SAMHSA Center for Mental Health Services

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a sub-agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, administers federal grant programs funding substance-abuse treatment, mental-health services, and related prevention and recovery initiatives. SAMHSA's grant portfolio funds state health departments, behavioral-health agencies, and community-based providers across all 50 states and U.S. territories.

SAMHSA has awarded 6,667 federal grants totaling $48.64 billion in federal dollars obligated since 2005, with a combined federal and non-federal share of $54.86 billion. Recent grant activity has declined significantly: SAMHSA issued 1,123 grants in 2022, 833 in 2023, 395 in 2024, 204 in 2025, and 323 year-to-date in 2026. The most recent grant award closed on September 30, 2026. The agency has funded 2,333 distinct grant recipients across its history.

Recipient concentration is fragmented. The top five recipients by award count over the last five years—Health Services Kentucky Cabinet For (23 awards), Tennessee Department Of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services (22 awards), Utah Department Of Health And Human Services (20 awards), Administracion De Servicios De Salud Mental Y Contra La Adiccion (19 awards), and Department Of Behavioral Health And Developmental Disabilities (19 awards)—account for only 4 percent of recent awards. By federal dollars obligated, the top five recipients are more concentrated at 7 percent: California Department Of Health Care Services ($1.29 billion federal dollars across 17 awards), Health & Human SVC Commn TX ($863.4 million across 16 awards), North Carolina Department Of Health & Human Services ($418.8 million across 17 awards), Pa Department Of Human Services ($367.8 million across 16 awards), and Department Of Behavioral Health And Developmental Disabilities ($347.6 million across 19 awards). This distribution reflects SAMHSA's state-centric funding model, where dollars flow to state behavioral-health administrations rather than consolidating at a handful of vendors.

SAMHSA's grant awards are predominantly Project Grants (4,867 awards, 73 percent), with a secondary mix of Formula Grants (904 awards, 14 percent), Block Grants (641 awards, 10 percent), and Cooperative Agreements (255 awards, 4 percent). The shift toward smaller Project Grants and the decline in recent award volume suggests tightening federal appropriations or a reorientation toward targeted interventions rather than broad-based state allocations.