Support for 988 Tribal Response Cooperative Agreements | FG 23 005

Opportunity Information: Apply for FG 23 005

Support for 988 Tribal Response Cooperative Agreements (Funding Opportunity Number FG 23 005) is a discretionary federal grant program run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). It uses a cooperative agreement structure, which generally means SAMHSA expects to be more actively involved than it would be with a standard grant, often through ongoing coordination, technical assistance, and shared planning as recipients build or strengthen their 988-related capacity. The program sits in the health funding category and is associated with CFDA number 93.243.

The core purpose of the opportunity is to strengthen how the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline responds to people in Tribal communities and to American Indians and Alaska Natives, across all contact methods, including phone calls, online chats, and text messages. The funding is intended to address both the immediate crisis response and what happens next, recognizing that the quality of the initial interaction, cultural fit, and connection to follow-up services can determine whether a person continues seeking help or disengages after the crisis moment passes.

SAMHSA lays out three main goals for this program. First, it aims to ensure that American Indians and Alaska Natives can reach culturally competent 988 crisis support staffed by trained responders, whether through existing 988 Lifeline centers that expand capability or through the development of new 988 Lifeline center capacity where needed. Second, the program is designed to improve integration among 988 crisis centers, Tribal nations, and Tribal organizations so that callers and texters are not left with a single crisis conversation, but instead can be guided to appropriate services and receive navigation and follow-up care. Third, the opportunity emphasizes building collaborations among Tribal partners and external systems such as state and territorial health providers, Urban Indian Organizations, law enforcement, and other first responders, while explicitly stressing that these partnerships must be structured in a way that respects Tribal sovereignty. In practice, this points toward coordination models where Tribal leadership, priorities, and protocols drive how crisis response and post-crisis connections are organized.

Funding levels are substantial, with an award ceiling of up to $2,000,000 per award, and SAMHSA anticipated making approximately 71 awards. The opportunity was created on May 16, 2023, with an original application closing date of July 18, 2023. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others" with additional clarification referenced in the full notice, which typically signals that SAMHSA expected applications from Tribal governments, Tribal organizations, and potentially other entities closely tied to serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities, subject to the detailed eligibility language in the official announcement.

Overall, this opportunity is focused on making the 988 system work better for Tribal communities by expanding culturally grounded crisis center capacity, tightening coordination between 988 and local Tribal services, and building respectful cross-system relationships that can support both immediate crisis intervention and the longer path to recovery and stability after a 988 contact.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adminis in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Support for 988 Tribal Response Cooperative Agreements" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.243.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 16, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 18, 2023. (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 $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 71 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for FG 23 005

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