Every year, CADCA’s annual report is a chance to take a step back and look at what we’ve built together and where the organization is going next. Between shifting federal funding and evolving community needs, 2025 pushed us to rethink priorities and adapt to the changing landscape. 

One of the biggest milestones of the year was launching CADCA’s Coalition Competencies, a research-backed framework developed in partnership with the Center for Public Health Systems Science at Washington University in St. Louis. Drawing on more than three years of research and input from coalition leaders nationwide, the competencies define the core knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for effective coalition work. To help put these into practice, we also introduced Competencies in Focus, a monthly webinar series walking through all 18 competencies with real-world examples.  

Despite the absence of National Coalition Institute funding in 2025, CADCA stepped up to ensure Drug-Free Communities grantees didn’t lose access to critical training. All three cohorts of the National Coalition Academy sold out, a clear signal of how much the field depends on and trusts CADCA trainings.  

The Opioid Coalition Academy continued expanding with targeted trainings in Michigan, New Jersey, and Wisconsin, while the Building Communities for Better Health program wrapped up 2.5 years of work with seven Missouri Health departments, resulting in three new smokefree ordinances adopted by participating communities.  

Advocacy remained a cornerstone of our work as well. Capitol Hill Day drew more than 2,200 participants, who took their prevention stories directly to members of Congress. On the policy front, CADCA spearheaded a coalition of 81 state and national organizations in support of closing the harmful hemp loophole created by the 2018 Farm Bill, backed an amendment in the FY2026 Agriculture Appropriations Bill, and mobilized over 1,000 comments to the Trump administration opposing marijuana rescheduling. 

CADCA also championed the Keeping Drugs Out of Schools Act (KDOSA), which passed the Senate as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. While the bill did not ultimately become law, CADCA’s public policy team is committed to finding new avenues to advance this critical legislation. 

Our signature events reached new heights in 2025. The National Leadership Forum welcomed over 4,000 attendees from across the globe for more than 100 workshops and plenary sessions in the Washington, DC area. The results speak for themselves: 93% of respondents said Forum increased their capacity to address substance misuse prevention, and 94% said they would attend again. The Mid-Year Training Institute in Nashville, TN brought together more than 2,000 attendees, with 98% agreeing the event provided useful training to support their work. 

In 2025, CADCA’s international reach expanded in meaningful ways. The Training of Trainers program connected prevention leaders across more than 15 countries, completing the formal instructional phase for 31 trainers working to localize the coalition model in their communities. We launched CADCA en Español, providing culturally grounded coalition training and tools for Spanish-speaking communities at home and abroad. CADCA also signed a landmark cooperation agreement with the University of Guayaquil in Ecuador, opening prevention-focused opportunities to more than 60,000 students. 

A University of Texas multinational evaluation reinforced the data behind CADCA’s model: coalitions trained by CADCA are 2x more likely to reduce drug access and 2.7x more likely to reduce crime, delivering a 2:1 return on investment. 

The future of prevention lives in young people, and CADCA made significant investments in youth leadership last year. The National Youth Action Council and the Youth Engagement Advisory Council engaged youth and adult mentors from 15 states and Puerto Rico. The International Youth Advisory Council expanded to 11 countries, and programs like Upstream Kansas, Take Back Your 10 in Maryland, and the Voices of Youth Program continued equipping young leaders with the skills and confidence to drive change in their own communities. 

Read the full 2025 Annual Report and join us as the circle continues to grow.