SAMHSA NOFO 2026 | Mental Health Grant Paths

This guide is for: Nonprofit directors, behavioral health program managers, tribal health administrators, and FQHC development officers researching direct competitive grant opportunities from SAMHSA, not block grant pass-throughs administered by state agencies.

Last updated: October 2026

Full answer: SAMHSA awards competitive discretionary grants directly to community mental health centers, CCBHCs, tribal programs, and nonprofits through published Notices of Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov. The CCBHC Expansion Program is the largest single competitive opportunity, with $385 million appropriated in FY2024 and awards capped at $1 million per year per grant. Tribal Behavioral Health grants and 988 crisis center programs run separate competitions with different eligibility rules. The FY2026 CCBHC rounds (SM-26-014 and SM-26-015) closed August 17, 2026, so the next realistic entry point is an FY2027 notice.

SAMHSA Mental Health Grants: FY2024 Award Data and Competitive Intelligence

Data note: Award figures and recipient data come from USASpending.gov, the HHS TAGGS (Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System), and SAMHSA's published NOFOs and press releases. SAMHSA's FY2024 enacted budget was about $7.4 billion. Competitive discretionary grant programs represent a portion of that figure; block grants and formula-based funding account for a much larger share.

Source review by Grantsights, June 3, 2026: We checked SAMHSA's current grant announcements, the FY2026 block grant allocation notice, CCBHC materials, 988 resources, TAGGS award data, and Grants.gov records. Where official sources stop: SAMHSA's largest mental health dollars still split into two very different applicant paths: state-administered block grants and direct discretionary competitions. Search results often blur that line. Based on our analysis, a bad fit is a nonprofit trying to apply directly for Mental Health Block Grant funds, or a behavioral health provider chasing CCBHC expansion money without certification status, required-service coverage, staffing, and GPRA-style data capacity. For example, a crisis provider already in the 988 network has a different federal route than a counseling nonprofit seeking first-time outpatient service expansion.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration funds behavioral health services through multiple mechanisms, and most nonprofits searching for "SAMHSA grants" don't realize they're looking at the wrong programs. Block grants, the largest SAMHSA funding streams, don't have an application process for nonprofits. The money you're looking for, if you're running a community mental health center, tribal health program, or behavioral health nonprofit, is in SAMHSA's competitive discretionary programs.

This guide focuses entirely on competitive grants: programs with open application processes, published Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs), peer review scoring, and awards made directly to qualifying organizations.

---

Key SAMHSA Competitive Programs at a Glance

---

SAMHSA Competitive Grants vs. Block Grants: The Critical Distinction

About $7.4 billion was SAMHSA's FY2024 enacted budget, and the majority of that goes to block grants that nonprofits can't apply for directly. SAMHSA administers two categories of grants that couldn't work more differently.

Block grants are formula-based allocations that Congress appropriates and SAMHSA distributes to states. The two major block grants are:

• Community Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHBG): Enacted at $1.01 billion for FY2024. Funds go to state mental health authorities, which then allocate to local service systems. You can't apply to SAMHSA for MHBG funds. Your path to this money runs through your state mental health agency.
• Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant (SUPTRS): Enacted at $2.01 billion for FY2024. Same structure: states receive allocations and subgrant to providers.

If your state mental health or substance use agency sends you a subgrant, that money almost certainly traces back to one of these block grants. SAMHSA doesn't pick you; your state does.

Competitive discretionary grants work the opposite way. SAMHSA publishes a NOFO on Grants.gov, sets a deadline, accepts applications, convenes a peer review panel to score them, and makes awards directly to organizations that score well enough and meet program priorities. These programs have CFDA numbers in the 93.2xx and 93.6xx ranges, plus a few others (CCBHC Expansion Grants were listed under 93.829 in their early years and are now under 93.696).

The competitive programs are where nonprofits, CMHCs, FQHCs, and tribal organizations apply directly. That's what this guide covers.

