The White House Drug Policy Office says grants of $88 million have been awarded to about 700 communities under the Drug Free Communities Support Program. Gil Kerlikowske, director of the office, says the grants provide support to community coalitions to prevent and reduce youth substance use.
Most of the grants were continuation funding, but 87 new grantees were selected from 452 applicants through a competitive, peer-reviewed process. The DFC program was created by Congress in 1997 and was reauthorized in 2001 and 2006. Since 1998, the Drug Policy Office has awarded nearly 2,000 Drug Free Communities grants to local communities in all 50 states.