Mental Health Professional Demonstration Grant (MHSP)

This competition has three absolute priorities and three competitive preference priorities.

Absolute Priorities

• Absolute Priority 1: Expand Capacity of High-need LEAs: Projects that propose to expand the capacity of high-need LEAs in partnership with eligible IHEs to train school-based mental health services providers, with the goal of expanding the number of these professionals available to address the shortages of school-based mental health services providers in high-need schools.
• Absolute Priority 2: Applications From New Potential Grantees: The applicant does not, as of the deadline date for submission of applications, have an active grant, including through membership in a group application submitted under the program from which it seeks funds.
• Absolute Priority 3: Applications from Grantees that Are Not New Potential Grantees: The applicant has, as of the deadline date for submission of applications, an active grant, including through membership in a group application submitted under the program from which it seeks funds.

Competitive Preference Priorities

• Competitive Preference Priority 1: Increase the Number of Qualified School Based Mental Health Services Providers in High-Need LEAs Who Are from Diverse Backgrounds or from Communities Served by the High-Need LEAs (Up to 5 points): Projects that propose to increase the number of qualified school-based mental health services providers in high-need LEAs who are from diverse backgrounds or who are from communities served by the high-need LEAs.
• Competitive Preference Priority 2: Promote Inclusive Practices (Up to 5 points): Projects that propose to provide evidence-based pedagogical practices in mental health services provider preparation programs or professional development programs that are inclusive with regard to race, ethnicity, culture, language, disability, and for students who identify as LGBTQI+, and that prepare school-based mental health services providers to create culturally and linguistically inclusive and identity-safe environments for students when providing services.
  Competitive Preference Priority 3: Partnerships with HBCUs, TCUs, or other MSIs (0 or 5 points): Applicants that propose to implement their projects by or in partnership with one or more of the following entities: (1) Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), (2) Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), or (3) Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs).