One More Chance to Participate in DFC Grant Applicant Workshop

Friday, Feb. 15, is your last chance to participate in this year’s Drug-Free Communities Applicant Workshops. Several hundred potential grantees have participated in the previous workshops held in New Orleans, Chicago, Los Angeles and Denver. The final workshop will be held at the Washington, D.C., Convention Center on Friday following CADCA’s 2008 National Leadership Forum which opens with pre-conference workshops and CSAP's Community Prevention Day on Monday, Feb. 11.

The workshops are sponsored by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to assist coalitions better understand the application process and prepare quality applications. Approximately 150 new grants will be awarded this year for communities seeking to reduce substance abuse through a community-based process. Staff from CADCA’s National Coalition Institute participates in each of the workshops.

“The Coalition Institute wants to create effective coalitions throughout the country,” noted Dr. Eduardo Hernandez, Deputy Director for Dissemination and Coalition Relations during his remarks at the Los Angeles workshop. The Institute presentation, entitled “What is a real coalition” highlights the differences between true coalitions and prevention programs. It also examines the concept of environmental strategies, highlighting research-based approaches.

Dr. Hernandez also noted that CADCA has numerous resources to help coalitions understand how to become effective and which could be of value to them as they prepare their applications. He specifically noted the CADCA Institute’s Primer Series on the elements of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Strategic Prevention Framework: assessment, capacity, planning, implementation, evaluation, sustainability and cultural competence which are available in PDF format on the Coalition Resources page of the Institute’s Web site. The Institute also provides free technical assistance to any community anti-drug coalition in the U.S. Free technical assistance can be accessed by calling our toll-free hotline at 1-800-54-CADCA, ext. 240.

While CADCA’s Institute has many valuable resources that can help coalitions frame their applications, staff will not nor cannot answer questions specific to the RFA. Nor does the Institute write or review proposals. For example, we can help you understand a community planning process but will not review your plan for inclusion in the application.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about the Drug-Free Communities Support Program!