Sen. Chuck Grassley announced today that four Iowa communities will receive nearly $400,000 in new grant awards and more than $350,000 in continuing grant awards to support locally-based efforts to fight drugs.
The federal dollars have been awarded through the Drug Free Communities Act, which Grassley sponsored in 1997. "The goal of this initiative is to redirect funds out of the Washington bureaucracy and directly into the hands of community coalitions dedicated to fighting drug use," Grassley said. "The war on drugs is most effectively fought at the grassroots."
Grant money from the Drug Free Communities Support Program can be used for a variety of initiatives that target illegal drug use by young people. The awards made today by the Justice Department to communities across the country include:
• $100,000 for Siouxland Cares in Sioux City
• $98,782 for the Mid-Eastern Council on Substance Abuse in Johnson County for the Juvenile Crime Prevention Coalition
• $100,000 for the Community Corrections Improvement Association for the SAFE Coalition of Linn County
• $99,214 for the Center for Alcohol and Drug Services for the Quad Cities Red Ribbon Coalition
In addition, DFCA grants have been renewed for:
• The Marshall County Youth and Violence Committee in Marshalltown. For each of the last two years, this committee has received $98,993 as part of the federal program. This year's award will be slightly less.
• The United Way of Central Iowa in Des Moines, which has received $93,050 for the second year.
• The City of Mason City, which has received $64,456 for the second year.
• The Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School in Reinbeck, which has received $98,764 for the second year.
"The contribution to these important projects will help communities target drug problems locally at the grassroots,"Grassley said. "Real progress can be made when parents, youth, educators and community leaders work together in their commitment to fight drugs."
Non-profit, charitable and educational organizations, as well as local governments, are eligible to receive funding through this DFCA program. To qualify for a grant, the entity must form a coalition that includes a representative from each of these categories: youth, parents, business, media, schools, youth-serving groups, law enforcement, religious organizations, civic volunteer and fraternal groups, health care professionals, state or local government, and one other organization working to reduce substance abuse.
Grassley said the application kit for organizations in Iowa can be obtained by calling the Office of National Drug Control Policy Clearinghouse at 800-666-3332. The information is also available at http://whitehousedrugpolicy.gov. On Wednesday, Grassley will appear at a news conference with Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey to highlight the program.
In addition to sponsoring and winning passage of the Drug Free Communities Act, Grassley has worked in Iowa to further enhance community efforts by organizing the first-of-its-kind statewide anti-drug initiative called FIT, or Face It Together. Grassley is the third most senior member of the Judiciary Committee and chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control.