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Grantee Spotlight: School-Based Mental Health Prevention Grantees

Interact for Health is thrilled to announce an additional $1M investment in School-Based Mental Health Prevention. This announcement is the second wave of community grants announced this year and follows a recent $3.7M investment in community organizations with a diverse range of initiatives, including mental health, policy and systems change and narrative change.

This second round of grants will expand mental health prevention services in over 40 Ohio and Kentucky schools in Greater Cincinnati. Interact for Health is working to respond to increasing mental health needs with urgency and creativity.

“We’re thrilled to help expand mental health prevention services in our region’s schools. The urgency of needs among our youth calls all of us to respond with equal urgency – and to provide support in the places and spaces where youth are most comfortable,” said Interact President and CEO, Kate Schroder.

While investments in treatment programs are critical and ongoing, prevention efforts are effective for over 90% of students, according to the Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports Framework. Grant participants are not only providing support for students, but also for educators and caregivers who are also impacted by youth mental health outcomes and are important partners in prevention.

“This grant will allow the Preston Brown Foundation to significantly expand our universal School-Based Mental Health prevention programming, providing essential tools, resources and training to students and the dedicated teachers who serve them. The funding empowers us to refine and expand our evaluation processes, essential for determining effectiveness and driving continuous improvement,” said Patrice McDowell-Brown, Executive Director of the Preston Brown Foundation.

Please join us in congratulating our School-Based Youth Mental Health Prevention partners, who are committed to promoting positive social, emotional and behavioral wellness:

1N5 ($200K) –

Through their program Building Resiliency in Youth, 1N5 seeks to improve students' level of knowledge and efficacy to cope with and receive help for mental, emotional, and social stressors that may contribute to mental distress and normalize mental health and break down barriers that prevent youth from seeking help.

Best Point ($108K) –

With this funding, Best Point aims to integrate trauma-informed care and evidence-based prevention programs within their School-Based Behavioral Health programs. This funding will allow the expansion of Best Point's programs with up to six additional schools to instill a caring and empathetic environment for students who have undergone adverse experiences.

Child Focus ($192K) –

Child Focus is expanding their Signs of Suicide Prevention (SOS) Program - which teaches students to identify signs and symptoms in themselves or a friend and to reach out for help from a trusted adult. SOS combines two powerful suicide prevention strategies: universal education about depression and suicide and the importance of seeking help, and depression screening to identify students in need.

Family Nurturing Center of Kentucky ($157K) –

Family Nurturing Center will collaborate with Learning Grove to provide site-based services in two of their 14 locations for preschoolers.  A trained specialist will be on site two days per week at each location, with the fifth day available for teacher consultation and training, staff meetings and parent meetings.

Preston Brown Foundation ($150K) –

Preston Brown Foundation will expand its REFUEL and Rally Champs programs. REFUEL trains sports coaches to train in mental health first aid and provides mindfulness and resiliency training to students. Rally Champs focuses its efforts on recruiting mentors for students and providing those mentors with mental health first aid. Both programs aim to normalize conversations regarding mental health, improve awareness of available services and increase parental and community involvement in youth mental health programming.

Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Programs (UMADAOP) ($200K) –

With this initiative -- Extended School-Based Prevention and Mental Health Wellness Kinship Wraparound Programming-- UMADAOP is working to mitigate the risk factors and enhance protective factors to reduce the increasing rates of youth substance use and behavioral and mental health needs. The goal is to equip youth with strategies for making healthy choices and problem-solving.

We’re thrilled to follow the success of these partners as they continue to do this crucial work to protect and improve youth mental health across our region. To learn more about Interact for Health’s partner organizations, visit interactforhealth.org/2023grantees.

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