Monroe County CARES Grant

Monroe County CARES distributes grants from the Monroe County Drug-Free Communities Fund to support programs and projects addressing substance abuse problems in Monroe County, Indiana. Monroe County CARES, also described as the Monroe County CARES Local Coordinating Council, is an all-volunteer group of community members concerned with substance abuse prevention, education, intervention, treatment, and justice. Grant funding is derived from alcohol and drug offender fees collected in Monroe County. The fund is intended to direct these locally generated resources toward activities that respond to identified substance abuse needs within the county. Funded programs and projects must address at least one of the problem statements identified in the community comprehensive plan. Grants are allotted among three areas: Prevention/Education, Treatment/Intervention, and Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement. Programs and projects must be targeted to serve Monroe County residents. Collaboration with other community organizations and identification of other funding sources are strongly encouraged. The source does not specify minimum or maximum grant amounts, total program funding, a required cost share, or a matching contribution. Grants are available on a one-time-only basis, and receipt of an award does not imply or guarantee future funding. The source permits agencies to request multiple grants, but an agency may not request multiple grants within the same program. Proposed grants are expected to be unique and pertinent to the proposed funding and to use up-to-date data and information. The materials do not identify specific eligible legal entity types, such as nonprofit organizations, governments, schools, businesses, or individuals. They do establish a geographic and service requirement: funded programs and projects must target Monroe County residents. Applicants with prior funding will have their end-of-year report factored into overall application scoring, while first-time applicants will not be penalized or otherwise affected by the absence of a prior report. Applications are reviewed by Monroe County CARES board members and are scored on a 100-point scale. An application receiving a score below 80 out of 100 will not be funded. Applicants should therefore review the application instructions carefully, ensure the proposal is unique and pertinent to the requested funding, provide current data and information, demonstrate alignment with at least one community comprehensive plan problem statement, and consider documenting collaboration and other funding sources. A technical assistance video is provided to support applicants in writing the grant application. Applicants with accessibility needs are encouraged to contact Monroe County CARES for support. Applications are submitted by email to Jessy Tang at monroecountycaresboard@gmail.com. All application files must be saved using the required naming convention "2027CaresApp_YourAgencyName." The submission deadline for the 2027 funding cycle is September 15 at 5:00 p.m. Applications are available annually in August, establishing an annual recurring application cycle. Questions and technical assistance inquiries may be directed to Jessy Tang at monroecountycaresboard@gmail.com or Li Meuser at llmeuser@me.com. No telephone contact is provided in the source. Monroe County CARES board members will review submitted applications, and the applicant contact person will be notified of the application's status by the end of September. Grants are effective from January 1 through December 31, making the stated grant period a calendar year. Each funded agency must complete a mid-year report and a year-end report and consent to an agency site visit. Additional details concerning these post-award requirements will be provided upon funding. The annual availability of applications in August, September 15 submission deadline, notification by the end of September, and January 1 through December 31 grant period establish the principal recurring timeline for this funding opportunity.

Ensure the proposed grant is unique and pertinent to the proposed funding and uses up-to-date data and information; address at least one problem statement in the community comprehensive plan; consider collaboration with other community organizations and identify other funding sources; carefully review and follow application instructions; ensure the application can score at least 80 out of 100; use the required application filename