What to know
The CARA grant is a supplemental award for Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program-funded community coalitions in addressing youth misuse of opioids, methamphetamine, and prescription drugs. This grant builds on existing DFC infrastructure, allowing coalitions to expand or tailor their current strategies using local data and community input.
Why apply for CARA funding?
The CARA program has two goals:
- Prevent or reduce use of opioids, methamphetamine, and/or prescription drugs (misuse) among youth.
- Change the culture and context regarding the acceptability of youth use and misuse of these substances.
The CARA grant emphasizes environmental change efforts—such as policy development, community mobilization, and structural interventions—to reduce youth access to harmful substances and complement ongoing DFC activities. Cross-sector collaboration is essential to ensure strategies are relevant, community-driven, and sustainable. Coalitions implement evidence-based prevention strategies and design their approaches in direct response to the identified local drug crisis.
Community organizations can build strong relationships and better understand their communities' needs. By working together as a coalition, these organizations can create a tailored approach to youth substance use based on a community's unique circumstances.
Who is eligible?
Eligible applicants are community-based coalitions addressing opioid, methamphetamine, and/or prescription drug use/misuse by local youth. A CARA applicant must reside within the United States and/or the U.S. Territories.
Statutory requirements
To be eligible for this opportunity, the community coalition must meet all of the CARA Local Drug Crisis grant statutory eligibility requirements. The coalition must:
- Be able to receive federal funding individually or through a legal entity eligible to receive federal funds (e.g. fiscal agent).
- Be a former or current recipient of Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program funding.
- Be able to demonstrate that the local rate of opioid, methamphetamine, and/or prescription drugs is higher than the national average of these substances.
- Be able to report on the Core Measure Data for specified substances.
- Past 30-day use: The percentage of survey respondents who reported misusing prescription drugs at least once within the past 30 days.
- Perception of risk: The percentage of survey respondents who perceived that their use of a given substance has moderate or great risk.
Deadlines and decision dates
May 5, 2026
2-4:00 p.m. ET
Apply for CARA funding
Applications for CARA funding are due on June 8, 2026, on grants.gov.
We will hold an informational call for applicants on May 13, 2026, from 2-4:00 p.m. ET.