Funding Mental Health in Schools: Navigating the Maze (and Finding the Money Now!)

K12 administrators wear many hats. But few tasks feel heavier than ensuring our students' mental well-being. We witness the impact of anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges firsthand, knowing they often stem from unmet needs and impede academic success, social development, and school safety. Yet, securing the resources to address these issues often feels like navigating a labyrinth with limited light and an ever-shrinking budget.

The challenges are real:

• Competing priorities: Every dollar feels stretched thin, especially in this fiscal “cliff” year. With critical needs like technology and infrastructure repairs vying for attention, mental health programs can easily get pushed aside, seen as "nice-to-haves" rather than essential investments for learning.
• Stigma and misinformation: Mental health issues still carry a stigma, making it difficult to garner support from some stakeholders who may not fully understand the scope of the problem or the benefits of intervention. 
• Securing Funding is Cumbersome: While grants exist, they are often competitive and require significant time and expertise to secure. The application process can feel like a full-time job, further straining already overloaded administrators. 

Help is Here, and The Time is Now!

Funding experts are available to help you navigate the funding process, but the time is now to reach out for partnerships for key safety and wellness grants.

STOPit Funding Experts work directly with districts and education service agencies (IUs, BOCES, ISDs, ESDs, regional coops) and can assist you in securing funding for STOPit safety and wellness products. Our teams help identify funding sources and manage the entire funding process, from grant writing to project implementation to closing out.

The STOPit Team can also help you extend the use of your ESSER funds for safety and wellness products.

Funding is Available If You Can Access It

Some of the grants available to schools for student mental health and safety programs include:

• ESSER extension for subscription services
• Project SERV (School Emergency Response to Violence)
• STOP School Violence (STOP-DOJ)
• School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP-COPS)
• Additional grant opportunities are available by state

Let Us Help You – STOPit’s Funding Partnership Program

With our funding program, we do the work for you. We help you:

• Select the right STOPit programs and services to fit your safety & wellness needs
• Manage the funding process – from registration to application, to award, and implementation
• Deliver, train, and sustain the programs for your students, staff, and families