The California Services to Science Academy (CSSA) Cohort 2.0 is a 15-month evaluation support project for California prevention providers who are delivering locally developed and innovative SUD prevention interventions. Selected organizations will receive up to $102,500 in funding alongside individualized training, technical assistance, and coaching from UCLA's Integrated Substance Use and Addiction Programs (UCLA-ISAP) to help generate credible evidence of their intervention's effectiveness.

Interventions that generate sufficient evidence through CSSA Cohort 2.0 will be considered for inclusion on the Substance Use Prevention Evidence-Based Resource (SUPER) website as either practices or case studies of intervention implementation or adaptation.

This opportunity is funded by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) through two funding streams: the Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant (SUBG) and Elevate Youth California (EYC) via the Youth Education, Prevention, and Early Intervention Account (YEPEITA). DHCS holds final decision-making authority in selecting funded projects.

The project is administered by UCLA-ISAP (Integrated Substance Use and Addiction Programs), which provides technical assistance, evaluation coaching, and training to grantees. UCLA-ISAP was contracted by DHCS to develop and launch the SUPER website and to implement the CSSA project.

The goal is to support California organizations with locally developed and innovative prevention interventions to demonstrate credible evidence of effectiveness. This expands the range of practices and prevention approaches available on the SUPER website, strengthening prevention providers' ability to address SUDs and behavioral health-related challenges across diverse communities.

CSSA Cohort 2.0 will consider organizations at various stages of prevention intervention implementation, including those:

• Adapting an evidence-based practice (EBP) or community-defined evidence practice (CDEP) for unique communities and populations
• Designing and implementing an innovative prevention program and in need of evaluation design and implementation support
• Initiating evaluation data collection and in need of analytic and writing support
• Manualizing and disseminating a locally developed intervention

CSSA Cohort 2.0 builds on the original CSSA pilot project (and CSSA Cohort 1.5), which DHCS and UCLA-ISAP implemented to provide an opportunity for primary prevention providers delivering locally developed and innovative SUD prevention interventions to generate evidence for potential inclusion on the SUPER website. SUBG and EYC projects that participated in the original CSSA cohorts performed evaluated work pertaining to a range of prevention approaches, including culturally rooted adaptations of evidence-based interventions, mindfulness-based SUD prevention education, school-based youth-led interventions, peer mentoring, and environmental and policy advocacy.

Organizations that participated in a prior CSSA cohort may apply to Cohort 2.0, provided they meet all eligibility criteria and are in good standing with their funder (DHCS, UCLA-ISAP, or The Center).

The Substance Use Prevention Evidence-Based Resource (SUPER) is a centralized online resource developed by UCLA-ISAP under contract with DHCS. It is designed to provide California counties, behavioral health providers, and tribal entities with clear and concise information about evidence-based, promising, and innovative substance use prevention efforts. The SUPER website is located at https://super.ucla.edu/.

CSSA Cohort 2.0 interventions that generate sufficient evidence demonstrating effectiveness will be considered for inclusion on the SUPER website, either as practices or as case studies of intervention implementation or adaptation. The application portal for CSSA Cohort 2.0 is embedded on the SUPER website at https://super.ucla.edu/apply.

To be eligible, an applicant must meet all of the following criteria:

• Be a nonprofit (501(c)(3)) youth-serving community-based organization, tribal organization, or county-operated behavioral health or prevention provider authorized to do business in California
• Have an established prevention intervention that has been implemented for a minimum of two years with identified community and/or under-resourced marginalized communities
• Provide SUD prevention services to adolescent, youth, and/or adult populations, including families
• Be physically located in and deliver SUD prevention services in California
• Have staff with demonstrated experience delivering the novel prevention intervention being evaluated
• Have the willingness and ability to initiate evaluation project data collection and reporting activities over the course of the project
• Have the technical capacity to participate in virtual Zoom trainings, monthly meetings, Learning Collaboratives, and ongoing coaching
• Be willing to carry UC-compliant insurance (including general liability and any applicable coverage) and submit a Certificate of Insurance naming The Regents of the University of California as additional insured prior to contract execution

If an applicant is currently receiving funds or has been funded by DHCS, the UCLA-ISAP CSSA pilot or CSSA Cohort 1.5, and/or Sierra Health Foundation: Center for Health Program Management (The Center) through EYC grants, the organization must be in good standing with their funder to be considered for an award.

