The Putnam County P.I.E. Coalition recently announced the availability of grants to help persons, agencies, or organizations develop and implement programs to reduce the amount of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use and abuse in Putnam County.

Applicants must address at least one of the following areas:

-- Prevention/Education -- programs aimed at preventing alcohol abuse and other drug use in groups of people who are not currently using alcohol and/or other drugs,

-- Intervention/Treatment -- programs focusing on methods of intervention and/or treatment in groups of people using or abusing alcohol and/or other drugs or at a significant known risk to use, and

-- Law Enforcemtn/Justice -- programs addressing methods to increase efforts in law enforcement and/or criminal justice aimed at reducing alcohol and other drugs.

The grant cycle is for a nine-month period, beginning April 1, 2007 and ending Dec. 31, 2007. Grant requests of up to $1,500 will be considered.

Applications may be obtained by calling Dawn Wordsworth-Wade, P.I.E. Coalition Coordinator, at 765-795-5405.

The application and an additional copy including a detailed budget by Feb. 28, 2007. Grant announcements will be made in March.

Grantees will be required to make a brief presentation about their grant at the annual P.I.E. meeting along with an update on the grant's progress. A final report is required no later than Jan. 31, 2008.

The annual P.I.E. meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 19, in the main dining room at Autumn Glenn. The coalition will hear from its 2006 grant recipient's and from the six winners of its fourth- and fifth-grade drug-free essay contest.

For more information on the grant applications, call Wordsworth-Wade at 765-795-5405.