Examining SAMHSA Funding Awards by Category Before Impending Budget Reductions, 2018-2024

Objectives

To measure trends in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)-funded grants awarded from 2018 to 2024. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed SAMHSA-funded grants awarded from 2018 to 2024 using 2 sources: the Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System and SAMHSA’s website. Grants were coded into the following thematic categories: drug use, mental health, crisis services, HIV, homelessness, criminal justice, alcohol, and tobacco. We calculated the total number of SAMHSA awards, as well as the percentage of awards in each funding category, overall, and for each year. We also calculated the percentage of awards categorized as Programs of National and Region Significance, and the percentage awarded to different recipient classes, regions of the United States, and metropolitan versus non-metropolitan areas.

Results

On average, over 2500 grants totaling $2,317,216 (SD 73,010.14) were awarded annually. Most funding supported drug use (42.5%) and mental health (30.0%), primarily to state governments (49.2%), with the largest share in the Southern United States (31.5%). In 2024, SAMHSA funding averaged $17.66 per US resident. Alaska ($76.60), Washington DC ($68.35), and Rhode Island ($60.40) had the highest per capita funding. By contrast, Oregon ($4.24), Texas ($12.43), and North Carolina ($13.49) received the lowest amount of funding per resident.

Conclusions

This study shows how SAMHSA funds are distributed by category, geography, and recipient type, identifying areas most at risk under budget cuts. With many critical public health needs depending on SAMHSA grants, ongoing monitoring is necessary given looming federal funding reductions.