Yes. Tribal organizations, including 638s and urban clinics, are explicitly eligible to apply for CSSA Cohort 2.0, alongside nonprofit 501(c)(3) community-based organizations and county-operated behavioral health providers. The same eligibility criteria apply: the organization must be authorized to do business in California, must have an established prevention intervention with a minimum of two years of implementation, and must provide SUD prevention services.

Yes. County-operated providers are eligible to apply. Specifically, the RFA defines eligible county applicants as county behavioral health organizations that are the sole provider of prevention services in their respective county. The RFA identifies three eligible entity types: nonprofit (501(c)(3)) community-based organizations, tribal organizations (including 638s and urban clinics), and county-operated providers authorized to do business in California. The same eligibility criteria and application requirements apply to all applicants regardless of entity type.

The RFA specifies three eligible entity types: 501(c)(3) community-based organizations, tribal organizations, and county behavioral health departments. Schools, private foundations, and coalitions that do not fall into one of these categories are not independently eligible. However, partnerships are allowed. If a coalition or school-based program is partnering with an eligible organization, that eligible organization may serve as the lead applicant (see the question below about partnerships and coalitions).

Yes, partnerships are allowed. However, one entity must serve as the lead agency responsible for all technical, reporting, and contractual obligations. The lead agency must be an eligible organization (501(c)(3) nonprofit, tribal organization, or county-operated provider). The lead agency will be the contracting party with UCLA-ISAP, will receive and manage the grant funds, and will be responsible for submitting all deliverables including monthly progress reports.

Applicants must have an established prevention intervention that has been implemented for a minimum of two years with identified community and/or under-resourced marginalized communities. This means the organization must have been actively delivering the prevention program or intervention they propose to evaluate for at least two years at the time of application. This requirement ensures that selected programs have sufficient operational history and community relationships to support meaningful evaluation during the 15-month project period.

Each application should focus on one specific prevention intervention (referred to in the RFA as a "practice") that the organization proposes to evaluate through CSSA Cohort 2.0. The application's narrative questions, scoring criteria, and evaluation plan are all built around a single intervention. If your organization operates multiple eligible programs, you should identify the one that is the strongest fit for the CSSA Cohort 2.0 evaluation opportunity.

Yes. Organizations that participated in the original CSSA pilot or CSSA Cohort 1.5 may apply to Cohort 2.0, provided they meet all current eligibility criteria. If the organization has been funded by DHCS, UCLA-ISAP, or Sierra Health Foundation: Center for Health Program Management (The Center), it must be in good standing with its funder to be considered for an award. Note that a new application must be submitted. There is no portal for saved legacy data from previous cohorts, and no responses from prior applications will carry over.

Applications from organizations working at various stages of intervention development and evidence-building are welcome. The RFA specifically encourages programs that:

• Adapt an evidence-based prevention intervention to improve cultural specificity and contextual fit for their community
• Refine and implement an existing locally developed and innovative prevention intervention (minimum two years) with support for evaluation design and implementation
• Initiate or strengthen data collection and analysis, including needs for analytic and writing support to document outcomes and lessons learned
• Manualize and disseminate a locally developed and innovative intervention to facilitate replication and adaptation by other providers
• Demonstrate cultural humility and responsiveness, with staffing and leadership reflective of the communities served
• Use a public health framing with positive, non-stigmatizing prevention messages (e.g., reducing risk and strengthening protection), consistent with evidence-informed youth prevention approaches
• Embed youth engagement, including opportunities for youth leadership and peer support and mentoring programs
• Advance policy, systems, and environmental change (PSE) or evaluate PSE strategies already underway
• Commit to systematic data collection, monthly progress reporting, and participation in Learning Collaboratives and coaching to build credible evidence of effectiveness for potential inclusion on the SUPER website

Priority will be given to organizations serving under-resourced or marginalized communities.

SUBG stands for the Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant. DHCS receives SUBG funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to help plan, implement, and evaluate activities that prevent and treat SUDs. DHCS also receives SUBG Prevention Set-Aside funds to support primary prevention services for individuals who have not been determined to require treatment for a SUD.

