Cooperative Agreements for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Planning Grants

The Cooperative Agreements for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Planning Grants opportunity is a forecasted federal discretionary funding opportunity administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The opportunity number is SM-26-016 and it is associated with Assistance Listing 93.829, Section 223 Demonstration Programs to Improve Community Mental Health Services. The grant program is intended to help eligible states prepare for participation in the federal Section 223 CCBHC Demonstration Program through planning, infrastructure development, and payment system preparation. The program represents a federal effort to strengthen community behavioral health systems and improve access to coordinated mental health and substance use disorder treatment services through standardized clinic certification and Medicaid reimbursement reform. The purpose of the CCBHC State Planning Grant program is to support states in developing and implementing certification systems for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, establishing Prospective Payment Systems for Medicaid reimbursable behavioral health services, and preparing a future application to participate in a four-year Section 223 CCBHC Demonstration Program. The planning grant is focused on statewide system readiness activities rather than direct clinical service delivery. SAMHSA indicates that participating states will use grant resources to establish the administrative, financial, and operational structures needed to certify CCBHC providers and align Medicaid reimbursement methodologies with federal demonstration requirements. The opportunity is intended to strengthen behavioral health infrastructure and improve statewide readiness for long-term demonstration participation. Eligibility for this funding opportunity is restricted by statute. Only states, including the District of Columbia, that have not previously been selected to participate in the CCBHC Demonstration Program are eligible to apply. The forecast notice specifically states that eligibility is limited to states that were not previously selected for participation in the demonstration initiative. No nonprofit organizations, local governments, tribal organizations, educational institutions, or private entities are identified as direct applicants under this announcement. The opportunity therefore targets state-level governmental agencies responsible for behavioral health system administration and Medicaid planning activities. The forecast notice identifies the funding instrument as a cooperative agreement and estimates that approximately 12 awards will be made during Fiscal Year 2026. Estimated total program funding is listed as $12,000,000. The forecasted opportunity does not currently provide an award ceiling or award floor amount, nor does it specify the anticipated project period, expected award date, or estimated project start date. The notice also states that there is no cost sharing or matching requirement associated with the opportunity. Because the announcement remains in forecast status, additional application instructions, allowable cost details, and programmatic requirements are expected to be released in the full Notice of Funding Opportunity once posted. The forecasted notice was originally forecasted on December 10, 2025, and was last updated on May 12, 2026. The estimated application posting date is May 29, 2026. As of the analysis date, no application due date has been published. Because the application period has not yet opened, the funding opportunity is considered to be in an early engagement stage. The announcement does not identify any required pre-application components such as letters of intent, concept papers, or pre-proposals. Similarly, no webinar requirements, question submission deadlines, or registration prerequisites are currently described in the forecast information. Applicants are expected to monitor Grants.gov and SAMHSA for release of the complete application package and future submission instructions. The grantor contact listed for this opportunity is Kenny Fassel, and SAMHSA provides both a direct phone number and program email address for inquiries related to the funding opportunity. The contact information provided is 240-276-2134 and ccbhc@samhsa.hhs.gov. The notice does not include a direct PDF solicitation link, downloadable NOFO document, or application package URL within the source material provided. Because this is a forecasted opportunity, applicants should expect additional detailed guidance regarding evaluation criteria, required application components, budgeting requirements, and performance expectations to become available once the official funding announcement is released by SAMHSA.

States should emphasize readiness to develop Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic certification systems and Medicaid Prospective Payment Systems because these are identified as the core objectives of the planning grant.