---

FY2024 Award Data: What the Numbers Show

According to USASpending.gov FY2024 data, SAMHSA's competitive discretionary programs collectively awarded well over $500 million to direct recipients during the fiscal year, with the CCBHC Expansion Program alone accounting for $385 million of the FY2024 appropriation.

Key program-level data from FY2024:

CCBHC Expansion Grants (CFDA 93.696)

• FY2024 appropriation: $385 million
• Award ceiling: $1 million per year per award, up to 4 years
• Program start: CCBHC Expansion grants began in FY2018

Children's Mental Health Initiative (CMHI)

• Serves children up to age 21 with serious emotional disturbance (SED) and their families
• Award ceiling varies by cohort size and project scope

Tribal Behavioral Health / Native Connections

• Budget cap per award: $250,000 per year

988 Crisis Center Follow-Up Programs

• Award ceiling: set in each NOFO
• Eligible applicants: only active 988 Lifeline network crisis centers

State Opioid Response (SOR): note on eligibility

• FY2024: $1.595 billion appropriated
• Eligible applicants: Single State Agencies (state SSAs) only, not nonprofits directly
• Tribal Opioid Response (TOR) grants are separate and open to tribal entities

The SOR grants go to state agencies. If you're a treatment provider hoping to access opioid response funding, your state's SSA subgrants to local providers, often through a competitive RFP process. SAMHSA doesn't award SOR grants to nonprofits directly.

---

Who Wins SAMHSA Competitive Grants

CCBHC grants run up to 4 years, so most awards active in any year are continuations, and only the new cohort is open to new applicants. Understanding who actually wins competitive SAMHSA grants is more useful than reading program descriptions.

Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs)

CMHCs make up the backbone of the CCBHC program. These are organizations that already deliver a full range of outpatient mental health and substance use services. To win a CCBHC-PDI (Planning, Development, and Implementation) or CCBHC-IA (Improvement and Advancement) grant, you don't need to be a CCBHC before you apply for PDI funding, but you do need a credible path to certification within 12 months of award. For IA grants, you must already be certified.

According to USASpending.gov records, Terros Inc. (Phoenix, Arizona) holds a 4-year, $4 million award (H79SM088864, starting September 30, 2023), or $1,000,000 per year, under the CCBHC Expansion Grant program (CFDA 93.696) for its CCBHC-Improvement and Advancement project, providing integrated mental health, substance use disorder, and primary care services across Phoenix-area sites.

In New York, multiple organizations received $1 million per project per year under the same program. USASpending.gov records show the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services in New York holding four CCBHC awards under 93.696 (two starting in FY2022 and two in FY2023, each $4 million over 4 years, or $1 million a year), plus a separate $2 million, 5-year award under 93.243. That's roughly $4.4 million a year from competitive SAMHSA grants to one organization.

New York's CCBHC grantee list from the NY State Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare identified 44 organizations across the state receiving CCBHC expansion awards, including Access: Supports for Living Inc. (Middletown), Family Service League Inc. (Huntington), and Westchester Jewish Community Services Inc. (White Plains).

In Massachusetts, Clinical and Support Options, Inc. (Greenfield) has received CCBHC expansion funding for services in western and central Massachusetts; check USASpending.gov or TAGGS for current award amounts.

In Connecticut, BHcare, the Local Mental Health Authority for the Lower Naugatuck Valley and Shoreline regions, received CCBHC expansion funding to establish clinic sites in Branford and Ansonia focused on integrated primary and behavioral healthcare.

Tribal Health Programs

SAMHSA's Tribal Behavioral Health grants and Native Connections program run a completely separate competition. Eligible applicants are federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native tribes, tribal organizations, Urban Indian Organizations, and consortia. Non-tribal organizations can't apply.

Award caps are smaller ($250,000 per year) but the competition is also narrower. The Fairbanks Native Association in Alaska is an example of the type of organization that receives both tribal SAMHSA behavioral health funding and other tribal-designated health program grants.

Universities and Training Programs

Some SAMHSA programs are specifically structured for universities, such as training, technical assistance, and health IT cooperative agreements. These are not typical nonprofit service delivery grants; they're cooperative agreements for systems-level work.

