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A SAMHSA NOFO is a Notice of Funding Opportunity issued by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that funds behavioral health programs. Each NOFO is the complete rulebook for one competition: who may apply, how much can be requested, and what must be in the application. The hard part for an institution is rarely the NOFO text itself. It is the lead time on registrations and the budget cap and window printed on the NOFO page. This guide shows how to read a SAMHSA NOFO page, with two real NOFOs side by side. Everything below is as described on the official SAMHSA pages on 2026-10-29.
What a SAMHSA NOFO is and who runs it
SAMHSA states that each NOFO “includes specific information about the program requirements” for that grant program. The agency publishes NOFOs on its own site, where they are listed on the Grants Dashboard, and applicants can also search Grants.gov by NOFO number or Assistance Listing number. The older name for the same kind of document is a funding opportunity announcement; the CASRAI dictionary entry on the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) covers the terminology, and the guide to the notice of funding opportunity covers the general format.
Because programs change from year to year, this page does not list which SAMHSA NOFOs are open. Use the Grants Dashboard and Grants.gov for the current list, and the “2027 NOFO Forecasts” page on SAMHSA’s site for what the agency expects to post.
How to read a SAMHSA NOFO page
A SAMHSA NOFO page follows a repeating layout. The sections listed on the official pages are: Notice of Funding Opportunity, Description, Eligibility, Award Information, Contact Information, Application Materials, and Useful Information for Applicants. The full NOFO is linked from the page as a document. The table maps each section to the question it answers for a research office.
| Page section | Question to answer from it |
|---|---|
| Description | Does the program purpose match what our team would actually deliver? |
| Eligibility | Is our organization type listed, and does the NOFO restrict anything else? |
| Award Information | What are the anticipated total funding, number of awards, per-year cap, project length and cost-sharing rule? |
| Contact Information | Who can answer program and technical questions? |
| Application Materials | Which forms and attachments are required beyond the standard set? |
| Useful Information for Applicants | Which notices (such as intergovernmental review) and resources apply? |
What a NOFO number looks like
SAMHSA NOFOs carry identifiers such as TI-24-004, TI-26-011 and SP-26-002, so search by the full number on Grants.gov or the Grants Dashboard rather than by program name, since the number is how the notice is indexed.
Two NOFOs side by side
The comparison below uses two SAMHSA NOFO pages. TI-24-004 is a historical example that SAMHSA keeps online “for historical purposes”; TI-26-011 was last updated on July 28, 2026. Neither is offered as a current opportunity here. They are shown because the contrast teaches how to read the Award Information section.
| Item | TI-24-004 (Adult/Family Treatment Drug Courts) | TI-26-011 (Treatment and Recovery Services for Youth, Young Adults, and Families) |
|---|---|---|
| Posted on Grants.gov | January 30, 2024 | June 16, 2026 |
| Application due | April 1, 2024 | July 16, 2026 |
| Window from posting to due date | About two months | 30 days |
| Anticipated total funding | $24.4 million | $6.54 million |
| Anticipated awards | 61 | 12 |
| Per-year cap | Up to $400,000, direct and indirect combined | $545,000 anticipated, direct and indirect combined |
| Project length | Up to 5 years | 5 years |
| Cost sharing | None | No match |
Two lessons follow. First, the posting-to-deadline window can be as short as 30 days, which is far less than the six or more weeks SAMHSA says registration can take. Second, the cap is stated as total costs: the TI-24-004 page says proposed budgets “cannot exceed $400,000 in total costs (direct and indirect) in any year,” so the indirect cost rate your institution negotiates has to fit inside the cap rather than sit on top of it.
Eligibility
Eligibility is set NOFO by NOFO, so read the Eligibility section of the specific notice before anything else. As one example, the TI-26-011 page lists “Domestic public and private nonprofit entities, including faith-based organizations.” Another NOFO can name a narrower group. SAMHSA’s How to Apply page points applicants to the eligibility section of the NOFO posted on the Grants Dashboard and Grants.gov.
Separately from NOFO eligibility, SAMHSA requires every applicant to be registered in three systems: the System for Award Management (SAM), Grants.gov and eRA Commons. An active eRA Commons principal investigator account must be in place by the deadline.
