Lawrence County Coalition

Lawrence County Coalition, a volunteer-driven 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Spearfish, South Dakota, acts as a federal grant recipient delivering community-based substance use and mental health prevention programming to rural western South Dakota. Established in 2018 (per one source citation) or 2019 (per another), Lawrence County Coalition operates exclusively as a grant recipient with no federal contracting footprint and no subcontract relationships. The organization is tax-exempt and receives funding from the Department of Health and Human Services through SAMHSA and CDC channels.

Lawrence County Coalition's capability portfolio centers on youth and community substance abuse prevention, mental health awareness training, and community coalition-building across Lawrence County's five municipalities: Spearfish, Lead, Deadwood, Central City, and Whitewood. The organization serves a rural jurisdiction of approximately 28,809 residents, including an annual influx of roughly 4,000 college students, and focuses on grades 6–12 youth in a region characterized by legalized gambling, sports betting, and elevated poverty in Lead, Deadwood, and Central City. Recent grant work includes a multi-year award from SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (project grant, September 2026 award date, running through September 2030) to implement the STOP Project, preventing underage drinking through youth engagement, retailer alcohol management training, parent education, and data-driven coordination with local youth-serving systems. The organization also holds a five-year Drug-Free Communities Support Program award from CDC ($125,000, July 2026 through June 2031, CFDA 93.276) and a completed Mental Health Awareness Training Grant from SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services (September 2023 through September 2026).

Activity is episodic across the source window—four total awards since 2020, two awarded in 2026—with combined obligated dollars of $2 million. All four awards represent prime recipient funding; the organization does not subcontract on federal grants and does not hold federal contracts or IDVs. Customer concentration reflects HHS dominance: 100% of recent awards fund SAMHSA or CDC programs.