Block grants for community mental health services

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded $7.511 million to the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare Development through the Block Grants for Community Mental Health Services program (CFDA 93.958) on October 1, 2025. The grant funds comprehensive community mental health services to adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbance across Rhode Island, with performance running through September 30, 2027 and administrative oversight at the recipient's Cranston, Rhode Island headquarters.

The recipient, operating as Substance Abuse Treatment And Prevention Services, is a state agency and designated state recipient under the program. The block grant supports Rhode Island's plan for community-based mental health service delivery through appropriate qualified community programs, including community mental health centers, child mental-health programs, psychosocial rehabilitation programs, mental health peer-support programs, and mental-health primary consumer-directed programs. Up to 5 percent of grant funds may be used for grant administration. The state is required to set aside 10 percent of its allocation for evidence-based programs targeting individuals with early serious mental illness including psychotic disorders, and must maintain funding at or above FY 1994 expenditure levels.

The recipient passes through portions of block grant funding to local governments, nonprofit organizations, community mental health centers, and specialized service providers throughout Rhode Island to implement services statewide. The parent organization is the State of Rhode Island.