Which funding sources can support peer services?
The right source depends on your organization, location, and proposed services. Possibilities include federal grants, opioid settlement allocations, state and local behavioral health funding, and foundation grants. Check the current opportunity before assuming that your organization or a particular cost qualifies.
For example, a 2026 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) notice explicitly included peer recovery support services. That application round has closed. Pennsylvania has also used opioid settlement funds for a recovery drop-in center whose services include peer support. These examples show possible routes, not a universal funding rule or an open application.
What should a peer support funding proposal include?
A proposal should show how funding becomes a working service, not just why the service matters. Connect the people you intend to serve, the work peers will do, the requested costs, and the evidence you can realistically collect.
| Proposal element | What to prepare |
|---|---|
| Community need | Who the program will serve, the gap it addresses, and how the community helped identify that need. |
| Service plan | What peer support specialists will do, how participants will reach them, and how the team will be supported. |
| Budget | Staffing, implementation, technology, and evaluation costs tied to the proposed work. |
| Evidence of progress | Goals, service outputs, meaningful outcomes, and a feasible way to collect required information. |
| Sustainability | The capacity, partnerships, and potential funding paths that could carry the work beyond the first award. |
Budget and reporting requirements differ by opportunity. SAMHSA's Notice of Funding Opportunity Application Guide, for instance, covers budget justification and funding restrictions for its grants. Use the rules for the specific award you are pursuing.
How can grant-funded peer services last beyond an award?
Build the operating plan while you build the funding request. Decide how peers will document services, how supervisors will see what needs attention, and how the organization will report progress without reducing relationships to a single number.
Outputs such as people reached and services delivered matter. So do participant-defined goals, ongoing engagement, and the context behind a change. A useful measurement plan makes room for both, while following the award's actual reporting requirements. It should work during ordinary peer support, not create a separate scramble at the end of a reporting period.
Plan for what follows the first award, too. That may mean stronger referral partnerships, another funding cycle, or other revenue sources where the program and applicable rules allow them. No single grant creates sustainability by itself.
How can Peerakeet help with a funding proposal?
Peerakeet can help make your program and its operating needs easier to explain. Support is tailored to the opportunity and may include the following:
Make the program clear
Proposal-ready language describing Peerakeet, implementation, and the peer services your team plans to deliver.
Build the budget case
Budget language and cost justification that connect requested resources to the proposed work.
Define evidence and continuity
Goals, objectives, outputs, outcomes, evaluation and data-collection frameworks, and a plan beyond the initial award.
Strengthen the submission
Review of an existing proposal, supporting documentation, and letters of support when appropriate. A fuller writing partnership may be available for select opportunities.
Peerakeet also helps teams connect implementation, everyday documentation, engagement, and outcome reporting. For a closer look at the technology questions, see our grant-funded peer software guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can opioid settlement funds support peer services?
They can in some programs, but not every expense or organization is eligible. Check the approved uses and local allocation process for the specific funds you are pursuing.
Can a grant pay for Peerakeet?
Possibly. The specific award must permit the cost, and the proposed budget must justify how it supports the project. A grant for peer services does not automatically make every technology expense allowable.
SAMHSA's application guide on budgets and funding restrictions
Will Peerakeet write the entire grant application?
A full grant-development and writing partnership may be available for select opportunities. We would agree on the scope with your team before that work begins.
Does Peerakeet guarantee funding?
No. We can help your team explain the program, budget, and evidence plan, but the funder makes the award decision.
Sources
Primary sources reviewed September 16, 2026. Funding terms and available opportunities can change.
- Recovery Community Services Program, 2026 notice, SAMHSA.
- Notice of Funding Opportunity Application Guide, SAMHSA.
- Northumberland County recovery drop-in center funding announcement, Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, May 20, 2026.
About Peerakeet
Peerakeet builds software for peer support organizations. Our team includes Tim Balow, whose experience includes more than 15 years leading peer workforce operations, training programs, and recovery initiatives.