Campus Suicide Prevention
🏛 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adminis (HHS-SAMHS-SAMHSA)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Oct 21, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for colleges and universities seeking to strengthen behavioral health services and suicide prevention on campus. Institutions must develop comprehensive, evidence-based approaches that serve all students, especially those at risk. Eligible activities include improving access to mental health and substance use treatment, promoting help-seeking, reducing stigma, and identifying at-risk students. The program funds programs and infrastructure, not direct student aid.
⚖️ Cost sharing / matching required — applicants must contribute their own funds.
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Program description
The purpose of this program is to support a comprehensive, public health, and evidence-based approach for colleges and universities that: improves access to behavioral health services for all college students, including those at risk for suicide, depression, serious mental illness, and substance use disorders that can lead to school failure; prevents and mitigates suicide, mental health conditions and substance use disorders, promotes student help-seeking behaviors and reduces stigma; improves the identification and treatment of at-risk college students.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
Demographic focus
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- SF-424 (federal application form)
- Project narrative/proposal
- Budget narrative
- Institutional commitment letter
- Evaluation plan
- Letters of support (recommended)
Program contact
- 👤 Portland Ridley
- 📧 portland.ridley@samhsa.hhs.gov
- 📞 240-276-1848
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.532 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$8,000,000
-
$3,999,104
-
$2,818,341
-
$2,000,000
-
$2,000,000
-
$2,000,000
-
$1,904,175
-
$1,869,853
-
$1,781,992
-
$1,600,000
Top States by Funding
- NC 7 awards $13.7M
- NY 12 awards $12.6M
- CA 12 awards $11.4M
- OK 12 awards $10.2M
- TN 7 awards $7.5M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.532). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2026 est. | $945,000,000 |
FAQ
Who is eligible to apply?
Accredited colleges and universities can apply. Some programs may prioritize institutions serving high-risk populations or underserved areas.
What can grant funds support?
Funds support mental health services, suicide prevention programs, staff training, stigma reduction initiatives, and screening systems for at-risk students.
Is cost-sharing required?
Yes, cost-sharing is required. Your institution must provide matching funds or in-kind resources.
What's the typical project timeline?
Most SAMHSA grants fund 3-5 year projects, though confirm exact duration in the application guidelines.
How competitive is this grant?
Very competitive. Applications must demonstrate strong evidence-based practices, institutional commitment, and clear outcomes measurement.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Start with your institution's existing mental health infrastructure and identify specific gaps this grant would fill. Reviewers want to see sustainability beyond the grant period.
- Get buy-in from key stakeholders: student affairs, counseling services, academic leadership, and students themselves. Letters of support strengthen competitiveness.
- Use data to make your case: current suicide rates, wait times for counseling, student demographics, and screening results if available.
- Select evidence-based interventions backed by peer-reviewed research. SAMHSA publishes evidence registries; reference those programs.
- Plan your evaluation strategy early. Clearly define measurable outcomes for access, prevention, identification, and student engagement metrics.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Vague or overly broad scope. Reviewers want specific interventions, not generic "improve mental health services." - Underestimating cost-share burden or failing to secure institutional commitment. - Weak evaluation plans that don't measure actual behavioral or outcome changes in students.
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