Writing a successful Drug Free Communities (DFC) grant has become increasingly challenging especially with the continued high numbers of applicants. For the 2010 grant cycle, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) estimates that 150 grants will be awarded, including both Year 1 and Year 6 grants combined.  However, there are some basic steps that coalitions can take to increase the likelihood that their application will be sent to peer review and receive a favorable score. Below are some guidelines to developing a successful DFC application.

Start With a Solid Strategic Plan
In order to have a successful application, you should start with an organized coalition built on a solid strategic plan. Before you begin to write the DFC application, develop your strategic plan or take a look at the plan you have in place. The DFC program requires that grantees use the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) for program planning. Take time to align your existing strategic plan with the SPF or use the SPF when developing your plan. If you have not properly planned for how you are going to use the DFC funds and if your plan is not based on the community needs, your application will not be as strong as it could be. Adequate planning will also ensure that the application describes a cohesive and comprehensive approach from assessment to evaluation.

Follow the Application Format and Guidelines
If your application does not follow the format and guidelines, it is difficult for the reviewer to score the sections of the application. Pay close attention to the guidelines as you develop your application.

Focus on the Eligibility Criteria
In order to make it to peer review, every application must first make it through an eligibility screening. The eligibility criteria are outlined in the Request for Proposals (RFP) and the DFC legislation. Hundreds of applications are usually screened for eligibility in a short amount of time. Therefore, it is essential that applicants make it easy for the readers to quickly determine that they meet the criteria. Below are several of the areas that applicants have historically failed to demonstrate that they meet.

• Twelve Sectors
  All applicants must include a table of individuals who represent the twelve sectors in the community (youth, parents, business community, media, school, youth-serving organizations, law enforcement agencies, religious or fraternal organizations, civic or volunteer groups, healthcare professionals, State, local, or tribal governmental agencies with expertise in the field of substance abuse, and other organizations involved in reducing substance abuse).
• Mission Statement
  The coalition must have as part of its principal mission the goal of reducing substance abuse among youth. When submitting the mission statement, make sure that it includes the words “substance abuse reduction” and “youth.”
• Goals and Objectives
  The DFC application requires that you describe objectives under each of the DFC program goals. This makes it easy for applicants to ensure that they are addressing the two goals of the DFC program. The objectives, however, must also address multiple drugs. Coalitions, for example, can not solely focus on alcohol. In order to be funded under the DFC program, the objectives must address more than one drug.
• Meeting Minutes
  Meeting minutes are an important aspect of the application. The minutes are used for two primary purposes. First, the minutes are read to determine if the coalition meets the six month requirement. Second, the reviewer can use the minutes to help determine community and sector participation and level of coalition activity. Additionally, meeting minutes often reveal if the coalition is focusing on drug prevention or other community health problems. When determining which set of minutes to include with the application, take time to read them to make sure that most, or all, sectors are represented.

Assume the Reader is not Familiar with Your Coalition or Community
Include as much detail in as clear a format as possible so that the reader gets a complete picture of the community that the coalition is targeting for change and the strategies and activities that they are using. Avoid, when possible, too many acronyms and clearly describe programs, activities, strategies, organizations, and individuals.

Develop a Plan for Data Collection and Reporting
In order to score high in both the Assessment section and the Evaluation section of the DFC application, you must demonstrate the ability to collect and report on the four core outcome measures (age of onset, 30-day use, perception of risk or harm, and perception of parental disapproval). Therefore, it is important for applicants to have mechanisms in place to collect the core measures and to clearly define in the application how they plan to report on and use the data to improve coalition performance.

Make Sure the Budget Matches Your Strategic Plan
Reviewers will look at the budget to ensure that what the coalition says they are going to do throughout the application is how they are using the money. Often, reviewers see that applicants describe numerous activities throughout the application, but find that the budget only supports a single strategy or program. Keeping in mind that the DFC is a relatively small grant, applicants can use the majority of the grant money for one activity, but the majority of requested DFC funds should not be dedicated to funding direct services. Instead, DFC funds should be used primarily for supporting environmentally-focused community change. If the bulk of DFC funds are going to be dedicated to one activity or project, it is wise to show that the matching funds support the other activities described in the application.