Description

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2020 Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education) - State Education Agency (SEA) grants (Short Title: AWARE-SEA).  The purpose of this program is to build or expand the capacity of State Educational Agencies, in partnership with State Mental Health Agencies (SMHAs) overseeing school-aged youth and with three local education agencies (LEAS), to: (1) increase awareness of mental health issues among school-aged youth; (2) provide training for school personnel and other adults who interact with school-aged youth to detect and respond to mental health issues; and (3) connect school-aged youth, who may have behavioral health issues (including serious emotional disturbance [SED] or serious mental illness [SMI]), and their families to needed services. SAMHSA expects that this program will focus on partnerships and collaboration between state and local systems to promote the healthy development of school-aged youth and prevent youth violence.

Eligibility

Eligibility is limited to:

• The State Education Agency (SEA), as defined by Section 9010(41) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; or
• Education Agencies/Authorities serving children and youth residing in federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) tribes, tribal organizations, and consortia of tribes or tribal organizations.

Recipients who received funding under SM-14-018 (Project AWARE for State Educational Agencies) are eligible to apply but must select three different LEAs to partner with.  Applicants who do not select three different LEAs will be screened-out and not considered for funding.  Recipients who received funding under SM-18-006 or SM-19-003 (Project AWARE for State Education Agencies) are not eligible to apply for funding under this FOA.

Award Information

Funding Mechanism: Grant

Anticipated Total Available Funding: $31,492,000

Anticipated Number of Awards: 17 (at least 3 awards will be made to tribal education agencies/authorities pending sufficient application volume from these groups)

Anticipated Award Amount: From $1,800,000 per year

Length of Project: Up to 5 years

Cost Sharing/Match Required?: No

Proposed budgets cannot exceed $1,800,000 in total costs (direct and indirect) in any year of the proposed project. Annual continuation awards will depend on the availability of funds, recipient progress in meeting project goals and objectives, timely submission of required data and reports, and compliance with all terms and conditions of award.