DHCS plans to fund four (4) applicants who are recipients of SUBG funding and four (4) EYC applicants who are recipients of YEPEITA funding. Your organization's current relationship to SUBG or EYC funding will determine which of the two funding pools your application falls under. If you are unsure whether your organization receives SUBG or EYC funding, contact your county behavioral health department or reach out to UCLA-ISAP for guidance.

EYC stands for Elevate Youth California, a statewide DHCS program launched in 2019 and funded by the Youth Education, Prevention, and Early Intervention Account (YEPEITA). YEPEITA funds come from the California Cannabis Tax Fund created by Proposition 64. EYC addresses SUD prevention by investing in youth leadership and civic engagement for youth of color and 2S/LGBTQIA+ youth ages 12 to 26 living in communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs.

DHCS plans to fund four (4) EYC applicants who are recipients of YEPEITA funding alongside four (4) SUBG-funded applicants. If your organization is an EYC grantee, your application will be considered in the EYC funding pool. For more information about EYC, visit www.elevateyouthca.org.

The RFA requires that the applicant organization be a nonprofit (501(c)(3)) community-based organization, tribal organization, or county-operated provider authorized to do business in California. If your organization operates under a fiscal sponsor that is a 501(c)(3), the fiscal sponsor may serve as the applicant and contracting entity. The fiscal sponsor would be responsible for all contractual, reporting, and insurance obligations. Contact UCLA-ISAP if you have questions about your specific fiscal arrangement.

Your program does not need to be exclusively focused on substance use, but you must explicitly demonstrate how your proposed work addresses substance use risk factors and promotes protective factors for the youth and communities you serve. Programs that incorporate arts, healing practices, school-based activities, mentoring, civic engagement, or other approaches are welcome, as long as the application clearly articulates the connection to SUD prevention.

The RFA includes Appendix A (Adolescent Substance Use Risk and Protective Factors) and Appendix B (Adolescent Substance Use Prevention Practice Components) to help applicants identify and describe these connections. Reviewers will score your application based on how clearly you make this link, so be specific about which risk factors your program mitigates and which protective factors it strengthens.

Grants will be awarded in amounts up to $102,500 per grantee over a 15-month period (December 1, 2026 through March 1, 2028). There is no guarantee that applicants will receive the full requested amount. DHCS reserves the right to make final determinations about award amounts, including whether to award full or partial coverage of the applicant's proposed expenses. Awarded organizations may be requested to adjust submitted budgets.

DHCS plans to select up to eight (8) grantees total: four (4) applicants who are recipients of SUBG funding and four (4) EYC applicants who are recipients of YEPEITA funding. To ensure a balanced portfolio, DHCS may also consider additional factors beyond application score, including organizational types, geographies, and priority populations.

Awarded funds are intended to support dedicated staff time for training and technical assistance, evaluation and data collection activities, staff working directly on intervention evaluation activities, and related business expenses, equipment, and other relevant materials. Funds may be used to support activities that include, but are not limited to:

• Place-based information dissemination campaigns
• Education and skill building
• Community-based mobilization and coalition efforts
• Problem identification and referral (e.g., student assistance programs)
• Peer support and mentoring
• Youth-led civic engagement and leadership
• Policy, systems, and environmental change

This is a deliverable-based subcontract: recipients must demonstrate progress on agreed-upon data collection and reporting tasks in the Scope of Work. No itemized invoices are required for base funding payments, but programs must maintain financial records demonstrating that grant funds were used only on CSSA-related project work.

CSSA Cohort 2.0 project funds cannot be used for any of the following:

• Debt retirement
• Operational deficits
• Partisan activities
• Lobbying or lobbying activities
• Religious organizations for explicit religious activities
• Activities that exclusively benefit members of sectarian or religious organizations
• Purchase or lease of vehicles
• Purchase or lease of properties
• Purchase, construction, or permanent improvement (other than minor remodeling) of any building or other facility, or purchase of major medical equipment
• Directly or indirectly purchasing, prescribing, or providing cannabis or treatment using cannabis
• Clinical services such as therapy and substance abuse treatment

Additionally, funds must be used to supplement existing budgets to support project activities, not to supplant (replace) existing funding. Applicants must clearly state in their budget narrative how funds will supplement rather than supplant current resources.

