States. A CARA legal applicant (an organization applying on behalf of a coalition, the coalition, or the applicant coalition) must reside within the United States and/or the U.S. territories. In furtherance of the Trump Administration"s Statement of Drug Policy Priorities, the DFC Support Program is committed to protecting American youth from the dangers of drug use. DFC Support Program applicants are expected to support applicable Executive Orders, including but not limited to: Executive Order 14168: Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People from Invasion, Executive Order 14173: Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, Executive Order 13768: Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States, Executive Order 14182: Enforcing the Hyde Amendment