Community members invited to review proposals on Substance Use Prevention Program Services to Serve American Indian Populations


Community members invited to review proposals on Substance Use Prevention Program Services to Serve American Indian Populations

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is looking for community members to review proposals related to the Substance Use Prevention Program Services to Serve American Indian Populations grant. Eligible reviewers may receive a stipend upon completion of the grant review process.Reviewers should have professional, community, volunteer, personal or lived experience related to substance use prevention within American Indian communities. This may include Tribal members, substance use prevention professionals, Tribal program staff, Urban American Indian organization staff, cultural advisors, community leaders, individuals with lived experience and others who work directly with American Indian communities.

Employees of organizations applying for this grant may serve as reviewers. In all cases, requirements must be met to ensure there is no conflict of interest. All reviewers will be required to sign the DHS conflict of interest policy attesting that no conflicts exist with the proposals they review.

Reviewers can strengthen their grant writing skills and gain insight into the application process through the experience of reviewing proposals. Other benefits include:

Expanded subject matter knowledge: Learn about substance use prevention needs, service gaps, culturally responsive approaches and potential community-based solutions.

Larger network of contacts: Connect with Tribal members, community partners and professionals working to strengthen substance use prevention services for American Indian populations.

Make a direct impact: Provide a community perspective and help inform substance use prevention programming serving American Indian communities.

The RFP application deadline is Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. Participating reviewers will receive training resources and instructions before the review process begins. Reviewers will be responsible for reviewing and scoring proposals through a DHS grant management website. The time required to review each proposal may vary, but reviewers should plan for approximately 1-2 hours per proposal.

Potential reviewers should complete the 2026 SUBG American Indian Prevention RFP Reviewers, and DHS will contact applicants to confirm selections and provide additional information about the review timeline and expectations.

For questions about serving as a reviewer, email American.Indian.Team.DHS with the subject line “Substance Use Prevention American Indian RFP Reviewer Question(s).”