Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Grant Program

The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Grant Program is administered in South Carolina by the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Highway Safety and Justice Programs (OHSJP). The program is funded through federal statute 34 U.S.C. § 10422, but the state serves as the administrative authority for distributing and overseeing the grant. RSAT’s purpose is to enhance access to treatment for individuals with substance use or co-occurring mental health disorders during incarceration and to ensure a coordinated system of aftercare as individuals reenter their communities. Under this program, applicants can implement prison-based residential treatment programs, jail-based pretrial treatment programs, or aftercare services. Residential programs must last between six and twelve months and include structured therapeutic communities and regular drug testing. Jail-based programs focus on initiating or continuing treatment during pretrial detention and support connection to services post-release. Aftercare services include transitional housing, recovery support, employment services, and peer mentorship. The inclusion of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), combining FDA-approved medications with behavioral therapies, is strongly encouraged. Eligible applicants include state agencies and general-purpose local units of government such as cities, counties, towns, or townships. All applicants must ensure that participants in SUD treatment receive access to coordinated aftercare services upon release. Coordination with other social service programs, including those funded by SAMHSA, is encouraged. State-level coordination between corrections and substance use agencies is also required. States can use funds for nonresidential aftercare if they certify that residential services are adequately provided. Applicants are required to match 25% of total program costs with non-federal cash contributions. Matching funds must be new and cannot replace already appropriated resources. Federal funds can cover up to 75% of costs. Allowable uses include program-related personnel, supplies, equipment, and training. Expenditures such as land acquisition, construction, and evaluations are ineligible. Additionally, only 10% of state RSAT allocations can be subgranted to local facilities, and any funded personnel must commit 100% of their time to grant-related activities. Applications must be submitted via IntelliGrants, the South Carolina DPS's grant portal. There are separate application tracks for state and local applicants. User registrations must be completed by April 17, 2026, and full applications must be submitted by May 1, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Supporting documents may be uploaded directly or emailed with proper identification. Programmatic questions should be directed to Amy Kingston at (803) 896-4742 or [email protected], while budget questions should be sent to [email protected]. Applications will be evaluated based on design quality, coordination with relevant agencies, proposed project impact, and alignment with RSAT objectives. Awards will be announced in October 2026, and the performance period will run from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027. OHSJP notes that further guidance may be issued by the U.S. Department of Justice and will be relayed to subrecipients if applicable.