Funds will be distributed to grantees in four (4) payments aligned with the completion of deliverables across three project phases. Agreements are subject to the approval of DHCS.

• Payment 1, $50,000: Pre-Implementation Activities (October 2026 through December 2026). Includes attending the optional pre-planning meeting, setting up a service contract with UCLA, attending the kick-off Learning Collaborative session, completing an Individual Planning Session, and developing and submitting the Initial Project Evaluation and Dissemination Plan.
• Payment 2, $20,000: Implementation Activities, first installment (invoice submitted May 2027).
• Payment 3, $20,000: Implementation Activities, second installment (invoice submitted October 2027).
• Payment 4, $12,500: Post-Implementation Activities (invoice submitted March 2028). Includes the Final Report and post-project qualitative interview.

The first payment is contingent on execution of the subcontract agreement and receipt of all insurance compliance documents.

Indirect costs are allowed but are capped at 15 percent of direct project costs. If your organization has an established indirect cost rate, you may include it in your budget up to this cap. In the scoring criteria (Section 4: Budget Narrative), reviewers will verify that indirect costs do not exceed the 15 percent threshold.

Yes. The RFA explicitly states that awarded funds will be used to support dedicated staff time for training and technical assistance, evaluation and data collection activities. Funds are intended in part to support staff working directly on intervention evaluation activities. Applicants should note that at least 0.3 FTE must be dedicated to the project, and the individual in that role must have adequate experience and qualifications to serve as the site-level lead. The budget should account for staff time required for data collection, participation in required CSSA Cohort 2.0 evaluation activities, and adequate staff time dedicated to participation in the CSSA. The budget narrative must also include the percentage of time each staff member will devote to the proposed project.

Food is an eligible expense under this funding. Youth stipends are also allowable. There is no set maximum for stipend amounts, provided the organization establishes clear and reasonable criteria for distribution. The budget should also include incentives for participants who complete surveys, focus groups, and interviews to support data collection and analysis. Describe and justify these expenses in your budget narrative.

The requested amounts for these items should align with the organization's capacity to manage the funds effectively. Be mindful that your total budget request should reflect what your organization can reasonably administer.

Applicants may request up to $102,500. The amount you request should align with your organization's capacity to manage the funds effectively and should be appropriate to support the delivery of the practice and practice components described in your application. Your budget narrative will be scored on alignment between proposed activities, timeline, staffing budget, and overall feasibility. There is no minimum budget requirement, but budgets that are not well-justified or that appear inconsistent with the organization's described capacity may receive lower scores.

All eligible organizations must submit their completed applications online via a Qualtrics form embedded on the SUPER website at https://super.ucla.edu/apply. The application is contained in an online fillable form. Applicants are encouraged to review and print the form before beginning.

When working in the Qualtrics application portal, use Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Mozilla Firefox. Qualtrics does not support the use of Internet Explorer.

Applications are due on May 29, 2026, at 5 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). Online applications must be fully completed and submitted by this deadline. Applicants are encouraged to submit well before the deadline in case help is needed with any of the RFA components. Once submitted, no further changes can be made to the application.

Yes. Applicants are able to work on the online form, save their work, and return to it later. However, once the application is submitted, no further changes can be made. Be sure your application is complete and accurate before submitting. Note that each application cycle requires a new submission. There is no portal for saved data from previous CSSA cohorts, and responses from prior applications will not carry over.

No attachments are permitted as part of this application except for budget documents and logic model diagrams. Instructions to complete the fillable application are included in the online form itself. The application includes narrative questions, organizational information, staffing details, budget information, and project descriptions. All information is entered directly into the online form.

A logic model is an optional part of the application. Applicants will not be disqualified or penalized for not including a logic model as part of their application submission.

The application portal accepts file uploads for the two items that allow attachments: budget documents and logic model diagrams (optional). The RFA specifies that budget documents should be uploaded in Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, or PDF format. If you experience issues uploading a file, contact Carissa Loya at cssa@mednet.ucla.edu with the subject line "CSSA Cohort 2.0 Application Online Help."

No. Proposals received after the due date and time will not be reviewed. Applications must be fully completed and submitted by 5 p.m. PDT on May 29, 2026. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit before the deadline in case they experience technical difficulties with the portal. UCLA-ISAP may not be able to respond to requests for help on the deadline date. Upon submission, applicants will receive an email confirming receipt of the application. It is the applicant's sole responsibility to ensure that the application has been successfully submitted and received.