What a SAMHSA NOFO funds or requires
The funding scope is in the Description and Award Information sections. On the two example pages that includes the anticipated number of awards, a per-year ceiling on total costs, a multi-year project period and a statement on cost sharing. Continuation awards after the first year are not automatic. The example NOFOs say continuation depends on available funds, progress, timely data and reporting, and compliance with the terms of the award; TI-26-011 adds alignment with SAMHSA, HHS and Trump Administration priorities. For the general HHS rules that sit underneath an award, see the dictionary entry for the HHS Grants Policy Statement.
Both example pages also describe intergovernmental review under Executive Order 12372. State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) recommendations are due no later than 60 days after the application deadline, and a Public Health System Impact Statement is sent to state and local health agencies by the deadline, with Single State Agency comments due within 60 days after.
Application and compliance steps
SAMHSA’s How to Apply page (last updated 05/27/2026) lays out the sequence:
- Register the organization in SAM, Grants.gov and eRA Commons, and make sure the PI has an active eRA Commons account.
- Choose a NOFO and check its Eligibility section.
- Read the NOFO Application Guide, which covers registration, required attachments, budgets and federal requirements.
- Download the forms from Grants.gov, plus any additional forms the NOFO requires.
- Submit through NIH’s eRA system. SAMHSA runs live webinars on submitting through eRA.
SAMHSA is explicit about completeness: applications that do not include all required forms “will be screened out and will not be eligible for review.” For help with the Grants.gov side, see Grants.gov Workspace.
Typical timeline phases
Dates change with every NOFO, so plan by phase rather than by calendar:
- Before posting. Complete SAM, Grants.gov and eRA Commons registration, since SAMHSA says it can take six weeks or more.
- Posting to deadline. The window can be about a month, as the TI-26-011 example shows.
- After the deadline. Intergovernmental review notices (SPOC and Single State Agency comments) run up to 60 days past the deadline.
- After an award. Continuation depends on funds, progress, reporting and compliance, as described above.
Common mistakes
- Starting registration after the NOFO posts. SAMHSA states that if the organization is not registered and there is no active eRA Commons PI account by the deadline, “the application will not be accepted. No exceptions will be made.”
- Omitting a required form. Incomplete applications are screened out before review.
- Budgeting indirect costs on top of the cap. The caps on the example pages include indirect costs.
- Skipping the NOFO’s own eligibility text. Eligibility differs by notice.
Related programs and guides
| Page | Why it is related |
|---|---|
| Notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) | General NOFO structure across federal agencies |
| Discretionary grant | Defines the competitive grant category |
| How to apply for a research grant | Application workflow outside SAMHSA |
FAQ
What does NOFO stand for at SAMHSA?
Notice of Funding Opportunity. It is the document announcing a specific grant competition and its requirements.
Where do I find a SAMHSA NOFO?
On SAMHSA’s Grants Dashboard, or on Grants.gov by searching for the NOFO number or Assistance Listing number.
How long does registration take?
SAMHSA says registration with SAM, Grants.gov and eRA Commons can take six weeks or more.
What happens if registration is not finished by the deadline?
SAMHSA states that if the organization is not registered and has no active eRA Commons PI account by the deadline, the application will not be accepted and no exceptions will be made.
Which NOFOs are open right now?
This guide does not track open opportunities. Check the SAMHSA Grants Dashboard and Grants.gov, which are the official listings.
Do indirect costs count toward the cap?
On the two example NOFOs, yes: the per-year caps cover direct and indirect costs combined.
Sources
- SAMHSA, “How to Apply for a SAMHSA Grant,” samhsa.gov/grants/how-to-apply, last updated 05/27/2026, checked 2026-10-29.
- SAMHSA, NOFO TI-24-004 (historical), samhsa.gov/grants/grant-announcements/ti-24-004, checked 2026-10-29.
- SAMHSA, NOFO TI-26-011, samhsa.gov/grants/grant-announcements/ti-26-011, last updated July 28, 2026, checked 2026-10-29.
