Project Grant NH28CE004195

The Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded $125,000 to Calhoun City Board of Education on July 1, 2026, under the Drug-Free Communities Support Program Grants (CFDA 93.276) to support the Gordon Prevention Initiative, a drug-free coalition in Gordon County, Georgia working to reduce youth substance use and increase community capacity through cross-sector collaboration.

The Gordon Prevention Initiative, formed in 2011 from a teen health task force subcommittee, serves Gordon County's population of approximately 57,963 across incorporated municipalities including Calhoun, Fairmount, Plainville, Ranger, and Resaca. The county is the only rural-designated area along I-75 north of Atlanta and has a youth population representing 24.4% of residents, with 18.8% poverty rate and 29.6% of children living below the poverty line.

The award period runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031, with place of performance in Georgia. As a Project Grant, this assistance supports the coalition's ongoing efforts to establish and strengthen community collaboration among public and private nonprofit agencies, federal, state, local, and tribal partners to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth 18 years and younger. The DFC Support Program requires coalitions to demonstrate at least six months of prior work on substance abuse reduction, maintain nonprofit or government status, secure substantial volunteer effort, and provide cash or in-kind match funding.