---

What SAMHSA.gov Doesn't Tell You About Competitive Grants

SAMHSA's grants page lists programs and NOFOs. USASpending.gov shows recipients and amounts. Neither tells you the things that actually shape your competitive position before you apply.

Most of the award count is continuation grants, not new slots. CCBHC awards run up to 4 years, so in any year most active awards are non-competing continuations: funded organizations receiving their year two, three, or four payment. Only the new cohort is open to new applicants. Organizations that look at the headline CCBHC award count and conclude the program is broadly accessible are counting slots they can't compete for. Your real competition is the new cohort pool, not the full award count.

The Medicaid CCBHC billing path often provides more funding than the grant path. In the states participating in the Section 223 CCBHC Medicaid demonstration (30 states selected in total, including 10 added in 2024 and 10 more in 2026), clinics receive a cost-based Prospective Payment System rate through Medicaid rather than a capped grant. Organizations in demonstration states that pursue both tracks can find that the Medicaid revenue makes the grant less important than they expected. For organizations in demonstration states, running the Medicaid billing analysis before committing to a CCBHC grant application is worth the time. The grant path is the right answer for non-demonstration states and for organizations in early development stages that need upfront capital.

SAMHSA's peer review panels score independence, not program alignment. Reviewers evaluate applications blind to your organization's history with SAMHSA. A multi-year CCBHC grantee can lose a new cohort competition to a first-time applicant that submits a stronger narrative. The scoring criteria don't carry forward any prior award history. That cuts both ways: established organizations don't have an inherent advantage on scored criteria, but they often have better documentation of organizational experience, prior GPRA data, and staff credentials, which are the things the rubric actually rewards.

The 2026 funding environment has more uncertainty than any recent year. According to NPR's reporting on SAMHSA's January 2026 rescission letters, the agency cut off roughly $2 billion in grants to about 2,000 organizations before reversing course within about 24 hours. Full-year FY2026 appropriations were enacted on February 3, 2026 (P.L. 119-75), and the FY2026 CCBHC NOFOs opened in June and closed August 17, 2026. Organizations evaluating whether to invest 200 hours in a SAMHSA application should confirm on the SAMHSA grants dashboard and with their program officer that the specific competition they're targeting is proceeding before starting the narrative.

---

The CCBHC Expansion Program: The Largest Competitive Opportunity

$385 million appropriated in FY2024 makes the CCBHC program the single largest competitive SAMHSA opportunity by a wide margin. If you're a community mental health center or behavioral health organization, this is where the money is.

The CCBHC model requires clinics to provide a defined set of services: crisis services (including 24/7 availability), outpatient mental health and substance use treatment, primary care screening and monitoring, targeted case management, peer support, psychiatric rehabilitation, and outpatient services for members of the Armed Forces and veterans. SAMHSA lists 9 required services, with specific subcategories, and the FY2026 NOFOs require applicants to deliver all nine.

There are two grant tracks worth knowing:

CCBHC-PDI (Planning, Development, and Implementation) For organizations that want to become CCBHCs. You don't need to be certified yet, but your application needs to describe a concrete path to CCBHC certification within 12 months of the award start date. Award ceiling is $1 million per year, up to 4 years. FY2023 NOFO (SM-23-024) anticipated 62 awards with total available funding of $61.8 million. The FY2026 NOFO (SM-26-014) estimated $94 million for 94 awards and closed August 17, 2026.

CCBHC-IA (Improvement and Advancement) For existing CCBHCs that are already certified. The purpose is expanding services, adding sites, or improving quality. Award ceiling is $1 million per year, up to 4 years. The FY2026 NOFO (SM-26-015) estimated $117,160,647 for 117 awards and also closed August 17, 2026. Applicants must demonstrate that their proposed expansions are beyond what Medicaid CCBHC reimbursement already covers.

