Opportunity Information: Apply for FG 23 006
The Cooperative Agreements for States and Territories to Improve Local 988 Capacity (Funding Opportunity Number FG 23 006) is a discretionary grant program from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), under CFDA 93.243. It was released on May 11, 2023, with an original application deadline of June 26, 2023. The program is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning SAMHSA is expected to have an active partnership role with awardees during implementation rather than simply providing pass-through funding. SAMHSA anticipated making 56 awards, and the listed award ceiling is $117,350,611.
The overall goal is to strengthen how states and territories respond to 988 contacts, including phone calls, chats, and text messages that originate within their jurisdiction. The focus is not only on answering more contacts, but on improving the quality, coordination, safety, and equity of crisis response connected to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. In practical terms, the funding is intended to help jurisdictions increase their ability to handle demand reliably, modernize the underlying infrastructure, and ensure that people who are at higher risk or historically underserved receive appropriate and effective crisis support.
A major required use of funds is expanding and strengthening the 988 workforce. This includes recruitment, hiring, and training efforts aimed at increasing capacity so that the 988 system can meet at least 90 percent of in-state or in-territory demand across calls, chats, and texts. That workforce emphasis signals that the program is designed to address staffing shortages, turnover, inconsistent training, and uneven coverage that can lead to long wait times or unhandled contacts. Workforce investments can also support specialized competencies, such as de-escalation, suicide risk assessment, and effective engagement over text or chat, where crisis counseling skills can differ from traditional phone-based response.
Another central priority is technology and security. Awardees are expected to implement additional technology and security measures that fully support 988 infrastructure and enable effective coordination across the broader crisis continuum. This points to improvements such as more resilient contact center platforms, better routing and interoperability, stronger cybersecurity controls, and tools that help coordinate handoffs and referrals between 988 centers, mobile crisis teams, crisis stabilization services, emergency departments, and other behavioral health resources. The emphasis on coordination across the continuum reflects an expectation that 988 should function as a gateway to real-time help, not a standalone call center that can only provide brief support.
The opportunity also prioritizes improving 988 services for high-risk and underserved populations. While the announcement does not list specific groups in the excerpt provided, the intent is to strengthen responsiveness and outcomes for communities that may face higher suicide risk, barriers to access, language and cultural mismatches, disability-related access needs, geographic isolation, or distrust of systems due to prior experiences. In practice, this kind of focus typically translates into targeted training, tailored protocols, language access, partnerships with culturally specific providers, improved accessibility for people with disabilities, and outreach strategies designed to reach communities that are less likely to use traditional crisis services.
Quality assurance is a required area of development as well. States and territories are expected to develop and implement comprehensive quality assurance plans, including processes to identify and review critical incidents. This means awardees should put formal structures in place to monitor performance and safety, track service quality, learn from adverse events or near misses, and use data to drive continuous improvement. Critical incident review requirements indicate that the program expects mature governance and accountability mechanisms, not just expanded volume handling.
Finally, the program requires jurisdictions to develop and implement comprehensive 988 communication plans that align with SAMHSA's 988 partner toolkit. The communications component is meant to ensure consistent public messaging about what 988 is, when to use it, what to expect when contacting it, and how it connects to other crisis resources. Alignment with the partner toolkit suggests SAMHSA wants messaging that is accurate, coordinated, and recognizable nationally while still allowing states and territories to tailor outreach to local communities, languages, and media environments.
In short, this cooperative agreement opportunity is designed to help states and territories rapidly build sustainable 988 capacity by increasing staffing to handle most demand, upgrading technology and security, improving equity and effectiveness for high-need populations, instituting robust quality assurance and critical incident review, and rolling out coordinated public communications consistent with SAMHSA guidance.Apply for FG 23 006
- 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 Agreements for States and Territories to Improve Local 988 Capacity" 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 11, 2023.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 26, 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 $117,350,611.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 56 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled Cooperative Agreements for States and Territories to Improve Local 988 Capacity.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is FG 23 006.
Which federal agency is offering and administering this program?
This is a discretionary grant program from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 93.243.
When was this funding opportunity released?
