Substance Use and Misuse in Rural Areas – Funding & Opportunities

Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program
Funding for community-based outreach education and extension programs at land-grant colleges and universities that provide individuals and families based in rural areas with education and information on health, wellness, and substance use prevention.

Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program (STAR LRP)
Loan repayment assistance for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment clinicians and community health workers to provide direct treatment and recovery support services in an approved SUD treatment facility.

Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program Grants
Grants to help rural communities use advanced telecommunications technology to connect to each other, and the world, overcoming the effects of remoteness and low population density.

Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Impact (RCORP – Impact)
Grant to improve access to integrated, coordinated, and sustainable substance use disorder (SUD) services, including for opioid use disorder (OUD), in rural areas.

Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Planning (RCORP – Planning)
Grants to support planning and preparation activities to create a strong base for substance use disorder (SUD) and related services and build capacity to develop, implement, and sustain these services. The funding is designed to serve as a critical first step to creating SUD service systems that make care easy to access, strengthen the behavioral health workforce, gain strong community support, and prepare communities to deliver prevention, treatment, recovery, and other supportive services over the long term.

Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment Program
Grants to implement the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) model for children, adolescents, and adults in primary care and community health settings with a focus on screening for underage drinking, opioid use, and other substance use.

Tribal Behavioral Health Substance Use Prevention
Funding to prevent and reduce substance use and overdose among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth and young adults through age 24 by building community-driven prevention systems, services, and partnerships. Projects should use evidence-based and locally tailored strategies designed to strengthen protective factors, reduce risk factors, and build sustainable prevention capacity.

Behavioral Health Mobile Crisis Team Partnerships (MCTP)
Funding to establish new, or enhance existing, mobile crisis teams that serve children, youth, and adults experiencing mental health or substance use disorder crises. Focuses on expanding behavioral health crisis response capacity and the development of structured partnerships that reduce reliance on law enforcement and emergency departments for behavioral health crises.

Strategic Prevention Framework - Partnerships for Success for Communities and Tribes
Funding to use the SAMHSA Strategic Prevention Framework to expand and strengthen the capacity of local community substance abuse prevention providers to implement evidence-based prevention programs.

Building Communities of Recovery
Grants to support organizations in mobilizing and connecting community resources to increase access to long-term recovery support for people with substance use disorders (SUD) and co-occurring substance use and mental disorders. Rural populations are a priority.