FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Rafael Lemaitre (202) 395–6618
Thursday, September 26, 2002
WHITE HOUSE DRUG CZAR AWARDS $45.5 MILLION FOR COMMUNITY ANTI-DRUG COALITION GRANTS
Program Expands to Provide $6.8 Million in New Grants for 70 Communities; CADCA to Receive $2 Million for the Newly Established National Community Anti-Drug Coalition Institute
(Washington, D.C.)—John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), today awarded $6.8 million in new Drug-Free Communities matching grants to 70 communities in 31 states. An additional $38.7 million will support the continuation of grant awards to 462 existing community coalition projects operating in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. All 532 local coalitions, comprised of a diverse cross-section of parents, youth, teachers, religious and fraternal organizations, health care and business professionals, law enforcement, the media, and community leaders, work to prevent and reduce drug, alcohol, and tobacco abuse among youth.
An additional $2 million has also been awarded to the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) to administer the newly formed National Community Anti-Drug Coalition Institute. The Institute will provide education, training, and technical assistance for coalition leaders and will help coalitions evaluate their own performance.
Noting that 40 of the 70 new grant awards are being made to rural communities and 34 to economically disadvantaged communities Director Walters stated, "The Drug-Free Communities Program will provide critical resources to expand community prevention programs across America, including small towns, rural areas, and Native American communities, all of which have been hit hard in recent years by drug problems that have historically plagued big cities. Preventing drug use before it starts spares families and communities across America the anguish of watching their children slip into the grasp of addiction. If we can prevent young people from using drugs through the age of 18, the chance of their using drugs as adults is very small. The Drug-Free Communities Program, and other drug prevention efforts, are the most cost-effective approach to the drug problem, sparing society the burden of treatment, rehabilitation, lost productivity, and other social problems."
The Drug-Free Communities Program provides grants of up to $100,000 to community organizations that serve as catalysts for citizen participation in local drug prevention efforts. A competitive peer review process selected this year's awardees from 448 applicants. To qualify for matching grants, all awardees must have at least a six-month history of working together on substance abuse reduction initiatives, develop a long-term plan to reduce substance abuse, and participate in a national evaluation of the Drug-Free Communities Program.
Created under the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997, the Drug-Free Communities Program has earned strong bipartisan support from Congress and is one of President Bush's top funding priorities. In December of 2001, Congress passed and the President signed into law a five-year extension of the Drug-Free Communities Act authorizing $399 million in funds through FY 2007.
Since 1997, five competitions have awarded $140 million in grants to more than 532 community anti-drug coalitions. ONDCP administers the community anti-drug program in conjunction with the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention provides technical assistance and resources, helps new grantees implement effective community prevention programs, and facilitates information sharing among the grantees. A new grant application process will begin in November of 2002.
