SAMHSA's Campus Suicide Prevention Grants

The purpose of this program is to facilitate a comprehensive approach to preventing suicide in institutions of higher education. This program is designed to assist colleges and universities build a foundation for their efforts to prevent suicide attempts and completions and to enhance services for students with mental and substance use disorders that put them at risk for suicide and suicide attempts.

About the program

The Campus Suicide Prevention grants support an array of campus activities to help grantees build a solid foundation for delivering and sustaining effective mental health and substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery support services. Grant funds cannot be used for direct clinical services.

SAMHSA has demonstrated that behavioral health is essential to health, prevention works, treatment is effective and people recover from mental and substance use disorders. Behavioral health services improve health status and reduce health care and other costs to society. Continued improvement in the delivery and financing of prevention, treatment and recovery support services provides a cost effective opportunity to advance and protect the nation's health. To continue to improve the delivery and financing of prevention, treatment and recovery support services, SAMHSA has identified eight Strategic Initiatives to focus the Agency's work on improving lives and capitalizing on emerging opportunities. The Campus Suicide Prevention grant closely aligns with SAMHSA's Prevention of Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Strategic Initiative.

The Campus Suicide Prevention Grant Program is authorized under the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act (Section 520E-2 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended). This announcement addresses Healthy People 2020 Mental Health and Mental Disorders Topic Area HP 2020-MHMD.

Eligibility is limited to institutions of higher education as a statutory requirement (per Section 520E-2 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended).

Applicants from both public and private institutions may apply, including:

• State universities.

• Private four-year colleges and universities (including those with religious affiliations).

• Minority Serving Institutions of higher learning (Tribal colleges, historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, etc.).

• Community colleges.

Such institutions may carry out the activities of this grant through, for example:

• College health/wellness/counseling centers.

• College and university psychological services centers.

• Mental/behavioral health centers.

• Psychological training clinics.

• Academic departments or institutions of higher education-supported, evidence-based mental health and substance abuse programs.

The activities of this grant may be carried out with the engagement of student-run services such as student organizations and/or student government councils. If a consortium is formed to carry out the activities of this grant, a single institution in the consortium must be the legal applicant, the recipient of the award on behalf of the consortium, and the entity legally responsible for satisfying the grant requirements.

Entities that have previously been awarded a Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention Grant are not eligible. SAMHSA is limiting the eligibility to applicants who have not previously received an award in order to allow for a broader distribution of the limited funds across campuses and universities.

The statutory authority for this program prohibits grants to for-profit entities.