If you are unable to submit your application online or need help, please contact Carissa Loya at cssa@mednet.ucla.edu with the subject line "CSSA Cohort 2.0 Application Online Help."

Yes. The RFA specifies word limits for all narrative and descriptive fields in the application:

• Project Name: 20 words maximum
• Brief Purpose of Project: 100 words maximum (must begin with "To.")
• Narrative Questions 1-9: 250 words maximum each
• Budget Narrative (No. 10): 250 words maximum (in addition to the uploaded budget document)

Responses to narrative questions should be as descriptive as possible within these limits. Applicants are encouraged to review and print the application before beginning to understand the format and constraints for each question.

UCLA-ISAP staff will review and identify the most complete and responsive applications demonstrating the most favorable mix of staffing, capacity, and potential. UCLA-ISAP will conduct a technical review and score each application based on responses to the narrative questions listed in the RFA. Applications should demonstrate the ability to deliver and evaluate a novel prevention approach that is culturally responsive, linguistically appropriate, and reflective of the community served through staffing, intervention strategies, and approaches.

To ensure a balanced portfolio across organizational types, geographies, and priority populations, DHCS may also consider additional factors beyond application score and funding history. Funding awards are based on merit and readiness to perform the duties outlined in the RFA. DHCS holds the final decision-making authority in selecting applicants for funding.

Applications are scored on a 100-point scale across four sections:

• Section 1: Organizational and Project Description (25 points)
  • Organizational Description (10 points): vision/mission, goals, services, populations served, geographic area, and how the proposed project complements other services
  • Project Description (10 points): description of the priority population, specific barriers related to substance use prevention, and the most salient risk and protective factors
  • Practice Clarity (5 points): clear description of the practice (intervention) proposed for CSSA Cohort 2.0, including practice components as listed in Appendix B
• Section 2: Implementation Experience, Priority Populations, Goals, and Evaluation Capacity (40 points)
  • Practice Implementation Experience (10 points): how the practice was developed and how long it has been in use
  • Practice Goals (10 points): clearly defined short-term (one to two years), medium-term (two to five years), and long-term (five or more years) goals
  • Risk and Protective Factors/Priority Population (10 points): how specific practice components will influence specific risk and protective factors
  • Data Collection and Evaluation Capacity (10 points): the organization's capacity to collect and manage data, including tools and methods used, and how recent data demonstrates why existing practices and programs are insufficient
• Section 3: Organizational Readiness, Staffing, Feasibility and Sustainability (25 points)
  • Organizational Readiness (15 points): readiness to commit staff time (at least 0.3 FTE), project lead qualifications, and staff professional backgrounds
  • Organizational Feasibility and Sustainability (10 points): alignment of proposed activities with timeline, staffing budget, and budget narrative; plans for sustainability and potential barriers
• Section 4: Budget Narrative (10 points)
  • Alignment with practice, personnel allocation, data collection resources, non-supplantation, and indirect costs (capped at 15 percent of direct project costs)

When listing staff, successful applicants will list staff qualifications and reasons they are qualified for the proposed activities, not simply list their names.

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by email. The application timeline is as follows:

• Application review: June 2026 - July 2026
• Approximate award announcement: September 2026
• Approximate date grants issued: December 1, 2026

These dates are subject to change to best meet programmatic needs and funder requirements. There is no appeal process for award decisions.

Yes. The RFA states that to ensure a balanced portfolio across organizational types, geographies, and priority populations, DHCS may consider additional factors beyond application score and funding history. This means geographic diversity is an explicit consideration in the selection process, alongside the scored criteria. Organizations located in and serving communities across different regions of California are encouraged to apply.

If your program involves a policy, systems, or environmental change (PSE) component and the specific goals have not yet been finalized because the process is youth-led, you should propose a potential PSE goal in your application while noting that the process is youth-led and that the specific goal will be refined once the program begins. Reviewers understand that youth engagement processes are iterative, but you should still demonstrate the framework and approach you will use to arrive at a specific goal. Be as concrete as possible about the type of change you anticipate pursuing, even if the final form will be determined by youth participants.

