Project Grant H79SP085395

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention awarded the Massachusetts Department of Public Health $2 million on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.492) to implement the Positive Adolescent and Childhood Experiences to Prevent Substance Use (PACES) initiative.

PACES will prevent, delay, and reduce youth substance use by strengthening protective factors before substance use patterns become established. The initiative applies SAMHSA's Strategic Prevention Framework and the Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE) Framework, along with state and local data, through two implementation models. Model A will strengthen prevention capacity statewide across Massachusetts by addressing variation in prevention infrastructure, staffing, access to youth data, training, technical assistance, and implementation support across communities and prevention organizations. Model B will provide intensive capacity building and implementation support to approximately six sub-recipients selected from a pool of 21 municipalities identified as having high prevention need. The primary population is Massachusetts youth ages 5–14, with emphasis on late childhood and early adolescence. Parents, caregivers, families, youth-serving adults, prevention providers, municipal partners, community-based organizations, and other youth-serving systems will also benefit from PACES capacity-building activities. PACES strategies include ongoing statewide training and technical assistance, data support, and resource sharing.

The award period extends from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2031, with place of performance in Boston, Massachusetts.