ONDCP Requests Comments on Drug-Free Communities Data Collection Revisions

Content

ACTION:

60-Day notice and request for comments. Revisions of currently approved collection: Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program
and Community-Based Coalition Enhancement Grants to Address Local Drug Crisis (CARA) Local Drug Crisis Program National Evaluation.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) announces it will
submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) an information collection
request.

DATES:

ONDCP encourages and will accept public comments on or before 60 days after the date of this publication.

ADDRESSES:

Address all comments in writing within 60 days to the Office of Grants and Programs. Email is the most reliable means of communication.
The DFC Program inbox is MBX.ONDCP.DFC@ondcp.eop.gov. Mailing address is: Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Office of Grants and Programs,
Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program, 1800 G Street NW, Suite 9110, Washington, DC 20006.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Abstract: ONDCP administers the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program and Community-Based Coalition Enhancement Grants to Address
Local Drug Crisis (CARA) Local Drug Crisis Programs. The DFC Program has two primary goals: To reduce youth substance abuse,
and to support community anti-drug coalitions by establishing, strengthening, and fostering collaboration among public and
private agencies. The CARA Local Drug Crisis grant program funds current or former DFC grant award recipients to focus on
preventing and reducing the misuse of opioids, prescription medication, and the use of methamphetamines among youth ages 12-18
in communities throughout the United States.

Under reauthorization legislation (21 U.S.C. 1521), Congress mandated an evaluation of the DFC program to determine its effectiveness
in meeting objectives. Under the CARA Local Drug Crisis program statute, CARA Local

Drug Crisis data collection is authorized and required by Public Law 114-198 Sec 103, “a grant under this section shall be
subject to the same evaluation requirements and procedures as the evaluation requirements and procedures imposed on the recipients
of a grant under the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997, and may also include an evaluation of the effectiveness at reducing
abuse of opioids or methamphetamines”. ONDCP awarded a contract for a DFC grant oversight system at the end of 2014, following
a competitive request for proposals process. The DFC Management and Evaluation (DFC Me) system was launched in 2016. An additional
award was made in 2019, with the requirement to include CARA Local Drug Crisis recipients in the system and DFC & CARA Me
continues to be used and updated (https://dfcme.ondcp.eop.gov) regularly to support grant recipients.

The development and implementation of the DFC & CARA Me system provided an improved platform for DFC & CARA recipients to
meet data reporting requirements of the grant, introduced a DFC Learning Center where resources and success stories can be
shared, and strengthened ONDCP's continued oversight of the programs. The data collected through this system is more user
friendly and validates data during entry, therefore reducing the burden on grant award recipients.

ONDCP's Drug-Free Communities office will continue to utilize the case study protocols previously approved by OMB to document
coalition practices, successes and challenges. Approximately nine DFC grant award recipients are selected each year to highlight
in the case studies. The information from the case studies will be used to illustrate not only what works to reduce drug use
in a community setting, but also how and why it works.

The CARA Local Drug Crisis program evaluation makes use of a shortened version of the DFC progress report to support evaluation,
monitoring and tracking of progress annually for grant award recipients and will provide information to ONDCP and the Administration's
effort to address the opioid crisis.

Title of Information Collection: Web based data collection, surveys and interviews of DFC and CARA Local Drug Crisis grant award recipients.

Title: Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program and CARA Local Drug Crisis Program National Cross Site Evaluation.

Frequency: DFC and CARA Local Drug Crisis Program Directors submit annual progress reports via the DFC & CARA Me System. DFC Program
Directors also submit annual Coalition Asset Survey (CAS) data in DFC & CARA Me. Core measures are collected and submitted
every two years in progress reports for both grant programs.

Case study interviews and electronic surveys of Program Directors and electronic surveys of selected coalition members will
be accomplished once a year.

Affected Public: DFC current grant award recipients and CARA Local Drug Crisis grant award recipients (includes both current and former DFC
grant award recipients).

Estimated Burden: ONDCP expects that the time required to complete each DFC annual report via DFC & CARA Me will be approximately 24 hours, and each CAS report will take approximately one hour to complete. Face to face interviews
will take 1-2 hours. The estimated total amount of time required by all DFC respondents over one year, including Program Directors
and recipients to complete DFC & CARA Me, CAS, surveys, and interviews, is 19,642 hours. ONDCP expects that the time required
to complete each CARA Local Drug Crisis annual report via DFC & CARA Me will be approximately 10 hours, with an estimated
total time for all respondents to complete of 640 hours. The combined hour burden is 19,642 hours.

Goals: ONDCP intends to use the data of the DFC & CARA National Evaluations to assess each Program's effectiveness in preventing
and reducing youth substance use. Two primary objectives of the evaluation are to: (1) Regularly monitor, measure and analyze
data in order to report on the progress of each program and its recipients on program goals, and (2) providing technical assistance
support to grant award recipients in effectively collecting and submitting data and in understanding the role of data in driving
local coalition efforts. In addition, ONDCP intends to use the data from the CARA Local Drug Crisis grant award recipients
to inform ONDCP and the Administration's efforts to address the opioid crisis.

Comment Request: ONDCP especially invites comments on: Whether the proposed data are proper for the functions of the agency; whether the information
will have practical utility; the accuracy of ONDCP's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including
the validity of the methodology and assumptions; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be
collected; and, ways to ease the burden on proposed respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other
forms of information technology. Comments will be accepted for sixty days.

Dated: April 20, 2026. Dario Camacho, General Counsel. [FR Doc. 2026-07859 Filed 4-22-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3280-F5-P

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