Gov. Pritzker, IDPH Announce $3.5M to Boost Mental Health Services for Youth Across Illinois

Funding Intended to Aid Post-COVID-19 Mental Health Services for Illinois Children and Adolescents

CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced today that the State of Illinois has awarded $3.5 million in funding to 19 different applicants across the state to support post-pandemic child and adolescent health. The size of the grants ranges from $92,000 to $200,000. The new round of grants follows $9.5 million in grants that were primarily federally funded to 40 organizations around the state announced last week.

Of the new round of grants, 41% are awarded to behavioral health treatment centers, 21% to  schools, 21% to healthcare groups, 11% to local health departments and 5% to colleges. The grants are funded by the state of Illinois and are intended to strengthen post-COVID-19 recovery efforts for school-based health needs and for preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences in the post-pandemic era.

“The last few years have been a difficult time for all of us, and this is especially true for our youth,” Governor Pritzker said. “The state of Illinois is stepping up and providing this vital support that will strengthen school-based programs and local agencies that serve the mental health needs of young people across Illinois.”

“IDPH is dedicated to addressing the mental health needs of children and young people who have been through a very challenging and disruptive time as a result of the pandemic,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “We are very pleased to be able to support these thoughtful and innovative strategies to strengthen child and adolescent health.” 

The funding opportunity was overseen by IDPH’s Office of Women’s Health & Family Services. More than 50 percent of the applicants for the funding opportunity are receiving funding.

See below for list of grantees and funding amounts: