Recovery Community Services Program

The Recovery Community Services Program is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. SAMHSA is a federal agency focused on improving behavioral health outcomes across the United States by advancing access to treatment, prevention, and recovery support services. This funding opportunity is authorized under the Public Health Service Act and is designed to align with federal strategic priorities that emphasize recovery, evidence based services, and community level engagement to address substance use disorders and co occurring mental health conditions. The purpose of this program is to strengthen recovery communities by expanding access to recovery support services and peer recovery support services for individuals living with substance use disorders and co occurring disorders. The program emphasizes the importance of peer support, recognizing individuals with lived experience as essential contributors to sustained recovery outcomes. Funded projects are expected to provide a wide range of services including safe recovery spaces, family support, outreach, care coordination, workforce development, and overdose prevention. These services are intended to complement clinical treatment and support long term recovery and reintegration into communities. Funding under this opportunity is provided as a grant with an estimated total program allocation of 1500000 dollars and approximately five awards anticipated. Each award may provide up to 300000 dollars per year for a project period of up to five years, contingent on performance and availability of funds. Funds are primarily intended for direct service delivery and must comply with federal regulations and SAMHSA specific restrictions. Certain activities are prohibited, including use of funds for discriminatory practices, harm reduction approaches as defined by the agency, and certain housing related expenses such as deposits. Applicants must ensure all proposed activities align with federal law and agency priorities. Eligible applicants include a broad range of domestic public and private nonprofit entities, including state and local governments, tribal organizations, health facilities, and faith based organizations. Applicants must demonstrate at least two years of relevant service experience and compliance with applicable licensing and certification requirements. Cost sharing is not required for this program. Organizations that previously received funding under a specified earlier version of the program are not eligible to apply. The application process requires registration with federal systems including SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. Applicants must submit a complete application package that includes a project abstract, project narrative, budget narrative, and multiple required attachments such as letters of commitment, project timeline, and documentation of nonprofit status. The project narrative must address defined evaluation criteria including population need, implementation approach, use of evidence based practices, organizational capacity, and data collection methods. Applications are reviewed through an initial screening and a merit based peer review process, followed by final agency review for alignment with priorities and funding availability. Key dates for this opportunity include an application deadline of July 27, 2026, an expected award date of September 1, 2026, and a projected project start date of September 30, 2026. Awardees are required to begin service delivery within four months of receiving funding and must comply with ongoing reporting requirements including performance data submission and programmatic progress reports. The project period may extend up to five years, with continuation funding dependent on performance and compliance. Applicants are evaluated based on their ability to deliver comprehensive recovery support services, implement evidence based interventions, and demonstrate measurable outcomes. The program also emphasizes coordination with community partners, workforce development for peer support specialists, and engagement with affected populations. Technical assistance and collaborative learning opportunities are provided by SAMHSA throughout the grant period to support successful implementation and continuous improvement.

Align project with SAMHSA strategic priorities; demonstrate measurable outcomes; ensure evidence based practices; provide strong community partnerships; clearly document service capacity and experience