FY 2012 Grant Request for Applications (RFA)

Statewide Family Network Program

INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Request for Applications (RFA) No.: SM-12-001
Posting on Grants.gov: April 9, 2012
Original Receipt date: May 18, 2012

Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) No.: 93.243

Key Dates

Application Deadline Applications are due by May 18, 2012
Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372) Applicants must comply with E.O. 12372 if their State(s) participates. Review process recommendations from the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) are due no later than 60 days after application deadline.
Public Health System Impact Statement (PHSIS) / Single State Agency Coordination Applicants must send the PHSIS to appropriate State and local health agencies by application deadline. Comments from Single State Agency are due no later than 60 days after application deadline.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2012 Statewide Family Network Program grants. The purpose of this program is to enhance State capacity and infrastructure to be more oriented to the needs of children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and their families by providing information, referrals, and support to families who have a child with a serious emotional disturbance, and to create a mechanism for families to participate in State and local mental health services planning and policy development.

The Statewide Family Network Program builds on the work of SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services which helped to establish a child and family focus in programs serving children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances around the country. Today, nearly every State has active family organizations dedicated to promoting systems of care that are responsive to the needs of children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and their families. Although significant progress has been made, further support will ensure self-sufficient, empowered networks that will effectively participate in State and local mental health services planning and health care reform activities related to improving community-based services for children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and their families.

SAMHSA has demonstrated that behavioral health is essential to health, prevention works, treatment is effective, and people recover from mental and substance use disorders. Behavioral health services improve health status and reduce health care and other costs to society. Continued improvement in the delivery and financing of prevention, treatment and recovery support services provides a cost effective opportunity to advance and protect the Nation's health. To continue to improve the delivery and financing of prevention, treatment and recovery support services, SAMHSA has identified eight Strategic Initiatives to focus the Agency's work on improving lives and capitalizing on emerging opportunities. The Statewide Family Network program closely aligns with SAMHSA's Recovery Support Strategic Initiative. As part of the Strategic Initiative, last fiscal year SAMHSA funded the Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy (BRSS-TACS) to promote the widespread adoption of recovery concepts and practices throughout the United States. The BRSS-TACS will help facilitate the dissemination of information among consumer, family and youth about health care reform initiated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010.

The Statewide Family Network Program grants are authorized under 520A of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. This announcement addresses Healthy People 2020 Mental Health and Mental Disorders Topic Area HP 2020-MHMD.

Eligibility

SAMHSA is limiting eligibility to family-controlled1 domestic public and private nonprofit organizations in States, Territories, and Tribes. A primary goal of this program is to strengthen the capacity of families with children who have a serious emotional disturbance to act as agents of transformation in influencing the type and amount of services provided to them and their children and to ensure their mental health care is family driven and youth guided. Therefore, only family controlled organizations are eligible to apply.

Family-controlled organizations must meet the following requirements:

  • An applicant organization must be dedicated to and have the infrastructure to improve mental health services Statewide;
  • An applicant must complete the Certification of Eligibility (see Appendix J of the RFA) indicating that the applicant meets all eligibility requirements and include necessary supporting documentation.

In order to strengthen new networks and broaden the impact of this program throughout the nation, SAMHSA is limiting one award per State, Territory or Tribe.

Current Statewide Family Network grantees whose funding ends in FY 2013 are not eligible to apply under this funding announcement (see Appendix K of the RFA).

Award Information

Funding Mechanism: Grant
Anticipated Total Available Funding: $440,000
Anticipated Number of Awards: 7
Anticipated Award Amount: Up to $60,000 per year; up to 2 grantees will receive an additional $10,000 per year for projects that include a youth leadership component
Length of Project Period: Up to 3 years

Proposed budgets without a youth leadership component cannot exceed $60,000 in total costs (direct and indirect) in any year of the proposed project. Proposed budgets with a youth leadership component cannot exceed $70,000 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.

Contact Information

For questions about program issues contact

Elizabeth Sweet
Child, Adolescent and Family Branch
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
1 Choke Cherry Road Room
Room 6-1052
Rockville, Maryland 20857
(240) 276-1925
elizabeth.sweet@samhsa.hhs.gov

For questions on grants management and budget issues contact:

Gwendolyn Simpson
Office of Financial Resources, Division of Grants Management
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
1 Choke Cherry Road
Room 7-1085
Rockville, Maryland 20857
(240) 276-1408
gwendolyn.simpson@samhsa.hhs.gov

Documents Needed to Complete a Grant Application

1. REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS (RFA)

YOU MUST RESPOND TO THE REQUIREMENTS IN THE RFA IN PREPARING YOUR APPLICATION.

2. GRANT APPLICATION PACKAGE

YOU MUST USE THE FORMS IN THE APPLICATION PACKAGE TO COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION.

Additional Materials

For further information on the forms and the application process, see Useful Information for Applicants.

Additional materials available on this website include:
  1. A family-controlled organization is an organization that has a Board of Directors made up of more than 50% family members who have primary daily responsibility for the raising of a child, youth, adolescent or young adult with a serious emotional disturbance up to age 18, or 21 if the adolescent is being served by an Individual Educational Plan (IEP), or age 26 if the young adult is being served by an Individual Service plan in transition to the adult mental health system.

Last updated: 04/06/2012