National Center for Child Traumatic Stress - Category 1

The National Center for Child Traumatic Stress - Category 1 program is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This program operates under the broader National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, which is a federal effort designed to improve the quality and availability of care for children and adolescents who have experienced traumatic events. The initiative has historically focused on building a coordinated national infrastructure to support research, training, and service delivery related to child trauma. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to establish or maintain a national coordinating center that serves the broader NCTSI network. This center is expected to provide leadership, coordination, and support to participating organizations across the country. Activities may include facilitating collaboration among network members, disseminating best practices, supporting training and technical assistance, and promoting evidence-based approaches to trauma-informed care. The coordinating center plays a central role in ensuring consistency, quality, and innovation across the initiative. Funding for this opportunity is provided through a cooperative agreement, indicating substantial involvement from the federal agency during the performance period. The estimated total program funding is $8,000,000, with one anticipated award. While specific allowable costs are not detailed in the forecast notice, typical cooperative agreement funding under this program supports staffing, program coordination, technical assistance activities, data collection, evaluation, and dissemination efforts. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement associated with this opportunity. Eligibility is limited to domestic public and private nonprofit entities. This includes a wide range of nonprofit organizations operating within the United States that have the capacity to manage a national-level initiative. The notice does not restrict eligibility to specific subtypes of nonprofits, suggesting that organizations such as academic institutions, research organizations, and service providers may be eligible if they meet nonprofit criteria and demonstrate the required capabilities. The application process details are not fully provided in this forecast notice, as the official funding opportunity announcement has not yet been released. However, applicants can expect to submit proposals through standard federal grant submission systems such as Grants.gov once the opportunity is officially posted. Application components will likely include narrative sections, organizational capacity descriptions, budgets, and supporting documentation aligned with federal grant requirements. The timeline indicates that this is a forecasted opportunity, with an estimated posting date of May 29, 2026. Specific application deadlines, award dates, and project start dates have not yet been announced. Interested applicants are encouraged to monitor Grants.gov for updates and prepare in advance by ensuring registrations and organizational documentation are current. The program is expected to follow a standard federal review process, including merit-based evaluation and agency review prior to award notification.