Grassley said that as many as 200 grants for as much as $100,000 each will be awarded. The funding is provided by the Drug Free Communities Support Program. The program was created by the Drug Free Communities Act Grassley sponsored last year.
Grassley said the program was designed to take money already being spent by the federal bureaucracy in Washington, and get it out to grassroots organizations across the country.
"This program should give well-deserved help to the local coalitions who are hard at work to prevent and reduce drug use by teenagers. We need to encourage them to keep up their successful efforts and expand their reach. The key to solving the drug problem is communities acting together. Facing it together is the only way we can make our families, neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces drug-free," he said.
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 program also provides training and technical assistance to grant recipients.
Grassley encouraged Iowa organizations to make application.
He said the application kit for organizations in Iowa and across the country can be obtained by calling toll-free the Office of National Drug Control Policy Clearinghouse at 800-666-3332 or the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at 800-638-8736. The information is also available online at http://whitehousedrugpolicy.gov or http://ncjrs.org/ojjhome.htm. Non-profit, charitable and educational organizations, as well as local governments, are eligible to receive funding under the 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 organization making application must demonstrate that its coalition has worked on anti-drug initiatives for at least six months and plans to continue for the next five years. It must show clearly that the coalition's main mission is to reduce substance abuse by young people.
Coalitions who receive a grant award this year may apply for funding each year for the next four consecutive years. They must make application and meet the requirements each year. The maximum grant award for one fiscal year is $100,000. The applicant must match the federal funds with non-federal funds including cash and in-kind contributions.
Earlier this week Grassley announced that he will host a series of 16 town meetings in Iowa in April. He said wants to bring together members of the communities to talk about the increasing problem of drug use, especially by teenagers. In addition, the effort is intended to take aim at the expanding and destructive presence of methamphetamine in Iowa.
The town meetings are part of a project Grassley began last spring to develop the first-of-its- kind statewide anti-drug coalition. He said that his goal during the town meetings is to survey those attending on the recommendations compiled so far by the coalition and to ask for input on which anti-drug efforts have succeeded and which have not worked in local communities.
In addition, Grassley will convene a congressional field hearing on Tuesday, April 14, in Marion. The hearing ? "Drug Trafficking: Following Meth from Mexico to the Midwest" ? will be held at Linn-Mar Jr. High School. He will conduct this hearing as chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control.