Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) Grants

Assistance Listing: 93.799

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Jun 8, 2026

For programmatic or technical questions:
Christi Jones
CARA_NOFO@cdc.gov

For grants management or budget questions:
Karen Zion
DFC_OGS@cdc.gov

Grants.gov contact center:
800.518.4726
support@grants.gov
Self-service knowledge base

System for award management (SAM):
866.606.8220
Federal service desk

Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) Grants provide funding to support the efforts of current and former Drug Free Communities grant recipients to prevent substance use among youth by addressing local drug crises and emerging drug use issues.

Program goals:

• Prevent or reduce use of opioids, methamphetamine, and/or prescription drug use among youth
• Change the culture and context regarding the acceptability of youth use and misuse of substances

A program logic model that includes strategies; activities; and short-, intermediate-, and long-term outcomes is provided in the application instructions.

The logic model incorporates a framework for coalitions to implement comprehensive, evidence-informed approaches to youth substance use prevention using 7 strategies for community-level change.

• Provide information
• Build skills
• Provide support
• Increase access, reduce barriers, and improve connections
• Change consequences
• Change the physical design
• Educate and inform

Eligible applicants are community-based coalitions addressing opioid, methamphetamine and/or prescription drug use by local youth. Applicant organizations must be domestic, public or private nonprofit entities that are current or former recipients of a grant under the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Act of 1997.

The community coalition must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or the coalition can partner with an outside organization that is eligible to receive federal funds to serve as the fiscal agent on behalf of the coalition.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate that the local rate of opioid and/or methamphetamine use is significantly higher than the national average or has rates higher than the national average sustained over a long period of time.

Nationwide

Award ceiling: $75,000 per year
Project period: 5 years
Estimated number of awards: 50
Estimated total program funding: $18,750,000

In the case of a tie in the scores, preference will be given to applicants proposing to reach rural, American Indian/Alaska Native, and economically disadvantaged communities.

Links to the full announcement, application instructions, and the online application process are available through grants.gov.

Applicant webinar
(Registration required)
May 13, 2026
2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Eastern

Children and youth · Health disparities · Illicit drug use · Networking and collaboration · Prescription drug misuse · Substance use and misuse · Tribal communities