Project Grant H79SM091512

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA Center for Mental Health Services) awarded the Knik Tribe $996,966 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532) to plan and design a family-driven, youth-guided, community-based system of care for American Indian and Alaska Native children, youth, and young adults from birth through age 25 and their families across Alaska's Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

Over three years, the Knik Tribe will convene a tribal community board, conduct a tribal SWOT analysis, host annual gatherings of Alaska Natives, build cross-system partnerships, and produce a written blueprint for a coordinated system of care that keeps AI/AN families together, connected to culture, and linked to effective mental health services. The work addresses capacity gaps within the tribe's existing child- and family-serving programs, including establishing a governing body with authority over the system of care, developing shared screening and referral pathways, creating interagency memoranda of understanding and data-sharing agreements, and building youth and family governance structures alongside a sustainability and workforce plan.

The project serves the Mat-Su Borough, a 28,682-square-mile region encompassing 29 communities in south-central Alaska, with particular focus on families involved with or at risk of involvement with Alaska's Office of Children's Services, including children at risk of out-of-home placement, children being reunified with parents, transition-age young adults aged 18–25, and youth and young adults at elevated risk for serious emotional disturbance, serious mental illness, and suicide.

Place of performance is Palmer, Alaska 99645. The period of performance runs through September 29, 2029.