There's also a third mechanism: the Section 223 CCBHC Medicaid Demonstration, which is a Medicaid financing model rather than a grant, available to states that have been selected to participate in the demonstration. Ten new states were selected to join the demonstration in June 2024: Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Another 10 states were added in 2026, starting July 1, 2026, bringing the total selected to 30 states. Under the demonstration, clinics receive a Prospective Payment System (PPS) rate that covers the full cost of services, funded through Medicaid rather than SAMHSA grants.

The practical question for organizations in demonstration states is: do you want the grant track or the Medicaid financing track? In many cases, the Medicaid track provides more sustained funding at higher volume, but the grant track may be more accessible during a transition period or for organizations not yet in Medicaid.

Because awards run up to 4 years, most CCBHC funding in a given year goes to continuations. If you're applying to a new cohort, you're competing only for the new slots in that NOFO.

---

Tribal Behavioral Health: Separate Track and Different Competition

SAMHSA's tribal funding programs operate under a distinct framework that non-tribal organizations often misunderstand.

Native Connections (CFDA 93.243 / tribal programs) The Native Connections program provides grants to AI/AN tribes and tribal organizations to prevent substance misuse and suicide among AI/AN youth up to age 24. Award ceiling is $250,000 per year for five years. Check SAMHSA's tribal funding page for the most recent cohort.

Tribal Behavioral Health Grant Program (SM-23-021) SAMHSA's 2024 NOFO for Tribal Behavioral Health (FY2024 NOFO: TBH) focused specifically on tribal entities with the goal of preventing and reducing suicidal behavior and substance misuse, reducing trauma impact, and promoting mental health among AI/AN youth. Eligibility is limited to federally recognized tribes, tribal organizations, and Urban Indian Organizations. The budget ceiling is $250,000 per year.

Tribal Opioid Response (TOR) Grants While the State Opioid Response grants go to states, the Tribal Opioid Response program (TI-24-009) goes directly to tribal entities. This is the opioid-specific track for tribal applicants. Award amounts are separate from the SOR program allocations.

For tribal applicants, it's worth reviewing SAMHSA's dedicated Tribal Affairs funding page and the grant summary document "SAMHSA Grant Funding to Tribes" (available on samhsa.gov), which summarizes the full tribal grant portfolio.

Non-tribal nonprofits serving AI/AN populations but without tribal organizational status cannot apply to these tribal-specific programs. However, some partnerships with tribal entities are allowed or even encouraged under certain NOFOs.

---

What SAMHSA Reviewers Look For

SAMHSA uses a peer review process in which external experts score applications on a 0-100 scale. The mean of all reviewers' total scores becomes the application's priority score. Reviewers evaluate each application independently against the published criteria. They don't compare applications to each other during scoring.

The review criteria and their point values differ by program. As one current example, the FY2026 CCBHC NOFOs (SM-26-014 and SM-26-015) scored these sections:

Population of Focus and Need (10 points, up to 15 with priority points, in the FY2026 CCBHC NOFOs) Document the specific population you're serving, the geographic gaps in service, and the data supporting that need. Some applications cite national NSDUH prevalence data without a single county-level figure. Reviewers notice the gap: national statistics prove the problem exists; local data proves it exists where you work. USASpending.gov is useful here: you can show that your county or region has received fewer SAMHSA-funded services per capita than comparable areas. Behavioral health prevalence data from SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) should be cited at the state and where possible county level. Reviewers don't fund general national statistics; they want to see that your specific community has a documented gap.

Proposed Implementation Approach (35 points in the FY2026 CCBHC NOFOs, plus 5 for the evidence-based practice section) Describe your service model in detail, tied to evidence-based practices recognized by SAMHSA's Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center (EBPRC) or the SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions. Vague descriptions of "full-spectrum" services or "integrated" approaches without specifics score poorly. Reviewers want specific interventions, referral protocols, staffing ratios, and measurable outcomes. For CCBHC applications, every required service must be explicitly addressed. Our SAMHSA CCBHC grants guide covers the certification requirements and service model in more detail.

