Model Acts | MODEL ACTS 2021

Model Acts Grant Opportunity FAQs

1) What is the Model Acts grant opportunity?

The Model Acts opportunity is a discretionary federal funding program run by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). It is designed to fund one nonprofit organization to help states strengthen and modernize laws and policies related to illicit drugs through research, model legislation, technical assistance, and a public resource center.

2) What is the purpose of this program?

The program supports a national nonprofit partner that can act as a hub for legal research and practical policy solutions. The funded organization is expected to advise states on establishing or improving drug-related laws and policies, update existing model state drug laws, and create new or supplemental model laws that reflect emerging drug-use trends and evolving issues.

3) What legal authority supports this program?

The opportunity is grounded in federal statute at 21 U.S.C. 1703(i), which authorizes ONDCP to partner with a nonprofit organization to support states with drug-related laws and policies and to develop and update model state drug laws.

4) How many awards does ONDCP expect to make?

ONDCP anticipates making a single award under this opportunity.

5) Is this funding a standard grant or a cooperative agreement?

The funding is expected to be issued as one cooperative agreement, not a standard grant. This means ONDCP anticipates substantial involvement in the project through collaboration, participation, and possible intervention as the work is carried out.

6) What is the total anticipated funding amount?

The total anticipated award is up to $2,500,000.

7) What is the project period?

The planned project period is 24 months, expected to run approximately from July 2021 through June 2023.

8) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants are limited to nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status. Institutions of higher education are excluded as direct applicants under this opportunity.

9) Are universities or law schools allowed to participate at all?

Yes. While institutions of higher education are excluded as direct applicants, the opportunity strongly encourages partnership with academia through subawards (for example, funding work performed by law school clinics).

10) Can renewal or supplementation applications be submitted?

Yes. Renewal or supplementation applications can compete alongside new applications.

11) What kinds of work is the selected nonprofit expected to deliver?

The awardee is expected to deliver work across four main performance areas: (1) research and analysis, (2) drafting and revising model legislation, (3) technical assistance, and (4) maintaining a public-facing Model Acts Resource Center.

12) What is required under the research and analysis performance area?

The organization must conduct timely, ongoing research on state illicit drug laws, policies, and programs, particularly those tied to current and emerging drug issues. The organization must also clearly describe and document how it decides which model laws to develop, including the criteria used to prioritize topics and select areas for new or revised model legislation.

13) Is the research expected to be purely academic?

No. The research function is intended to directly inform practical legislative and policy solutions that states can adopt or adapt, rather than serving as a purely academic exercise.

14) What is required under drafting and revising model legislation?

The awardee must draft new model state laws addressing evolving illicit drug challenges, revise existing model acts, or develop supplemental provisions when updates are necessary due to changes in policy landscapes or drug-use patterns. The work product is expected to be usable by states in real legislative settings, and the organization is expected to help move model legislation toward real-world enactment.

15) What is meant by technical assistance in this opportunity?

Technical assistance is broadly framed and must be delivered by subject matter experts with proven experience drafting model illicit drug laws and familiarity with state legislative priorities, policy environments, and program considerations. It can include responding to requests from the public and from people representing legislatures and other organizations.

16) What documentation is required for technical assistance activities?

Technical assistance must be carefully documented for reporting purposes. Documentation requirements include: who received the assistance (name and type of recipient), what kind of assistance was provided, feedback from the recipient, and what resulted from the assistance. Applicants are expected to explain in their proposals how they will collect, manage, and report this information reliably.

17) What is the Model Acts Resource Center?

The Model Acts Resource Center is a public-facing, web-based repository that the awardee must maintain. It is expected to house state illicit drug laws and related statutes, policies, and programs, along with supporting materials such as studies, maps, tables, and other relevant drug-related information.

18) What usability expectations apply to the Resource Center website?

The site must be easy for the public to access, and materials should be readily downloadable. The awardee is expected to publish research and updates online and to make state statutes and case law available as much as possible.

19) How should the awardee handle state case law and copyright limits?

The awardee is expected to develop and disseminate state statutes and case law as much as possible while recognizing that copyright or other usage rights may limit what can be posted verbatim. Where case law is not clearly in the public domain or cannot be reproduced directly, the organization may need to provide abstracts or summaries of relevant decisions.

20) Does the opportunity require active distribution of materials, or only posting them online?

It requires more than archiving content online. The awardee must create a schedule to distribute state law reference documents and related materials to state and local officials, drug-sector professionals, and other interested audiences so the information is actively delivered to users.

21) What preference factors does ONDCP highlight?

ONDCP gives priority to proposals that include subawards to at least five law school clinics. ONDCP also expresses a strong preference for applicants with a demonstrated history of successfully facilitating enactment of model laws and with established relationships with law school clinics.

22) What does ONDCP mean by wanting the awardee to help model legislation reach enactment?

The opportunity emphasizes that the nonprofit should not only draft model laws but also provide hands-on support and practical assistance aimed at helping states adopt or adapt model legislation in real legislative and policy environments.

23) What federal rules govern administrative and financial requirements for this award?

The opportunity is governed by standard federal financial assistance rules, including the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements at 2 CFR Part 200, as adopted by ONDCP through 2 CFR Part 3603.

24) What appropriations authority is associated with this opportunity?

The underlying appropriations authority is tied to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260).

25) What is the CFDA listing information for this opportunity?

The opportunity includes CFDA 95.006.

26) What was the original application closing date mentioned?

The original application closing date referenced is June 10, 2021.

27) What is ONDCP ultimately trying to fund through this opportunity?

ONDCP is designed to fund one national nonprofit partner that can combine policy research, expert legal drafting, direct technical assistance, and a robust public information platform to help states respond quickly and coherently to changing illicit drug challenges.