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Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

  • Award#: 90TBSG0075
  • Project Title: 93.234 SC Traumatic Brain Injury State Partnership Program
  • Timeframe: 4-year grant (08/01/2022-07/31/2026)
  • Grant Award: $300,691 approved each year with $200,000 from Federal funding and $100,691 from State match funding

Mental Health 

Each year, BHDD  receives a two-year grant from SAMHSA. This grant is called the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHBG). It is a noncompetitive grant based on a formula; funding is provided by SAMHSA to 59 recipients. The funding must be used to provide “comprehensive, community-based mental health services” to two types of people: adults with serious mental illnesses (SMI) and children with serious emotional disturbances (SED). Additionally, the funding can be used to help people who are having mental health crises, even if they have not been diagnosed with SMI or SED. Learn more about the block grant here.

There are many different services and programs that can be funded by the block grant – as long as the services fall into the category of “comprehensive, community-based mental health services” for the two types of people listed above, or the services are for people in crisis. This includes services like individual counseling, family counseling, group counseling, psychiatric services, medication management, transitional services, care coordination and crisis interventions.

BHDD provides block grant funding to each of its 16 community mental health centers (CMHCs) and several central administration programs. These CMHCs and programs provide a wide variety of services to patients and people in crisis.

BHDD also allocates block grant funding to nonprofit organizations through a competitive solicitation process. The next available solicitation will fund nonprofits from July 2026 – June 2029. Nonprofit organizations that are interested in applying for block grant funding should check this webpage in the summer of 2025 for more information about the next solicitation.

A Mental Health Planning Council is a required activity for this grant. The purpose of the Planning Council is to ensure collaboration among various state agencies and provide opportunities for people with lived experiences with mental illness to give feedback and input to BHDD. Specific state agencies are required to participate on the council. A minimum of 51% of the Planning Council members must be people with lived experiences with mental illness or family members of people with mental illnesses. Learn more about the Planning Council requirements here. The BHDD Office of Mental Health Staff Liaison for the Planning Council is Michele Murff.

Each year, BHDD is required to provide the public with an opportunity to review and comment on the annual application. You can find the three most recent applications on this webpage. You can also find the three most recent annual reports on this webpage.

Inquiries

The BHDD Office of Mental Health Block Grant Manager (referred to as the “Planner” by SAMHSA) is Liza Watson. For general questions related to the block grant, please contact her at liza.watson@omh.bhdd.sc.gov. 

For media inquiries related to the block grant, please contact Tracy LaPointe at tracy.lapointe@omh.bhdd.sc.gov.

For inquiries related to the Planning Council, please contact Michele Murff at michele.murff@omh.bhdd.sc.gov.

Applications and Reports

FY 2024-2025 Application

FY 2022 2023 MHBG Application and Behavioral Health Assessment and Plan

FY 2023 Mental Health Block Grant Report

2021 Mental Health Block Grant Report

FY2020/2021 Mental Health Block Grant Application Part II

FY2020/2021 Mental Health Block Grant Application Part I

The BHDD federal fiscal year 2027-2028 Community Mental Health Services Block Grant Application was available for review and public comment from August 24-31, 2026.

Please note that this application serves as the Agency’s Community Mental Health Services Block Grant State Plan, required by Public Law 102-321, for providing comprehensive community mental health services to adults with a serious mental illness (SMI) and to children with a serious emotional disturbance (SED). The Block Grant is a noncompetitive formula grant that is provided to BHDD Office of Mental Health by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). You can learn more about the Block Grant here: Substance Use and Mental Health Block Grants | SAMHSA

The application is posted here: FFY2027 Block Grant Application.

Please send questions and comments to:

  • Liza Watson, Director of Grants Administration
  • Phone: (803) 898-8457
  • E-mail: liza.watson@omh.bhdd.sc.gov
  • Postal Mail: PO Box 485, Columbia, SC, 29202, Attn: Liza Watson

Substance Use Services

The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) designated DAODAS (a predecessor agency of BHDD) as the Single State Agency responsible for overseeing the state’s Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant (SUBG).  In addition, BHDD is currently funding programs through the following grants:

The links below include any open applications for grants or sub-grants from OSUS, as well as information on recipients of recently closed grant opportunities.