Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program for States

The Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program for States is a forecasted federal funding opportunity administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This cooperative agreement is designed to support a coordinated, data-driven public health approach to suicide prevention across the United States. The program reflects the CDC’s broader mission to prevent injury and violence and to promote health equity by addressing suicide risk factors and strengthening protective factors within populations experiencing elevated risk. The purpose of this opportunity is to enable state and territorial entities and their partners to implement and evaluate comprehensive suicide prevention strategies. Funded recipients are expected to identify and focus on one or more Focus Prevention Areas, defined as populations or settings with disproportionately high suicide burden or emerging trends. Examples include veterans, youth, rural populations, older adults, and occupational groups such as construction or agriculture workers. The program emphasizes the use of timely surveillance data to guide decision making, identify trends, and tailor interventions that are responsive to local needs. Funding under this program supports a broad range of activities including partnership development, data analysis, gap assessments, implementation of evidence-informed prevention strategies, and program evaluation. Recipients are expected to align their work with CDC’s Suicide Prevention Resource for Action and to integrate multiple tiers of intervention, including community-based, healthcare-related, and structural approaches. Allowable uses of funds include staffing, program coordination, communication efforts, and evaluation activities. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement, and awards are structured within a defined funding range to ensure consistency across recipients. Eligibility for this opportunity is broad and includes a wide array of public and private entities such as state and local governments, tribal governments and organizations, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations with and without 501(c)(3) status, school districts, small businesses, and other for-profit organizations. However, applications must demonstrate strong coordination with state or territorial health departments and include multiple required letters of commitment and support. These include endorsements from health department leadership, data system managers, and partner organizations across intervention tiers, as well as documentation of staffing capacity through an organizational chart. The application process, once officially released, will require electronic submission through Grants.gov by the specified deadline. Applications must include several mandatory components such as letters of commitment and support, documentation of data access agreements, and detailed descriptions of proposed activities and partnerships. Submissions that fail to include required documents or fall outside the specified funding range will be deemed nonresponsive and will not proceed to review. Evaluation criteria will focus on the applicant’s ability to use data effectively, coordinate partnerships, implement evidence-based strategies, and achieve measurable outcomes. The timeline for this opportunity indicates an estimated application posting in mid-February 2027, with a submission deadline in mid-April 2027. Awards are expected to be announced by mid-August 2027, with project activities beginning in mid-September 2027. The program anticipates measurable outcomes including increased partner engagement, improved use of surveillance data, enhanced coordination of prevention efforts, and reductions in suicide risk factors and mortality. This forecast allows potential applicants time to prepare by building partnerships, analyzing data, and developing comprehensive prevention strategies in advance of the formal solicitation.

Ensure all letters of support include specific roles and contributions as general statements will be considered nonresponsive; build strong partnerships with health departments and data managers early; align strategies with CDC evidence based resources