Six Grants for Mental Health Treatment and Research

It’s important to talk about mental health treatment. As we’ve seen, COVID-19 has exasperated already overwhelmed healthcare systems. The pandemic has also increased mental health problems across the country. And the statistics point to a deepening crisis. The Kaiser Family Foundation recently put out a study that shows this rise in mental health.

The study showed that from January to June of 2019, 11 percent of adults reported having symptoms of anxiety or depression. However, by January of 2021, that number had reached a startling 41 percent. Mental health issues among young people have skyrocketed as well. “9.7 percent of youth in the U.S. have severe major depression, compared to 9.2 percent in last year’s dataset. This rate was highest among youth who identify as more than one race, at 12.4 percent,” according to Mental Health America. There are programs that aim to address these issues. These programs can provide anything from medical research on how to improve treatments to interventions and help to those who are struggling. And these initiatives need funding.

GrantWatch features a category just for mental health related grants. You can search by state to find a grant more specific to your region. Below are six grants available in the category that focus on funding mental health research and supporting mental health programs.

Mental Health Related Grants

1. There are grants available for U.S. researchers at nonprofits, for-profits, IHE’s, and agencies for research related to mental Illness.
2. Grants of up to $30,000 to U.S. nonprofit organizations, including schools, for programs and services related to improving mental health.
3. And there are also grants for U.S., Canada, and International individuals for research on suicide and suicide prevention.
4. Grants of up to $5,000 to U.S., Canada, and International investigators for research projects on the efficacy of mental health interventions. 
5. Fellowships of $25,000 to U.S., Canada, and International graduate students for research projects in child psychology. 
6. Grants to U.S. public and private schools, LEAs, and charter school management companies to create mental health programs. Funding is intended to ensure children receive mental health services during and after the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

The University of Georgia Receives a Mental Health Grant

The University of Georgia has received a $1.9 million grant from the Human Resources and Services Administration to expand access to behavioral healthcare for rural Georgians. Something that’s become incredibly clear throughout the pandemic is the disparity when accessing healthcare in rural areas of the United States.

The issue in Georgia goes well beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, though it certainly didn’t help. In Georgia, there is a shortage of trained behavioral health professionals. For example, there are only eight Psychiatrists for every 100,000 residents in the state. Georgia even ranks 47 out of 50 for access to mental healthcare in the entire country.

“This grant will use innovative technologies to expand training experiences and support interdisciplinary treatments,” said Principal Investigator Bernadette Heckman, a professor in the UGA Mary Frances Early College of Education. “Students will be trained in and have the opportunity to conduct group tele-therapy, a treatment modality likely to become increasingly common in the future.”

Iowa Department of Education Awards Mental Health Grants

The Governor of Iowa, Kim Reynolds, along with Iowa’s Department of Education, announced that more than $8.6 million in grant funds will go to school districts across Iowa. These funds will provide mental health support and wraparound services for students and their families.

“We have to look at the whole health of every child, and supporting the mental health of Iowa children and families is a top priority of mine,” Reynolds said, “This investment is not only about adapting to the challenges we face today, but it will help schools expand support systems to secure better outcomes moving forward.”

So far, 130 school districts have sent in applications for these funds. All applicants had to display that students and families faced unique mental health challenges due to COVID-19. Priority consideration went to districts that plan to offer direct mental health services to students.