Block Grants for Community Mental Health Services Award Summary

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services awarded $113,185.00 to the Palau Ministry of Health under the Block Grants for Community Mental Health Services program (CFDA 93.958) for the period of October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027. This block grant supports the establishment and maintenance of comprehensive community-based mental health services in the Republic of Palau, enabling the delivery of evidence-based outpatient counseling, crisis intervention, case management, peer support services, and workforce training to adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances.

Under this award, the Palau Ministry of Health will implement mental health services exclusively through qualified community programs, subject to statutory restrictions that prohibit the use of funds for inpatient services, capital improvements, and direct cash payments to service recipients. The funding will support the Ministry's capacity to strengthen its mental health service infrastructure while maintaining integrated service systems for vulnerable populations. Up to five percent of the grant may be allocated to administrative costs, while a mandatory ten percent set-aside must support evidence-based programs targeting early serious mental illness, consistent with federal program requirements applicable to all block grant recipients.