Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board offering grants of up to $50,000 for campaigns to discourage underage alcohol use

Last year, some of the other organizations that received grants from the PLCB included: Bucks County Drug and & Alcohol Commission; Carnegie Mellon University; Kutztown University and Temple University.

But the grants are also open to school districts, trade schools, municipalities or law enforcement agencies, along with for-profit companies.

Other examples of programs created with funds from the PLCB are a marketing campaign called “The Power of Parents,” designed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD),  and college alcohol assessment surveys, along with peer education and training funds.

In addition, police departments have used the grants for increasing patrols and creating alcohol education programs.

Since 1999, when the grant program began, the PLCB has awarded $21.1 million.

Aside from the grants, the PCLB educates the public about underage and dangerous alcohol in several other ways, such as its Responsible Alcohol Management Program (RAMP), its award-winning alcohol prevention program known as Know When. Know How., which targets underaged drinking, and an annual alcohol conference.

According to Kelly, the conference explores best practices and the latest information about which techniques work well in a particular community. The PLCB also partners with schools, community groups, police and its licensees to prevent dangerous and underage alcohol use.

In the commonwealth, the PLCB regulates the distribution of alcoholic beverages, operates 600 wine and spirits stores and licenses 20,000 alcohol handlers, producers and retailers.

Since its inception, the PLCB has returned a total of $20.3 billion in taxes and store profits to the state’s General Fund, which finances schools, health and human services, law enforcement, public safety and other initiatives.

The PLCB seeks organizations to submit funding proposals for 2024-2026. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m., Friday, March 15. They pay a maximum of $25,000 a year over a two-year period.