On September 1, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced $47.6 million in new grant funding opportunities stemming from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (S.2938), which was enacted in June 2022 and implements changes to the mental health care system, school safety programs and gun safety laws.

Available funding for counties includes:

• $37.6 million within Project Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education (AWARE) to develop a sustainable infrastructure for school-based mental health programs and services. Grant recipients must build collaborative partnerships with a variety of stakeholders to promote the healthy social and emotional development of school-aged youth and prevent youth violence in school settings. HHS anticipates awarding up to $1.8 million annually to around 20 awardees for up to four years. County governments are eligible to apply for these funds by the deadline of October 13, 2022.
• $10 million for the Resiliency in Communities after Stress and Trauma (ReCAST) grant program, which helps assist high-risk youth and families by promoting resilience and equity in communities that have recently faced civil unrest, community violence, and/or collective trauma. Grant recipients will implement evidence-based violence prevention and community youth engagement programs. HHS anticipates awarding $1 million per year to ten awardees for up to four years. County governments are eligible to apply for these funds by the deadline of October 17, 2022.

Along with these new grant opportunities, HHS awarded $40.2 million in youth mental health grants during the month of August, with county governments among some of the award recipients. More information about these awards can be found here.

Counties are integral to the nation’s behavioral health system, investing annually more than $100 billion in community health systems, including mental health and addiction services. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the nation’s ongoing mental health crisis and exposed key gaps in access and coverage to behavioral and mental health services, with children and young adults disproportionately affected. NACo will continue to monitor federal funding opportunities to support counties in building more effective youth mental health systems.  

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• NACo Blog: HHS Announces First-Ever Behavioral Health Recovery Innovation Challenge
• NACo Blog: President Biden announces strategy to address the national mental health crisis
• NACo Blog: Congress clears bipartisan gun reform legislation
• NACo Policy Brief: Enhance Counties' Ability to Prevent and Treat Mental Illness and Substance Abuse Disorders