Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program – COMPETING CONTINUATION (Year 6) | CDC RFA CE21 210206CONT26

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA CE21 210206CONT26

The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program - Competing Continuation (Year 6) is a federal discretionary grant opportunity for FY 2026 jointly administered through the Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC). Created under the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-20), the program is designed to sustain and expand community-driven prevention work by funding local coalitions that focus on preventing and reducing substance use among young people.

At its core, the DFC program is about building and maintaining strong local partnerships that can change community conditions linked to youth substance use. The statute sets out two main goals. First, it aims to establish and strengthen collaboration across a community, bringing together public and private nonprofit agencies and all levels of government (federal, state, local, tribal) to support community coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance use among youth ages 18 and under. Second, it seeks to reduce substance use among youth and, over time, reduce substance use among adults by targeting the local risk factors that make substance use more likely and boosting protective factors that help prevent it. In practical terms, applicants are expected to show how their coalition aligns local organizations and decision-makers around a shared prevention strategy that is grounded in community needs and conditions.

This specific notice of funding opportunity is a "competing continuation" for Year 6, meaning it is intended for coalitions that are not brand new to DFC. It is meant to fund applicants that have already completed an initial DFC five-year cycle (Years 1 through 5) and are seeking to continue into a second five-year cycle, as well as applicants that previously received DFC funding but experienced a lapse in funding and are now reapplying. Eligibility is therefore geared toward established, community-based coalitions with prior DFC experience that are continuing or restarting their DFC-supported prevention work rather than starting from scratch.

Eligible applicants span a wide range of organizations, reflecting the program's emphasis on broad community involvement. A DFC legal applicant (the organization applying on behalf of a coalition, which could be the coalition itself or another lead organization tied to the coalition) must be located in the United States or U.S. territories. The applicant generally must be a nonprofit recognized by the IRS as a 501(c) organization, or another entity the Administrator considers appropriate that is part of, or associated with, an established and legally recognized domestic public or private nonprofit organization. The eligible entity types listed for this opportunity include county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, other tribal organizations, and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they meet the program's nonprofit-related requirements). The statutory language also points to potential applicants such as state and local governments, state-recognized tribes, urban Indian organizations (as defined in Pub. L. No. 94-437), professional associations, voluntary organizations, self-help groups, consumer and provider constituency groups, community- and faith-based organizations, and tribal organizations (referencing Pub. L. No. 114-198 Sec 103).

For purposes of this funding announcement, a "coalition" is defined as a formal, community-based arrangement where multiple community sectors agree to cooperate and collaborate toward a shared goal of a safe, healthy, drug-free community, while each participating group still retains its own identity. That definition signals what reviewers expect to see: a structured partnership across different parts of the community, not a single organization acting alone. The grant is therefore best suited to coalitions that can demonstrate active multi-sector engagement and coordinated planning and implementation.

Key logistics from the opportunity listing include the funding opportunity number CDC RFA CE21 210206CONT26, assistance listing (CFDA) number 93.276, and an application deadline of April 14, 2026. The award ceiling is listed at $125,000, with an estimated 50 awards expected. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary and uses the grant funding instrument. The issuing agency is the Centers for Disease Control - NCIPC.

Finally, the notice indicates the program is being positioned in alignment with the administration's stated drug policy priorities and notes that applicants are expected to support applicable Executive Orders. The notice lists several Executive Orders as relevant, including Executive Order 14168, Executive Order 14159, Executive Order 14173, Executive Order 13768, and Executive Order 14182. While the funding announcement does not spell out in the provided text exactly how each Executive Order will be operationalized in review or award management, it does make clear that compliance and alignment with applicable federal directives is an expectation tied to participation in the program.

• The Centers for Disease Control - NCIPC in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program – COMPETING CONTINUATION (Year 6)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.276.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-09-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-04-14. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $125,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 50 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others, Unrestricted.

Apply for CDC RFA CE21 210206CONT26

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