Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness

The Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) Program for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness is a forecasted grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). SAMHSA is a federal agency with a mission to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities. This specific funding initiative is cataloged under Assistance Listing Number 93.997 and is categorized as a discretionary grant program under the health funding activity area. It is expected to be open for applications in fiscal year 2025. The purpose of the Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program is to support the implementation and evaluation of new AOT programs across eligible jurisdictions. AOT programs provide court-ordered outpatient treatment for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI), with the goal of reducing the frequency and duration of psychiatric hospitalizations, homelessness, incarceration, and interactions with the criminal justice system. These programs are designed to improve health and social outcomes for individuals with SMI by ensuring consistent and community-based mental health treatment. SAMHSA intends for this program to promote evidence-based practices and data-driven approaches to better serve populations with complex behavioral health needs. The funding will support new program development and evaluation. Specific funding restrictions or guidance on eligible expenditures are not detailed in the forecast, but given SAMHSA’s general grant structure, it is expected that funds may be used for staffing, training, program development, community outreach, evaluation, and administrative oversight related to the implementation of AOT. The total estimated program funding is $7,256,090, with approximately 14 awards expected. Award ceilings and minimum amounts were not specified, though the award floor is listed as $0, indicating no formal lower limit, which requires further clarification. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement for applicants. Eligibility for this funding opportunity is statutorily limited. Only states, counties, cities, mental health systems (including state mental health authorities), mental health courts, or any other entity that is legally authorized under the laws of their respective state to implement and oversee AOT programs may apply. This ensures that only entities with the appropriate legal authority and infrastructure to carry out such involuntary outpatient treatment programs will receive funding. These criteria imply that not all typical nonprofit or educational organizations are eligible unless they meet specific legal and statutory criteria defined within their state’s mental health governance. As of the most recent update on July 22, 2025, this opportunity remains in forecast status. The estimated post date for the funding opportunity is April 15, 2025. Because this is a forecast and not a formal solicitation, the estimated application due date, award date, and project start date are not yet available. There are also no preliminary deadlines for letters of intent or pre-applications noted at this stage. The opportunity is expected to be recurring, based on the structure of similar SAMHSA programs and the terminology in the notice. The current version of the forecast is Version 4. For questions regarding the grant, the contact listed is Lorie Lopez, who can be reached by phone at (240) 276-2595 or by email at lorie.lopez@samhsa.hhs.gov. Interested applicants are advised to monitor Grants.gov for the full Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) once it is posted, and to begin early preparations to confirm eligibility, gather internal approvals, and develop program strategies aligned with SAMHSA’s goals for the AOT initiative.