Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Improvement and Advancement Grant

The Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Improvement and Advancement Grant is a federal discretionary funding opportunity administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which operates under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The opportunity is identified by funding opportunity number SM-26-015 and is associated with Assistance Listing 93.696, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Expansion Grants. This forecasted funding opportunity is intended to support the continuation, enhancement, and long-term sustainability of behavioral health services delivered through existing Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. The program focuses on serving individuals across the lifespan who have or are at risk for mental health disorders and substance use disorders. SAMHSA designed the program to strengthen access to integrated behavioral health care and improve service delivery systems in community settings. The primary purpose of the grant is to sustain and enhance services already being provided by existing CCBHCs. The opportunity supports organizations that currently operate behavioral health clinics capable of delivering comprehensive mental health and substance use disorder services. Funding is expected to be used to improve access to care, strengthen clinical operations, expand service availability, improve coordination of behavioral health services, and enhance the quality and effectiveness of care delivery. While the forecast notice does not provide detailed allowable or unallowable cost guidance, the intent of the program indicates support for operational and programmatic improvements tied to behavioral health care access and continuity. The opportunity does not identify any cost sharing or matching requirement, which means applicants are not required to contribute non-federal funds toward project costs. Eligibility for this opportunity is restricted by statute. Eligible applicants include community-based behavioral health nonprofit organizations as well as organizations operating within local government behavioral health authorities. Additional eligible entities include organizations operated under the authority of the Indian Health Service, federally recognized Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Urban Indian Organizations operating pursuant to grants or contracts with the Indian Health Service under Title V of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. Because the eligibility language specifically references nonprofit behavioral health entities, local governmental behavioral health authorities, tribal organizations, and Urban Indian Organizations, the program is not open to the general public, small businesses, or unrelated for-profit entities. The notice indicates that applicants fall under the “Others” eligibility category within Grants.gov because the allowable applicant pool is narrower and more specialized than standard federal grant classifications. The opportunity is currently forecasted rather than open for application submission. The forecast date listed is December 10, 2025, and the estimated posting date is May 29, 2026. No application deadline, award date, or project start date has yet been published in the forecast notice. Since the opportunity has not officially opened, prospective applicants are currently in an early engagement stage and should monitor SAMHSA and Grants.gov for the release of the official Notice of Funding Opportunity. The opportunity is expected to result in approximately 117 awards with an estimated total program funding amount of $117,160,647. Award ceiling and award floor amounts have not yet been published in the available forecast information. The forecast notice does not currently provide detailed submission mechanics or application component requirements. However, as a SAMHSA federal discretionary grant program, applicants will likely be required to submit materials electronically through Grants.gov once the application package becomes available. Future application instructions are expected to include standard federal grant submission requirements such as project narratives, budgets, budget justifications, organizational documentation, assurances, and federal forms. At this forecast stage, there are no published pre-application requirements such as letters of intent, concept papers, or pre-proposals. There are also no currently published evaluation criteria, review standards, or scoring methodologies in the forecast notice. Applicants should prepare for future guidance regarding evidence-based practices, service delivery capacity, staffing, compliance standards, and reporting obligations. SAMHSA identifies Yasmeen Mabry as the program contact for this funding opportunity. Interested organizations may contact the agency at (240) 276-1094 or by email at ccbhcnofo@samhsa.hhs.gov for questions related to the program. The forecast notice does not provide recurrence language explicitly stating that the grant is annual; however, the CCBHC program has historically been part of recurring federal behavioral health funding initiatives. Because the estimated posting date is in the future and no closing date has been established, organizations interested in applying should continue monitoring official federal grant systems for updates regarding release timing, application deadlines, award announcements, and project implementation timelines.

Focus on demonstrating capacity to sustain and enhance behavioral health services for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders through an existing Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic model.