The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Monday announced more than $281 million in funding opportunities across 15 grant programs aimed at expanding addiction treatment, overdose prevention, mental health services and recovery efforts nationwide.

The grants, administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, will support programs focused on substance use disorder treatment, suicide prevention, trauma-informed care, integrated behavioral healthcare, workforce development and training for first responders.

SAMHSA, the HHS agency responsible for leading the nation’s public health efforts on mental illness and substance use disorders, said the funding advances President Donald Trump‘s Great American Recovery Initiative, which seeks to strengthen treatment, recovery and prevention services through partnerships across government, healthcare providers and local communities. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the investments will help communities “save lives, restore families, and Make America Healthy Again.”

Funding Priorities

The largest funding opportunity, worth $68.2 million, will expand access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder. Other major grants include $55.7 million for Project AWARE to strengthen school-based mental health services, $40.6 million for children’s trauma treatment programs, $34.7 million to train first responders in administering opioid overdose reversal medications and $22 million for mental health awareness training.

Additional funding will support integrated physical and behavioral healthcare, community overdose prevention, treatment and workforce support, college suicide prevention, recovery support services and education on federal behavioral health privacy regulations.

Builds on Earlier Recovery Initiative

Monday’s announcement expands on the broader behavioral health funding package Kennedy unveiled in June under the Trump administration’s Great American Recovery Initiative. At the time, HHS announced more than $700 million in funding opportunities, including the new STREETS program aimed at helping communities address homelessness tied to addiction and serious mental illness, alongside expanded investments in Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and addiction prevention and recovery programs.

The latest announcement makes more than $281 million of those investments available through 15 competitive grant opportunities, giving states, healthcare organizations and community groups the opportunity to apply for funding across a wide range of behavioral health initiatives. HHS said people experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis can call or text 988, while those seeking treatment services can locate providers through FindTreatment.gov.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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