It was released on May 11, 2023.
What was the original application deadline?
The original application deadline was June 26, 2023.
What type of award is this?
This program is structured as a cooperative agreement.
What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?
A cooperative agreement means SAMHSA is expected to have an active partnership role with awardees during implementation, rather than simply providing pass-through funding.
How many awards did SAMHSA anticipate making?
SAMHSA anticipated making 56 awards.
What is the listed award ceiling?
The listed award ceiling is $117,350,611.
What is the overall goal of this grant program?
The overall goal is to strengthen how states and territories respond to 988 contacts (calls, chats, and texts) that originate within their jurisdiction, with improvements in quality, coordination, safety, and equity connected to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
What types of 988 contacts are included in the program scope?
The program explicitly includes phone calls, chats, and text messages to 988 that originate within a state or territory.
Is the focus only on answering more 988 contacts?
No. The focus includes increasing capacity, but also improving quality, coordination, safety, and equity across the crisis response connected to 988.
What is a major required use of funds under this program?
A major required use of funds is expanding and strengthening the 988 workforce, including recruitment, hiring, and training to increase local capacity.
What performance target is associated with workforce expansion?
The workforce emphasis is aimed at enabling the 988 system to meet at least 90 percent of in-state or in-territory demand across calls, chats, and texts.
What kinds of workforce challenges is the grant designed to address?
Based on the description, the program is designed to address issues like staffing shortages, turnover, inconsistent training, and uneven coverage, which can contribute to long wait times or unhandled contacts.
What types of training or competencies may be supported through workforce investments?
The description highlights specialized competencies such as de-escalation, suicide risk assessment, and effective engagement over text or chat, where crisis counseling skills may differ from traditional phone-based response.
Does the opportunity include technology and security priorities?
Yes. Awardees are expected to implement additional technology and security measures that support 988 infrastructure and enable coordination across the broader crisis continuum.
What kinds of technology improvements does the opportunity point to?
Examples described include more resilient contact center platforms, improved routing and interoperability, stronger cybersecurity controls, and tools that help coordinate handoffs and referrals across services.
What does "coordination across the broader crisis continuum" mean in this program?
It refers to improving how 988 connects and coordinates with other crisis response resources, including mobile crisis teams, crisis stabilization services, emergency departments, and other behavioral health resources, so 988 functions as a gateway to real-time help rather than a standalone call center.
Does the program prioritize services for high-risk and underserved populations?
Yes. The opportunity prioritizes improving 988 services for high-risk and underserved populations, with the intent to strengthen responsiveness and outcomes for communities facing higher risk or barriers to access.
Are specific high-risk or underserved groups listed in the provided information?
No. The excerpt provided does not list specific groups, but it describes common barriers such as language and cultural mismatches, disability-related access needs, geographic isolation, and distrust of systems due to prior experiences.
What kinds of approaches might support better 988 service for underserved communities, based on the description?
The description points to approaches such as targeted training, tailored protocols, language access, partnerships with culturally specific providers, improved accessibility for people with disabilities, and outreach designed to reach communities less likely to use traditional crisis services.
Is quality assurance required under this program?
Yes. States and territories are expected to develop and implement comprehensive quality assurance plans.
What is included in the quality assurance expectations?
The expectations include processes to identify and review critical incidents, monitor performance and safety, track service quality, learn from adverse events or near misses, and use data for continuous improvement.
Does the program require a communications plan?
Yes. Jurisdictions must develop and implement comprehensive 988 communication plans.
What guidance must 988 communication plans align with?
Communication plans must align with SAMHSA's 988 partner toolkit.
What is the purpose of the communications component?
The communications component is meant to ensure consistent public messaging about what 988 is, when to use it, what to expect when contacting it, and how it connects to other crisis resources, while remaining coordinated with SAMHSA guidance.
At a high level, what is this program designed to help states and territories do?
It is designed to help states and territories rapidly build more sustainable 988 capacity by expanding staffing to handle most demand, upgrading technology and security, improving equity and effectiveness for high-need populations, implementing robust quality assurance and critical incident review, and rolling out coordinated public communications consistent with SAMHSA guidance.
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