Mental Health Grants Latest to be Cut by ED

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) plans to cancel $1 billion in school mental health grants. This week, grantees received notices that the School-Based Mental Health Grants and the Mental Health Services Professionals Grant Program will not be continued past the current contract year because, according to ED, the grants do not follow the Trump Administration’s interpretation of civil rights laws and do not meet the standards of merit and fairness in federal grantmaking.

These grants, created in response to the Uvalde school shootings and authorized by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, were meant to improve the supply of qualified mental health professionals in schools, including school psychologists, counselors, and more. Existing grants were in the middle of a multi-year cycle, and many preservice mental health professionals could soon find themselves without funding midway through preparation programs, straining their ability to become fully certified and credentialed to work in school settings.

ED has indicated that it plans to redesign the grant program and start a new competition at a later date.