Community-Based Tobacco Prevention Interventions Grant

The Florida Department of Health, through the Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida, is offering the Community-Based Tobacco Prevention Interventions grant under authority provided by Article X, Section 27 of the Florida Constitution and Section 381.84, Florida Statutes. The program is part of Florida's comprehensive statewide tobacco education and control effort and is intended to conform to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs. For this solicitation, the Department intends to select a Community-Based Tobacco Prevention Interventions Provider serving Walton County. The Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida states that tobacco use remains a leading preventable cause of disease and death and uses state and community interventions to reduce tobacco use, secondhand smoke exposure, and tobacco-related health disparities. The purpose of the grant is to support policy, systems, social norm, and environmental changes that reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. Providers are expected to prevent initiation of tobacco use among youth and young adults, eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke, promote quitting among adults and youth, and help sustain Florida's comprehensive statewide tobacco education and use prevention program. Community-based activities must address tobacco disparities, with special attention to populations of low socioeconomic status, and must support youth and young adults in avoiding emerging tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. Required work includes maintaining community tobacco-free partnerships, maintaining a county Students Working Against Tobacco chapter, engaging local officials, collaborating with community and statewide partners, implementing assigned policy initiatives, and reporting progress through the Automated Tobacco Activity Collection System. The Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida identifies $139,524 as available for the State and Community Intervention grant in Walton County for the 2026-2027 project period. One award may be granted depending on funding availability. Applicants must provide an annual match equal to 7 percent of their annual grant funding amount. The match may consist of private expenditures, unrecovered indirect expenses, in-kind services, office support, human resources, other tangible support, or cost offsets. Allowable costs must be reflected in the proposed budget, approved by the Department, and comply with applicable Florida expenditure guidance, statutes, administrative rules, and the current Tobacco Prevention Purchasing Agreement. For year one, 1 percent of the budget is designated for required counter-marketing and advertising materials in county health department treatment and waiting areas. Certain purchases from other Bureau-funded entities require prior approval, and Department approval is also required before activities such as marketing, sponsorships, and training are initiated. Eligible applicants must be legal business entities with an office in Florida. The RFA states that eligible entities include, but are not limited to, local health departments, schools, health care providers, community organizations, and not-for-profit 501(c)(3) entities. Corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, and their subcontractors seeking to do business with the State must be properly registered with the Florida Department of State as applicable. Applicants must also demonstrate relevant prior experience, including community mobilization resulting in policy change, participation in community partnerships, public health advocacy, use of media for public awareness, organizational capacity, and the ability to engage diverse populations. Staff paid through the grant must be tobacco free and must not use electronic nicotine delivery systems. Applications were required to be submitted electronically through https://requestforapplications.floridahealth.gov/ as a single PDF file not exceeding 5 MB. Required components include the signed Cover Page, the Main Application Template, Attachments III through VI, an additional Staff Qualification Survey for each proposed staff member, four Letters of Support from collaborative partners, an organizational chart, staff resumes or qualifying position descriptions, a Drug Free Workplace certification, and a Tobacco Free Staff certification. The first-year budget and a corresponding budget narrative are required, along with documentation of current and prior funded projects. Applications must follow the required order, use 11-point Arial font, be single-spaced with one-inch margins, and contain no personally identifiable information. Faxed, mailed, and hand-delivered applications are not accepted. Applications are screened first for completeness, and incomplete submissions are not entered into the review process. Complete applications are evaluated on the strength of the statement of need, program plan, and management plan. Review considerations include the applicant's understanding of tobacco-related needs and disparities in the target county, the quality and measurability of proposed objectives, experience with evidence-based policy change, collaborative partnerships, SWAT engagement, organizational and staffing capacity, prior grant experience, financial management, and sustainability. Funding decisions are made by the Department after consultation with the Tobacco Education and Use Prevention Advisory Council, and the Department may negotiate proposed plans and final funding before contract execution. Following an award, the provider must negotiate and finalize an annual Work Plan with Bureau staff and submit quarterly progress updates through ATACS within 15 days after each quarter ends. The RFA was released February 2, 2026. Written questions were due February 6, 2026 by 2:00 PM EDT, with answers anticipated February 11, 2026. The cover page and formal timeline identify the application deadline as February 16, 2026 by 5:00 PM EDT, and the anticipated Intent to Award date as February 27, 2026. Section 6.1 contains an inconsistent legacy date of April 16, 2021, which conflicts with the 2026 cover page and timeline; the 2026 deadline is therefore treated as the controlling deadline. The anticipated grant start date was July 1, 2026, and Section 3.4 states that the initial project term runs through June 30, 2031. The grant will not be renewed. Questions regarding the RFA were directed to RequestforApplication@flhealth.gov, and the submission site lists technical assistance at (850) 245-4122.

Submit every required component because incomplete applications are excluded from review; use county-specific evidence to establish tobacco prevention need and disparities; develop clear S.M.A.R.T. objectives tied to required policy areas; demonstrate evidence-based policy-change experience and strong collaborative partnerships; show a concrete strategy for SWAT engagement; document qualified staffing, administrative capacity, grant-management experience, and sustainability; follow the exact application order, page limits, font, margin, PDF size, and electronic-submission requirements.