Grundy Reporter

Grants are available for schools and agencies that support child and adolescent health, according to an Aug. 8 news release from the Governor’s office. The funding comes from the Center for Disease Control’s COVID-19 Public Health Workforce Supplemental Funding program.

"The Illinois Department of Public Health announced that the State of Illinois is accepting grant applications from schools and organizations that support mental health services for children and teens," said state rep Jackie Haas in a Facebook post.

In her post, Rep. Haas shared a link to a WREX report on grants available to support student mental health services. That article notes that there are two program areas: $6.9 million for Enhancing Post-Covid Recovery Efforts for School-Based Health Needs $3 million for Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Post-COVID-19 The news outlet also quoted Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. 

“We applaud the Biden Administration and CDC for supporting efforts to address the critical issue of children’s mental health at a time when these services are needed across the nation," Vohra said. "Data shows that more than a third of high school students in the country reported poor mental health during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Our goal with this funding is to implement and enhance programs in schools and community agencies that focus on addressing the mental and physical health of school-age children.”

IDPH will be accepting applications from school districts and agencies that support adolescent mental health through September 8. Grant applications will be handled through IDPH's Electronic Grants Administration & Management System (EGrAMS) system That system is available here.

The state expects up to 25 grants for the Enhancing Post-COVID Recovery Efforts for School-Based Health Needs, which can allocate “up to $500,000 per school district or qualifying school affiliated organization to expand workforces, purchase mental health training materials and deploy programs and resources to enhance student mental health.” 

Fifteen grants are available for the $3 million for Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Post-COVID-19. This funding is meant to assist organizations and schools with identifying “mental health issues within school populations and provide education, resources, care coordination, and or training that helps to develop frameworks to prevent adverse childhood experiences and improve mental health outcomes for children and youth in a post-pandemic world.”