The San Diego Foundation announced March 4 that it will offer $1.5 million in grants to expand support for mental and behavioral health services for children and families in the region.
“San Diego Foundation is committed to supporting children and families furthest from opportunity to ensure they have a bright future and thrive in our region,” said Pamela Gray Payton, vice president, chief impact and partnerships officer. “Our investment in this work with our nonprofit partners is reflective of the critical need in our community, now and in the future.”
Awarded grants will go to support programs that advance access to mental/behavioral and early relational health services for families and children of all ages. The grant will focus on two primary categories:
✔ Nonprofit service providers providing mental/behavioral and early relational health services that promote and destigmatize access to care through culturally responsive and trauma-informed practices for children and youth of all ages and their families.
✔ Organizations that provide paid stipends to individuals pursuing careers in mental and behavioral health professions.
Nonprofit organizations providing services in San Diego County are invited to apply for a grant. Successful proposals should focus on the needs of young children, youths, parents, caregivers and/or the providers who support them. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m, March 28. Grant applications are available at SDFoundation.org/apply.
According to the San Diego Workforce Partnership’s San Diego Behavioral Health Workforce Report, the San Diego region will need an estimated 18,500 additional mental and behavioral health professionals by 2027. To support mental and behavioral health workforce development in the region, the report recommends student stipends to support transportation, childcare, and other critical needs to provide much-needed financial support to students.
Additionally, the lack of diversity among mental and behavioral health professionals remains an issue in the region. In 2021, the American Psychological Association found that more than 80% of the country’s workforce are comprised of white professionals compared to the 5% of Black and African American professionals.
Since 2017, the San Diego Foundation has granted $7.6 million through 128 grants to nonprofits providing mental and behavioral health support and services to local families through the Early Childhood Initiative and the Healthy Children & Families Initiative.
This work benefiting children and families in San Diego County aligns with Fifty & Forward, a multiyear grantmaking and fundraising campaign that the foundation originally launched in 2021 and publicly announced in 2024. The goal of the campaign is to partner with donors to grant $500 million to local nonprofits supporting education, children and families, and the environment. To date, $335 million has been granted.
More information is available at SDFoundation.org/50.
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