Children's Mental Health Initiative

The Children’s Mental Health Initiative (CMHI), administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is designed to strengthen comprehensive community-based mental health services for children and youth from birth through age 21 who have serious emotional disturbances (SED). This includes early identification and services for children and young adults at risk of developing SED. CMHI reflects SAMHSA’s broader mission of improving access to quality mental health services and aligns with key strategic priorities, including addressing serious mental illness and enhancing evidence-based treatments. Implementation of the program is guided by the Systems of Care (SOC) model, which is centered on providing family-driven, youth-guided, community-based, and culturally responsive care. Under this initiative, applicants must establish a local SOC that is built through formal agreements among public entities, nonprofit partners, and cross-system agencies to coordinate a full continuum of mental health services. Required services must include diagnostic evaluations, outpatient therapy (individual, group, family), emergency crisis care, intensive home-based support, intensive day treatment, respite care, therapeutic foster and residential services, and transition assistance for aging out of child services. These services must be family-centered and delivered in the least restrictive environment appropriate for the child. All applicants are required to establish a single point of access through which services are provided. Notably, states must select at least two distinct jurisdictions for implementation, and may not replicate prior CMHI award coverage areas. To ensure sustainable infrastructure and effective oversight, each funded project must implement a governance board, maintain partnerships with cross-sector agencies, develop and track individualized service plans, and provide case management or intensive care coordination. A Digital Behavioral-Health Safety and Social Media Risk Mitigation Plan must also be developed to address mental health risks associated with technology and online platforms. SAMHSA emphasizes that grantees must comply with federal requirements regarding data privacy, program integrity, and prohibitions on funding activities that promote racial preferences, deny biological sex, or support harm reduction or "housing first" models not aligned with accountability and recovery. Eligible applicants include state governments (including U.S. territories and freely associated states), political subdivisions of states (e.g., counties, cities), and federally recognized Indian tribes or tribal organizations. At least three awards are reserved for tribal applicants, contingent upon the volume of submissions. Award ceilings vary by applicant type: up to $3,000,000 per year for state governments and up to $1,000,000 per year for political subdivisions or tribal applicants. Each project may span up to four years, with matching fund requirements in place: a 1:3 non-federal to federal match in years 1–3 and a 1:1 match in year 4. Annual continuation of funding depends on satisfactory progress, data reporting, and alignment with SAMHSA and federal priorities. The application process requires submission through Grants.gov by April 20, 2026, with awards expected by September 1, 2026 and projects beginning September 30, 2026. Applicants must also coordinate with their state’s Single Point of Contact for compliance with Executive Order 12372 and submit a Public Health System Impact Statement to relevant agencies. Required documents include a project narrative, budget narrative, timeline, biographical sketches, certifications, and letters of commitment. No applications will be considered from entities previously funded under the FY 2023 or FY 2024 CMHI opportunity (SM-23-013). Grantees must report quarterly data via SAMHSA’s SPARS system and submit annual programmatic progress reports, culminating in a final report at the end of the funding period. Applicants are encouraged to propose evidence-based or community-defined practices and will be evaluated on their proposed interventions, capacity for implementation, sustainability planning, and adherence to program expectations. SAMHSA will play an active role post-award, engaging in ongoing technical assistance, data oversight, and program monitoring. A grantee meeting (in-person or virtual) is also expected during the project period. The CMHI funding opportunity remains a critical mechanism for strengthening the behavioral health infrastructure for young populations and improving long-term mental health outcomes through community partnership and coordinated systems of care.

Ensure application aligns with SAMHSA Strategic Priorities and EO guidance; failure to comply with prohibited activity clauses will result in disqualification