Cooperative Agreement for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Center for Excellence in Behavioral Health (Short Title: HBCU-CFE) | TI 17 013

Opportunity Information: Apply for TI 17 013

The FY 2017 Cooperative Agreement for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Center for Excellence in Behavioral Health (HBCU-CFE), offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through SAMHSA (working with both the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and the Center for Mental Health Services), is designed to strengthen and formalize a national network connecting all 105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The central idea is to use this coordinated network to promote behavioral health on HBCU campuses, expand the capacity of campus-based services, and grow a culturally responsive behavioral health workforce. The program is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning SAMHSA is expected to have an active partnership role with the awardee rather than operating as a hands-off funder.

A major focus of the opportunity is reducing behavioral health disparities affecting racial and ethnic minority populations. The grant emphasizes practical strategies that narrow gaps in access to care, service utilization, and outcomes among the communities served by HBCUs and among the students being trained for future behavioral health careers. In other words, the project is expected to improve both the reach and quality of behavioral health supports for students and campus communities now, while also strengthening the pipeline of professionals who can deliver effective, culturally and linguistically appropriate care in the future.

The opportunity lays out several core goals for the HBCU-CFE. One goal is to promote student behavioral health in ways that can positively influence student retention, recognizing that mental health and substance use challenges can directly affect academic persistence and completion. Another goal is to expand campus service capacity, including improving the availability and appropriateness of behavioral health resources that reflect the cultural and language needs of the populations served. The program also prioritizes dissemination of best practices across campuses so that effective approaches can be shared, adapted, and scaled within the HBCU network rather than reinvented campus by campus. Finally, it aims to increase awareness of early signs of emotional distress and strengthen knowledge of early intervention resources, which supports prevention and earlier connection to care before problems escalate.

This grant is explicitly tied to SAMHSA's broader agency priorities, particularly its Workforce Development Strategic Initiative. Within that framework, the HBCU-CFE is meant to raise behavioral health education and awareness across HBCU campuses and increase the supply of trained, culturally aware prevention and treatment personnel. The language of the announcement highlights multiple roles in that workforce pipeline, including preventionists, health care practitioners, paraprofessionals, and peers, signaling that the program is not limited only to licensed clinicians but also supports a broader continuum of trained helpers and community-based support roles.

From an administrative standpoint, the listing identifies the opportunity as a discretionary funding program with a single expected award. The funding opportunity number is TI 17 013, and it is associated with CFDA 93.243. The award ceiling is listed as $500,000. The announcement was created on January 25, 2017, and the original closing date was March 24, 2017. Eligibility is noted as "Others" with additional clarification referenced in the full announcement, indicating that applicants would need to consult the detailed eligibility section to confirm which entities could apply on behalf of, or in partnership with, HBCUs.

The authority for the grant is grounded in sections 509 and 520(A) of the Public Health Service Act, as amended, and the program is positioned as supporting national objectives reflected in Healthy People 2020, specifically the Mental Health and Mental Disorders topic area (HP 2020-MHMD) and the Substance Abuse topic area (HP 2020-SA). Overall, the opportunity funds a coordinated national center model intended to connect HBCUs, strengthen campus behavioral health infrastructure, spread evidence-informed and culturally appropriate practices, and develop the workforce needed to address behavioral health needs and disparities over the long term.

• 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 "Cooperative Agreement for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Center for Excellence in Behavioral Health (Short Title: HBCU-CFE)" 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 Jan 25, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 24, 2017. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for TI 17 013

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