Office of National Drug Control Policy

Grant Programs

Drug Free Communities Support Program

The Drug Free Communities Support Program (DFC), created by the Drug Free Communities Act of 1997, is the Nation’s leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent youth drug use. Directed by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the DFC program provides grants to local drug-free community coalitions to increase collaboration among community partners and to prevent and reduce youth substance use.

Recognizing the fundamental concept that local problems need local solutions, DFC-funded coalitions engage multiple sectors of the community and employ a variety of strategies to address local drug problems. Coalition members conduct ongoing community assessments to prioritize efforts to prevent and reduce youth drug use. These assessments are used to plan and implement data-driven, community-wide strategies.

The DFC program requires funded coalitions to employ environmental strategies ¡n broad initiatives aimed at addressing the entire community through the adaptation of policies and practices related to youth substance use. In so doing, coalitions can address the environment as a whole and get the most out of available resources.

Since its inception, the DFC program has funded more than 1,600 community coalitions.

High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program

The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, provides assistance to Federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States.

The purpose of the program is to reduce drug trafficking and production in the United States by:

  • Facilitating cooperation among Federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to share information and implement coordinated enforcement activities;
  • Enhancing law enforcement intelligence sharing among Federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies;
  • Providing reliable law enforcement intelligence to law enforcement agencies to facilitate the design of effective enforcement strategies and operations; and
  • Supporting coordinated law enforcement strategies that make the most of available resources to reduce the supply of illegal drugs in designated areas of the United States and in the Nation as a whole.

HIDTA by the Numbers (2010) 

  • Disrupted/dismantled 2,925 drug trafficking organizations
  • Removed over $31 billion worth of drugs (wholesale value)
  • Seized approximately $928 million in cash and assets
  • Provided funding for 8,700 Federal agents and analysts
  • Provided funding for 17,000 state, local, and tribal officers, analysts, and other representatives
  • 57 Intelligence and Investigative Support Centers