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OJP Press Release letterhead

EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:00 noon
Tuesday, September 30, 2003
www.ojp.usdoj.gov
Contact: Mary Louise Embrey
202-307-0703

COMMUNITIES RECEIVE OVER $54 MILLION
TO SUPPORT ANTI-DRUG COALITIONS NATIONWIDE

     WASHINGTON, DC ? Community coalitions across the country will receive a total of $54.1 million to aid in their efforts to limit drug use and promote drug-free communities the Department of Justice announced today. The Drug-Free Communities Support Program is administered by the Office of Justice Programs? (OJP) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and overseen by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). Community coalitions that involve youth, parents, business and media representatives, school officials, law enforcement, civic, volunteer, and fraternal groups, healthcare professionals and religious organizations are eligible for funding to work towards making their communities drug-free.

     ?Through the work of these dedicated individuals in local communities, we?ve made great strides in addressing substance abuse in the areas where we live and work,? said Deborah J. Daniels, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs. ?These folks understand the particular needs of their communities and have tailored local efforts to promote drug-free communities.?

     Coalitions in 419 communities across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands will receive $35.1 million to continue projects begun with prior funding. Two-hundred-three newly selected community coalitions will receive $19 million.

     For the first time this year, 20 coalitions will receive money for the Coalition Mentoring Program, which will work towards the development of new or expanded self-supporting community coalitions focused on the prevention and treatment of substance abuse. The mentoring coalitions are current Drug-Free Communities? coalitions that have been in existence for at least five years and have demonstrated their effectiveness in the preventing and treating youth substance abuse.

     ?What better way to help build effective coalitions than to provide successful communities as mentors for those who are striving to secure community support,? said J. Robert Flores, Administrator of OJJDP. ?We?re expecting this innovative approach will produce positive results for communities seeking to improve their drug abuse prevention and drug treatment efforts.?

     The new sites were selected through a competitive review process from a pool of 377 applicants. Over 50 percent of the awards are being made to rural communities and nearly half are being awarded to economically disadvantaged communities. Awards range from $21,593 to $100,000 for use over the next year, and grantees may apply for continuation awards. The mentor grant awards range from $50,000 to $75,000. Both types of awards are matched dollar-for-dollar by the recipient communities.

     Award amounts and contact information for the new grantees are attached. Individual project summaries are available for each grant award on OJJDP?s Web site at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org.

     The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) provides federal leadership in developing the nation=s capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist crime victims. OJP is headed by an Assistant Attorney General and comprises 5 component bureaus and 2 offices: the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime, as well as the Executive Office for Weed and Seed, and the Office of the Police Corps and Law Enforcement Education. Information about OJP programs, publications, and conferences is available on the OJP Web site, www.ojp.usdoj.gov.

(Attachments in PDF Format: FY 2003 Drug-Free Communities Support Program, Coalition Mentoring Awards)

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