Grow well prevention partnership - thrive community coalition will implement the grow well prevention partnership, a five-year SPF-PFS project building youth substance use prevention capacity in…

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded Dream Coalition, Inc. $249,694 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.492) to implement the Grow Well Prevention Partnership, a five-year evidence-based substance use prevention initiative.

Dream Coalition, a Kentucky-based nonprofit (UEI PR6TAM3MFHN4), will establish a two-county prevention coalition, youth leadership structure, and sustainable year-round youth hubs serving Martin and Magoffin Counties in Central Appalachia. The project targets approximately 4,300 youth in grades 6–12 across both counties, with direct services reaching at least 200 unduplicated youth annually. Programming prioritizes youth at elevated risk, including those with behavioral health concerns, adverse childhood experiences, family substance use history, or involvement in school discipline, child welfare, family court, or juvenile justice systems.

Deliverables include evidence-based prevention education, mentoring, protective-factor groups, family engagement activities, youth leadership development, and referral coordination. The project aims to reduce youth vaping, cannabis, and alcohol use while strengthening protective factors. Work is performed in Inez, Kentucky, with period of performance from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2031.

The region currently lacks coordinated youth prevention infrastructure, sustainable youth leadership structures, year-round prevention hubs, and cross-sector collaboration mechanisms that this grant will establish.

Grow well prevention partnership - thrive community coalition will implement the grow well prevention partnership, a five-year SPF-PFS project building youth substance use prevention capacity in martin and magoffin counties, kentucky. The project establishes a two-county prevention coalition, a youth leadership structure, and sustainable year-round youth hubs through local health department partnerships, delivering evidence-based prevention that reduces youth vaping, cannabis, and alcohol use and strengthens protective factors for roughly 4,300 youth. Geographic area & capacity development needed. Thrive community coalition (501(C)(3), founded 2016, inez, kentucky) will serve martin and magoffin counties-rural counties in the big sandy area development district of central appalachia (combined catchment population approximately 21,807). The region lacks a coordinated youth prevention coalition, sustainable youth leadership, a year-round prevention hub, consistent evidence-based curricula, integrated protective-factor programming, prevention data systems, and cross-sector collaboration-the infrastructure this grant will build. Population of focus. Approximately 4,300 youth in grades 6-12 attending martin county and magoffin county schools, with benefits extending to families, educators, providers, faith communities, and community organizations that influence adolescent development. Population to be served. At least 200 unduplicated youth annually-male and female students in grades 6-12, generally ages 11-18. Selected programming prioritizes youth at elevated risk, including those affected by behavioral health concerns, adverse childhood experiences, family substance use, or school-discipline, child-welfare, family-court, or juvenile-justice involvement. Service needs include prevention education, mentoring, protective-factor groups, family engagement, leadership development, and referral coordination. Strategies & interventions to increase capacity. Operationalizing all five phases of the strategic prevention framework, the project will establish the martin-magoffin prevention partnership and a youth advisory council; train partners in evidence-based prevention and youth thrive protective factors; open the grow well youth hub; and deliver botvin lifeskills training, catch my breath, and too good for drugs alongside kentucky strengthening families youth thrive, the discover-build-belong positive youth development model, and environmental prevention strategies. Project goals. (1) strengthen community prevention capacity across both counties; (2) establish sustainable prevention infrastructure through the grow well youth hub; (3) increase youth protective factors and positive youth development; (4) implement evidence-based prevention strategies with fidelity; and (5) reduce youth substance use risk factors and improve community prevention outcomes over the five-year period. Measurable objectives. Aligned with samhsa's priority to prevent the initiation and progression of youth vaping/nicotine, cannabis, and alcohol use, the project will: establish the partnership and youth advisory council in year one and increase trained prevention partners at least 40% by year two; serve at least 200 youth annually, with 18 protective-factor groups and 8 family engagement activities yearly; raise protective-factor scores at least 20% and prevention knowledge and refusal skills at least 25%; reach at least 35% of eligible students with botvin lifeskills training in year one, 60% in year two, and 75% by year three; and maintain 90%+ curriculum fidelity, reported through gpra, spars, and PPR.