Data Collection and Performance Measurement (20 points in the FY2026 CCBHC NOFOs) SAMHSA requires a data collection and evaluation plan with specific performance measures tied to the program's Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) metrics. Organizations that can demonstrate prior experience collecting GPRA or similar federal data tend to score better in this section. You don't need to hire an external evaluator for most programs, but you do need a named point of contact with credible data management capacity.

Organizational Experience and Staffing (25 points combined in the FY2026 CCBHC NOFOs) This section asks about your organization's history of delivering the proposed services and managing federal grants. Document prior SAMHSA, HHS, or other federal grant experience here. If you haven't held a federal grant before, address this directly with evidence of strong financial controls, a qualified fiscal team, and experience managing comparable grants from state or private funders.

Staffing (scored with organizational experience) Reviewers look for specific, qualified individuals, not generic position descriptions. If your project director or clinical supervisor is already hired or identified, name them and attach a biographical sketch. Reviewers discount applications where all leadership positions are "to be hired."

Priority Areas (bonus points where applicable) Many NOFOs include priority areas that earn additional consideration: serving rural or frontier populations, serving racially and ethnically underserved communities, addressing health disparities, and partnering with primary care. Read each NOFO for its specific priority areas; applications that address all of them score higher than those that ignore them.

---

Common Application Problems

These 7 problems are common reasons for lost points or administrative rejection, and most of them trace back to rules stated in the NOFO itself.

Exceeding the page limit SAMHSA NOFOs have strict narrative page limits, and current ones are short: the FY2026 CCBHC NOFOs cap the Project Narrative at 15 pages and say "Stay within the page limit or we will not review your application" (SM-26-014). Applications exceeding the page limit are not reviewed. This is an absolute disqualifier and a common mistake that organizations underestimate until it costs them a submission. The SAMHSA grants management office does not grant exceptions for page limit violations, regardless of circumstances.

Ignoring the NOFO's structure Each NOFO specifies which sections go where and what must be included in each section. Reviewers can only give credit for information placed in the required sections. If you describe your organization's experience in the "Need" section instead of the "Organizational Experience" section, reviewers can't score it. Read the NOFO's application instructions section before you start writing.

Vague evidence-based practice references Saying your program uses "evidence-based practices" without naming specific interventions, citing their evidence base, and explaining how they fit your population is a common reason for lost points in the Approach section. SAMHSA's EBPRC lists evidence-based programs by population and outcome. Use it.

No prior federal grant history without addressing it If your organization has never managed a federal grant, don't hide that fact. Address it directly in the Organizational Experience section by describing your financial management systems, your track record with state grants, and the qualifications of your fiscal team. Our guide on how to write a federal grant proposal covers how to frame organizational capacity for first-time applicants.

Commingling of funds SAMHSA's post-award financial rules prohibit commingling of grant funds with other revenue sources. Organizations that have had audit findings for fund commingling should address their corrective actions explicitly, because SAMHSA's pre-award review will surface prior audit issues.

Underspecified staffing plans Applications that list positions as "to be hired" across all key leadership roles consistently score lower than applications with named staff or specific candidate qualifications stated. At minimum, name your project director and describe the credentials of the clinical supervisor.

Missing letters of support or MOUs Many SAMHSA programs require letters of support from partner organizations and may require Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with referral partners, hospitals, or primary care providers. Missing required attachments can result in administrative rejection.

---

How to Use USASpending Data to Evaluate Your Odds

2 hours on USASpending.gov can save you 200 hours on a SAMHSA application that was never competitive. Before you write a single page of narrative, understand who has won that specific program and what the funding history looks like.

Step 1: Find the CFDA number Every SAMHSA program has a CFDA (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance) number listed in its NOFO. For tips on using USASpending.gov and other federal databases, see our roundup of the best grant research tools for nonprofits. For CCBHC grants, that's 93.696. For tribal behavioral health programs, it's often 93.243. Use this number to filter your USASpending search.

Step 2: Look up prior recipients in your state Filter by CFDA number, state, and fiscal year. See who in your state has received this grant before. If ten organizations in your state are already holding active continuation awards, and the program only awards 15 grants per cohort nationwide, you need to assess whether the new cohort competition has room for someone from your state.