Grantees must participate in coaching and training opportunities that enhance the quality of data collection, evaluation, and reporting activities and organizational capacity. Required activities include, at a minimum:

• Attend an optional pre-planning meeting with the UCLA-ISAP team (October 5 or October 6, 2026)
• Attend a 60-minute Individual Planning Session to co-develop a site-specific evaluation plan (December 2026)
• Participate in up to 12 monthly group Learning Collaboratives via Zoom (January 2027 - December 2027)
• Participate in up to 12 monthly individual coaching calls with UCLA-ISAP staff (January 2027 - December 2027)
• Develop and submit the Initial Project Evaluation and Dissemination Plan
• Initiate and continue project evaluation activities (logic model development, data collection, data analysis, planning for sustainability and dissemination)
• Submit monthly progress reports
• Attend individual wrap-up sessions with the UCLA-ISAP team (January 2028 - March 2028)
• Participate in a required 60-minute post-project qualitative interview via Zoom
• Prepare and submit a Final Report

UCLA-ISAP reserves the right to withhold or delay payments if grantees fail to complete required activities and deliverables.

The project period is December 1, 2026 through March 1, 2028 (15 months), organized in three phases:

• Pre-Implementation (October 2026 - December 2026): Optional pre-planning meeting, service contract setup with UCLA, kick-off Learning Collaborative, Individual Planning Session, development and submission of the Initial Project Evaluation and Dissemination Plan, and preparation of Invoice 1 (January 2027).
• Implementation (January 2027 - December 2027): Monthly individual training and technical assistance sessions, monthly Learning Collaborative sessions, initiation and continuation of project evaluation activities (logic model development, identifying site project team, selecting and developing data collection measures, data collection, data analysis, planning for sustainability and dissemination). Invoice 2 is due May 2027 and Invoice 3 is due October 2027.
• Post-Implementation (January 2028 - March 2028): Individual wrap-up sessions, post-project qualitative interview and/or focus group, project close-out including finalizing data analysis, developing sustainability and dissemination plans, manuscript preparation, Final Report, and Invoice 4 (March 2028).

UCLA-ISAP will work with each grantee to craft an individualized, site-specific evaluation plan to help generate evidence of intervention impact. Evaluation data strategies will include both qualitative and quantitative approaches, and may include:

• Informant interviews with staff, providers, community members, youth, and other key stakeholders
• Brief surveys
• Pre/post-tests
• Attendance logs
• Qualitative interviews
• Tracking and monitoring of delivery interventions

Expected evaluation data collection will occur throughout the 15-month project period. Grantees will also be required to submit brief monthly progress reports responding to the Evaluation Plan.

No. CSSA Cohort 2.0 is specifically designed to support organizations at various stages of evaluation readiness. The project will consider organizations that are initiating evaluation data collection and in need of analytic and writing support, as well as organizations that are more advanced. UCLA-ISAP will provide substantial evaluation support including evaluation design, data collection methods, analysis, and writing assistance. However, your application will be scored on your organization's existing capacity to collect and manage data (Data Collection and Evaluation Capacity, 10 points), so describe whatever data collection tools or methods you currently use, even if they are basic (e.g., attendance logs, feedback forms, surveys).

UCLA-ISAP staff will enhance provider capacity through mandatory ongoing evaluation training and technical assistance. This includes:

• Optional pre-planning meetings with each grantee site to review general evaluation strategies and skills and develop plans for training and technical assistance
• Monthly Learning Collaboratives (group sessions via Zoom) convened by UCLA-ISAP to promote evaluation, data collection, and reporting skills development and program capacity building
• Monthly individual coaching calls to support the successful rollout of Implementation Plans, ensure compliance with the Scope of Work, participation in trainings, and provision of necessary tailored training and technical assistance
• Individual Planning Session to co-develop a site-specific evaluation plan (December 2026)
• Customized feedback for ongoing data collection and reporting, including support for qualitative and quantitative data analysis

Grantees are required to submit brief monthly progress reports responding to the Evaluation Plan activities identified in their initial work plan. A monthly report template will be provided to all grantees during the optional pre-planning meetings in October 2026. Reports are due on the 4th Monday of each month throughout the grant period and serve as a guide for the monthly coaching meetings, which take place on the 4th Thursday or Friday of each month.

