Tippecanoe County Drug Free Coalition presenters walked applicants through the coalition's request-for-applications, application requirements, scoring priorities and timeline at a grant-writing workshop on Oct. 1.

The coalition presented the RFA's structure, the three problem statements it will fund, the requirement that each proposal include only one program, and practical advice on writing SMART goals and budgets so applications match reviewer expectations.

The workshop matters because the county-level Drug Free Coalition distributes state grant funds that local organizations use to run prevention, treatment, intervention and justice-services projects. Coalition presenters said reviewers will weight project narrative and SMART goals more heavily than budget details, and they urged applicants to follow instructions, provide clear target-population numbers, and supply supporting documentation for claims about program effectiveness.

Rebecca, a presenter for the Tippecanoe County Drug Free Coalition, emphasized application structure and a strict rule applicants must follow: "Each proposal can only contain 1 program per project. If your organization does multiple things, they have to be all separate proposals. We will not review multiple programs in 1." She said applicants should read the entire application before starting and draft long narrative sections in Word or Google Docs so they can spell-check and track word counts.

The coalition framed grant funding around four areas defined by the Indiana Commission to Combat Drug Abuse: education (prevention), treatment, interventions and justice services. Based on county data, the coalition identified three problem statements for this RFA: 1) substance use and exposure among youth and young adults; 2) unmet basic needs (including housing) that can increase risk for substance use disorder; and 3) alcohol use contributing to arrests, deaths and use across ages. Each problem statement is paired with two goals (for example, increasing youth prevention resources; expanding mental-health services; and providing sober social events).

Rebecca explained how the application is organized. Applicants must name the program (not just the organization), select one problem statement and one goal, provide a one-hundred-word marketing description (the application uses that text verbatim), a full description of activities and services, a target-population section with estimated reach, and either evidence of an evidence-based program or justification for using a non–evidence-based, locally developed program. "You don't tell us it's evidence based if it's not evidence based," Rebecca said; she defined evidence based as programs that have been rigorously evaluated with published studies and advised applicants to provide citations when claiming a program is evidence based.

Amanda, a coalition staff member who led the SMART-goals segment, walked participants through the S-M-A-R-T framework and how to draft measurable objectives. "Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound," she said, and added that reviewers look for realistic targets tied to clearly defined populations. Workshop participants practiced drafting SMART goals in small groups; several presented sample goals on illegal dumping, school-based outreach and increased activity participation at a nursing facility.

The coalition reviewed budget and documentation rules. A downloadable, fillable PDF budget worksheet separates personnel, supplies, training, contracts and capital expenditures. Coalition staff said grant funds should be germane to the proposed work, the grant should not fund an individual's entire salary, and capital purchases require at least two bids uploaded together as a single document. Presenters warned applicants not to skip questions and not to bury required material in other sections because reviewers read applications in order.

Timeline and review process details provided at the workshop:
- Application available at drugfreetippecanoe.org/grants; QR-code handouts available at the workshop.
- Applications due by 5 p.m. on Oct. 31 (the system will close at 5 p.m.; presenters said no extensions are possible).
- Follow-up interviews with applicants are scheduled Jan. 13; reviewers may adjust scores after interviews.
- Funding recommendations will be presented to the Drug Free Coalition on March 4, with notice of funding decisions on March 26.
- Programs are slated to begin April 1; however, coalition staff said county receipt and distribution timing means grantees typically receive checks in June and should plan expenditures as reimbursements until funds arrive. Receipts accepted for reimbursement must fall on or after April 1 and through March 31 of the grant year.

Presenters described the review process as score-and-discuss: Oversight Committee members without conflicts of interest score applications, those with conflicts recuse themselves from reviewing or discussing their own organization's proposals, and agencies may be invited to present at the Jan. 13 interviews for clarification. The coalition said SMART goals and narrative description carry more weight in scoring than budget details.

On likely award size, a presenter said the coalition has typically distributed roughly $145,000 to $150,000 in recent years and funded about 12–14 organizations; presenters said funds are divided across the RFA categories and any unspent category funds are returned to the pot for reallocation the following cycle. Presenters said typical per-category award "ballpark" amounts are roughly $30,000 to $35,000, but they did not provide a fixed per-applicant maximum.

The workshop closed with an offer of technical help: applicants may contact coalition staff for questions and reviewers urged peer review before submission. Rebecca supplied contact information for follow-up questions and reiterated the single-program-per-proposal rule.

For applicants: the application and instructions are available at drugfreetippecanoe.org/grants; submissions are due by 5 p.m. Oct. 31; plan for potential reimbursement timing and bring two bids for capital purchases.