This month, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced more than $281 million in funding opportunities for 15 grant programs. RCPA has had several members reach out for information regarding applications for the
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) Planning, Development, and Implementation Grant (NOFO). In particular, we have received questions regarding a Letter of Support (LOS) from the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) that is part of the grant application. RCPA, in its conversations with OMHSAS, provides the following guidance for obtaining a letter of support from the State.
For OMHSAS to provide a letter of support, you must submit a summary of your application that includes the following:
- Grant Type: CCBHC-PDI (SM-26-014) and CCBHC-IA (SM-26-015);
- Services being provided;
- Identification of any Designated Collaborative Organizations (DCO) being utilized and for what services;
- Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) being utilized;
- Identification/status of Electronic Health Records (EHR) system; and
- Hours of operation.
You can submit your summary directly to
Heather or to the
ICWC resource account. OMHSAS will review the summary and follow up with you as soon as possible.
Additionally, one of our business members at RCPA, BTD Consulting LLC, led by Cara Renzelli, is available for consultation and grant review in advance of submitting your application. Dr. Renzelli has extensive CCBHC experience in writing and reviewing CCBHC and other SAMHSA grant proposals as well as serving as the lead evaluator for multiple CCBHCs across the country. She can be reached
via email for more information.
A full overview of the grant is available at
SAMHSA’s website. The due date for the application is August 17, 2026.
If you have additional questions, please contact RCPA COO
Jim Sharp.