The reporting schedule runs from December 2026 through January 2028, totaling 14 monthly progress reports plus a Final Report due March 1, 2028. Reporting deliverables may be revised as needed to address current situations and high-priority challenges.

Yes. Learning Collaborative sessions are a required activity. Grantees are required to participate monthly in Learning Collaboratives convened by UCLA-ISAP. All Learning Collaboratives will be held online via Zoom, with an expected 60-minute minimum per session. At least one grantee staff member per site must attend each Learning Collaborative. The Learning Collaborative and coaching call schedule will be disseminated at the optional pre-planning meetings in October 2026.

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by email. Awarded organizations may be requested to adjust submitted budgets. Upon approval of a budget that aligns with the awarded amount, a subcontract agreement will be provided. UCLA-ISAP will also provide a list of combined insurance requirements from DHCS and UCLA-ISAP.

The first payment under this agreement is contingent on the execution of the subcontract agreement and receipt of all insurance compliance documents. Selected applicants are expected to comply with all grant requirements, including provisions regarding insurance and indemnification, HIPAA mandates, and fiscal requirements. There is no appeal process for award decisions. Modification of grant terms and conditions will be considered only under exceptional circumstances.

All awarded grantees must comply with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) insurance requirements for vendors and service providers. Contractors are required to carry UC-compliant insurance, including general liability and any applicable coverage, and submit a Certificate of Insurance naming The Regents of the University of California as additional insured prior to contract execution.

Organizations that already maintain insurance policies meeting these requirements need to request that their insurance provider issue an updated Certificate of Insurance listing The Regents of the University of California, UCLA as additionally insured on the certificate. A valid Certificate of Insurance that meets UCLA requirements must be submitted and approved prior to execution of the contract.

Grantees must also comply with the regulations outlined in 42 CFR Part 2, including responsibility for assuring the security and confidentiality of all electronically transmitted patient material, HIPAA privacy and SAMHSA confidentiality rules, and federal or state data reporting requirements.

Yes. This is a deliverable-based subcontract. Upon approval of a budget that aligns with the awarded amount, UCLA-ISAP will provide a subcontract agreement. The contents of the awarded partner's application will become contractual obligations, subject to negotiation. Recipients must demonstrate progress on agreed-upon data collection and reporting tasks in the Scope of Work. No itemized invoices are required for base funding payments, but programs must maintain financial records demonstrating that grant funds were appropriately used only on CSSA-related project work.

Yes. UCLA-ISAP staff have scheduled two proposers' webinars to review the CSSA Cohort 2.0 funding opportunity and the application process and to answer questions. Participation in one of the webinars is strongly recommended.

• Webinar 1: Monday, April 27, 2026, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
• Webinar 2: Monday, May 4, 2026, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Registration links are available in the RFA document. Please review the application materials prior to registering for a webinar.

Yes. In addition to the webinars, office hours will be available to provide additional support on the application process:

• Office Hours 1: Thursday, April 30, 2026, 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
• Office Hours 2: Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.

Registration links are available in the RFA document.

No. Attending a webinar is strongly recommended but is not a requirement for eligibility. The webinars provide an opportunity to learn about the funding opportunity, hear directly from UCLA-ISAP staff about the application process, and ask questions. However, all of the information necessary to complete the application is contained in the RFA document and the online application form.

For questions about the application process or technical issues with the online portal, contact Carissa Loya at cssa@mednet.ucla.edu with the subject line "CSSA Cohort 2.0 Application Online Help."

Applicants are also encouraged to attend one of the scheduled webinars or office hours sessions to ask questions directly of UCLA-ISAP staff.

The RFA uses these terms with specific meanings:

• Intervention: The prevention activity, program, or approach your organization delivers or adapts (e.g., an EBP, CDEP, or locally developed program). This is the focus of evaluation.
• Practice: Used only when referring to EBPs, CDEPs, or interventions that may ultimately be listed as practices on the SUPER website.
• Practice components: The specific skills and strategies that make up your intervention, as described in Appendix B of the RFA.
• Project: Your CSSA Cohort 2.0 evaluation project, meaning the evaluation work you will conduct with UCLA-ISAP, including data collection, analysis, reporting, and technical assistance activities.