Step 3: Check whether your competition is continuation grantees or new awards SAMHSA distinguishes new awards from continuation (non-competing continuation) awards in USASpending. If the program you're targeting is primarily funding continuations with few new slots, your odds are lower than if it's funding an entirely new cohort.

Step 4: Look at peer organizations Find organizations similar to yours in size, type, and location that have received this grant. What does their service footprint look like? What's their patient volume? This tells you what SAMHSA considers competitive at your program size.

Step 5: Search the HHS TAGGS database TAGGS (taggs.hhs.gov) provides more detailed information than USASpending for HHS grants, including individual award breakdowns by fiscal year, amendment history, and the full grant number that you can use to find the original NOFO. TAGGS is particularly useful for verifying specific award amounts when USASpending shows $0 for recently processed awards.

For example, searching for Terros Inc. shows the H79SM088864 award number, a 4-year, $4 million award (about $1,000,000 a year) for the CCBHC project at the 27th Avenue clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. This tells a potential Arizona CCBHC applicant that competition exists in their state but the program does fund Arizona-based organizations.

---

A Note on the 2026 Funding Environment

In January 2026, SAMHSA sent termination notices to roughly 2,000 organizations, covering about $2 billion in funding, according to NPR. The cuts were rescinded within about 24 hours, with SAMHSA sending letters stating that terminations were "hereby rescinded" and that "Your award will remain active under its original terms and conditions."

SAMHSA went on to post FY2026 CCBHC competitions in June 2026. Organizations holding active SAMHSA discretionary awards should confirm their current status with their grants management specialist and maintain documentation that their program activities are continuing as planned.

Full-year FY2026 appropriations were enacted on February 3, 2026 (P.L. 119-75). The FY2026 CCBHC-PDI (SM-26-014) and CCBHC-IA (SM-26-015) NOFOs were due August 17, 2026 and are now closed, with awards expected around November 2026. For the next cycle, watch SAMHSA's forecast dashboard and Grants.gov for FY2027 notices. Browse the SAMHSA grants page for the most current NOFO announcements, and check Grants.gov for application deadlines.

If you're doing preliminary research on whether to apply to a SAMHSA competitive program, review the Grantsights grants directory to compare federal behavioral health funding programs side by side. For related reading, see best grants for mental health nonprofits 2026 and the free Grantsights eligibility checker to see which programs fit your organization.

Related Guides

• Grants for Mental Health Programs
• Community Mental Health Grants

---

Sources

• SAMHSA Grants for Mental Health and Substance Use: Official SAMHSA grant programs page
• SAMHSA CCBHC Expansion Grants: CCBHC program overview
• USASpending.gov: Federal award database, FY2024 data
• HHS TAGGS: HHS Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System; Terros Inc. CCBHC-IA award H79SM088864; Jewish Board award detail
• SAMHSA CCBHC-IA Grant Announcement SM-23-016: Improvement and Advancement program details
• SAMHSA FY2024 Grant Application Guide: Application requirements and administrative guidance
• SAMHSA FY2024 CCBHC Planning Grants NOFO SM-25-001: Planning grant details
• SAMHSA FY2024 Tribal Behavioral Health NOFO: Tribal grant specifications
• SAMHSA Grant Review Process: Peer review scoring criteria
• NYS Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, CCBHC Expansion Grant List: New York State CCBHC award recipients
• HHS CCBHC Medicaid Demonstration Announcement, June 2024: Section 223 demonstration state expansion
• NPR, 24 hours of chaos as mental health grants are slashed then restored: January 2026 grant termination and reversal
• SAMHSA FY2026 CCBHC-PDI NOFO SM-26-014: FY2026 funding, award count, page limit, and scoring
• SAMHSA FY2026 CCBHC-IA NOFO SM-26-015: FY2026 Improvement and Advancement details
• CRS, FY2026 Labor-HHS appropriations: enactment date and public law
• SAMHSA FY2026 NOFO Forecast Dashboard: Anticipated upcoming funding opportunities