Overview

Goal: To support preventive and early intervention children’s mental health services that are comprehensive, coordinated and provided at the community level, ensuring that children and their families receive mental health and supportive services necessary for leading healthy and productive lives.

One in ten children and adolescents nationally suffer from a mental illness severe enough to cause some level of impairment, but only 20 percent of these youth receive services. Most mental health resources have focused on serving the sickest, rather than on prevention. Yet, research shows that prevention services, offered at very young ages, are critical to helping children with emerging mental health issues.

Lutheran Foundation has identified children’s mental health, with an emphasis on prevention and early intervention services, as one of our new funding focus areas. There exists great opportunity to replicate effective programs and, in particular, involve the faith community in the delivery of such services.

We look to accomplish this by supporting services that are:

Family-driven or focused,
Culturally competent,
Developmentally appropriate, and
Evidenced-based/informed and/or utilize best or promising practices.

Funding preference will be given to preschools, childcare centers, schools, as well as non-traditional mental health providers such as youth/community centers, afterschool programs, and churches.

To learn more about our new strategic funding plan, click here.

Overview Funding Strategy How to Apply Grant Application Resources