​CALIFORNIA AWARDS $65 MILLION TO COMMUNITY-BASED AND TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS FOR YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION

SACRAMENTO — The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) awarded nearly $65.5 million in grant funding to 95 youth-serving community-based and Tribal organizations to expand substance use disorder (SUD) prevention programs. Organizations will receive total awards for grants up to $1 million for the three-year grant period to implement the Elevate Youth California (EYC) program in low-income, under-resourced communities and communities of color. These grants will help young Californians across the state remain healthy by knowing the dangers of and how to prevent SUD.

"DHCS is dedicated to investing in substance use prevention programs for youth and providing peer support services specifically tailored to youth living in communities that have historically faced barriers to treatment," said DHCS Director Michelle Baass. "This funding will allow organizations across the state to educate, change attitudes, and prevent the potential harms and risks associated with substance use."

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: EYC provides grants to youth-focused community-based and Tribal organizations that:

• ​Empower youth to create policy and system changes through civic engagement.
• Implement culturally and linguistically proficient youth development, peer support, and mentoring programs that are healing-centered and trauma-informed. EYC programs use evidence-based and/or community-defined practices that help individuals and communities engage, cope with adversity, heal trauma, and thrive.
• Prioritize harm reduction and public health solutions that create resiliency and prevent substance use disorder.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:
"Elevate Youth California funding has enabled the Wukchumni Tribe to enhance and sustain the Wukchumni Youth Program, embodying its mission to Heal Our Youth to Heal Our Future," said Amber Thomas, Manager of Youth Services and Wukchumni Council Treasurer. “This support has deepened our efforts in culturally rooted youth development, peer-led mentoring, and traditional teachings, fostering resilience and a strong sense of belonging among Native youth. It has strengthened youth civic engagement and created safe spaces for participants to connect with their heritage, promoting positive life choices and preventing SUD as they confidently navigate both the modern and traditional worlds." The Wukchumni Youth Program is a returning EYC grantee.

“The EYC award has been transformative, enabling us to deepen our commitment to youth civic engagement, social justice, and leadership development while expanding culturally responsive mentorship and peer support," said Lorreen Pryor, President and CEO of Black Youth Leadership Project, another returning EYC grantee. “This funding has allowed us to create safe spaces where Black youth can build resilience, develop advocacy skills, and access tools to prevent SUD. We are proud to empower the next generation with the resources and knowledge they need to thrive and drive meaningful change in their communities."

BACKGROUND: This funding opportunity is part of DHCS' larger effort to strengthen California's SUD prevention programs. EYC aims to strengthen the capacity of youth-serving community-based and Tribal organizations throughout California to use evidence-based and community-driven practices for SUD prevention among youth and young adults ages 12 to 26.
 
EYC invests in youth leadership and civic engagement for youth of color and LGBTQIA2S+(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual (or Ally), 2-Spirited) youth ages 12 to 26 living in communities disproportionately impacted by substance abuse. To date, DHCS has awarded more than $323.27 million through 460 grant awards to fund SUD prevention efforts. This cohort marks the sixth consecutive year of funding to support the widespread implementation of the EYC program. Once awarded, grantees will be funded from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2027. In 2023, the EYC program partnered with 4,608 new diverse stakeholders to implement mentoring, peer support, and youth-led civic engagement programs.

Overall, the EYC program has provided services to 46,697 youth, held 40,235 prevention program events with 373,602 participants, and convened 785 listening sessions. Ninety-two percent of EYC youth participants self-identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. A complete list of organizations that received awards in previous funding rounds is available on the EYC website.
 
Since 2019, DHCS has awarded six rounds of EYC standard track program funding, with a focus on policy, system, and environmental change through youth civic engagement, mentorship, and peer-led support. An additional three cohorts were awarded through capacity building grants, with a focus on strengthening the operational, programmatic, financial, or organizational structure of youth-serving community-based and Tribal, grassroots organizations. Another cohort was awarded through the innovation track, with a focus on evaluating youth-serving entities with innovative approaches to policy, systems, and environmental change through appreciative inquiry. These grants are made possible through funding from the Proposition 64 Youth Education, Prevention, Early Intervention, and Treatment Account of the California Cannabis Tax Fund.

EYC creates access to healing-centered, culturally proficient programs in rural and urban communities. In fiscal year 2024-25, DHCS invested more than $110 million in funding to support statewide substance use prevention programs, with approximately $45.5 million in primary prevention funding allocated to county behavioral health agencies through the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant, more than $3 million in funding to support statewide implementation of the California Friday Night Live program, and more than $65.49 million in the EYC program.

For more information about the EYC program, visit www.elevateyouthca.org.