Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) awarded The Johns Hopkins University a Project Grant totaling $686,170 (Award Date: June 15, 2026; Completion Date: March 31, 2031) under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279) to develop and evaluate the Better Together (BT) intervention. The BT intervention is an 8-session, age-appropriate selective prevention program designed to prevent substance use among adolescents ages 11 to 13 who are exposed to household challenges (parental substance use, incarceration, and mental health issues) and negative neighborhood contexts (violence and low social cohesion). The program was developed in partnership with affected families and incorporates their lived experiences, addressing gaps in existing prevention approaches by enhancing internal and external assets and fostering social connections.

The research team, led by Principal Investigator Powell, proposes a hybrid Type 1 study to evaluate the BT intervention's efficacy in preventing drug use and reducing consequences among vulnerable youth populations. Prior to this award, qualitative and quantitative findings from process evaluations and pilot studies demonstrated that BT is acceptable, feasible, and capable of successfully recruiting, retaining, and engaging the target population. The funded project will continue the systematic evaluation of this promising intervention strategy, contributing to the evidence base for substance use prevention among youth experiencing compounded risk factors at the intersection of household and neighborhood disadvantage.