Behavioral Health Partnerships for Early Diversion of Adults and Youth | SM 26 025

Opportunity Information: Apply for SM 26 025

The Behavioral Health Partnerships for Early Diversion of Adults and Youth grant (Funding Opportunity Number SM-26-025) is a discretionary grant program from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) focused on stopping justice involvement before it starts. The central goal is to help communities build and put into practice early diversion approaches for youth and/or adults who have mental health disorders or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders and who are at risk of entering the criminal or juvenile justice system. The emphasis is specifically on connecting people to community-based services prior to arrest or booking, meaning the program is aimed at upstream intervention rather than post-arrest treatment or reentry supports.

In practical terms, this opportunity is designed to support partnerships that can identify individuals at risk and route them toward appropriate behavioral health care and supportive services instead of defaulting to law enforcement processing. That generally implies cross-system coordination among behavioral health providers, crisis response, community service organizations, and justice-adjacent partners, with the intent of reducing unnecessary arrests, improving access to treatment, and addressing needs early enough to prevent escalation. The grant is structured to fund both the development and implementation of a diversion program, which typically means applicants should be prepared not only to plan and formalize partnerships and protocols, but also to demonstrate how services will be delivered and sustained in real-world settings.

Eligibility is restricted by statute and is not open to all organizations. Only states, political subdivisions of states (such as counties, cities, or similar local governmental entities), Indian tribes, or tribal organizations (as defined in Section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act) may apply. Those eligible entities may act directly or through agreements with public or nonprofit entities, and eligibility also includes health facilities or programs operated under a contract or award with the Indian Health Service. This structure allows governmental or tribal entities to lead the application while formally partnering with service providers that deliver the on-the-ground behavioral health interventions.

The opportunity falls under the Health funding activity category and is listed under CFDA 93.532. SAMHSA expects to make about 10 awards, with an award ceiling of $650,000. The funding instrument is a grant. The opportunity was created on 2026-06-15, and the original application closing date is 2026-07-15, so interested eligible applicants would need to move quickly to assemble partnerships, define the diversion model, and prepare the required submission materials by the deadline.

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adminis in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Behavioral Health Partnerships for Early Diversion of Adults and Youth" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.532.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2026-06-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-07-15. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $650,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for SM 26 025

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