The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Program provides grants to community coalitions to strengthen the infrastructure among local partners to prevent youth substance use. Directed by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the DFC Support Program partners with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ONDCP’s grant recipient, CADCA, to provide support and guidance to DFC coalitions related to coalition-building, programmatic expertise, and evaluation support.

Funding comprehensive solutions to youth substance use: 

By requiring representation from each of the 12 sectors, the DFC Support Program helps mobilize approximately 43,000 community members representing everything from youth groups to local media, religious/fraternal organizations to the private sector, and law enforcement (including ONDCP’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas) to educational institutions. This diversity in membership helps coalitions connect their communities’ resources to each other and develop comprehensive, evidence-based prevention programming.

Reaching youth across the country:

An estimated 75 million people (23% of the U.S. population) lived in communities served by DFC coalitions receiving funding in 2023.  This included approximately 3 million middle school youth ages 12 to 14 (23% of all middle school youth) and about 4 million high school youth ages 15 to 18 (23% of all high school youth).By funding coalitions in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and three United States territories (Guam, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands), the DFC Support Program helps youth across the country and of all demographics to stay healthy and safe.