Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Office of Safe and Supportive Schools: Mental Health Service Professional (MHSP) Demonstration Grant Program

The U.S. Department of Education, through the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, has announced the availability of new awards under the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program. This initiative responds to the growing concern about the decline in children’s and youth’s mental health and addresses the national shortage of credentialed school psychologists. The program aims to strengthen the pipeline of mental health professionals in high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) by supporting the training, placement, and employment of school psychology graduate candidates. The purpose of this program is to expand the capacity of state and local education systems to deliver early intervention and intensive mental health services in schools. Applicants must design projects that partner with institutions of higher education or recognized training entities to prepare graduate candidates for credentialing and employment as school psychologists. State educational agencies (SEAs) and LEAs, including consortia, are eligible to apply. Projects must specifically target high-need LEAs, which are defined by unfavorable student-to-psychologist ratios, high levels of school violence, poverty, or trauma, or other significant mental health concerns. Funding is intended to supplement, not supplant, existing resources. Administrative costs are capped at 10 percent of annual awards for SEAs and 5 percent for LEAs. Program funds may not be used for gender ideology, political activism, racial stereotyping, or creating hostile environments. Additionally, applicants must provide a memorandum of understanding or equivalent agreement within six months of award to document their mental health partnerships. All services provided must comply with applicable federal laws such as FERPA, IDEA, Section 504, and ADA. The Department expects to award approximately $90 million in total funding, with individual awards ranging between $750,000 and $1,250,000 and an average of $1 million. Between 18 and 24 awards are anticipated, with a project period of up to 48 months. The program does not require cost sharing or matching. Funding restrictions prohibit the use of funds for medical services or drug treatment, though integrated student supports, specialized instructional support services, and mental health counseling are allowable. Applications open on September 29, 2025, and close on October 29, 2025. Eligible applicants must describe their partnerships, the number of psychologists currently serving high-need LEAs, and projections of graduate candidates trained and employed through the grant. Applications will be evaluated on need, quality of project design, adequacy of resources, and quality of management plan. Non-federal peer reviewers will score proposals based on these selection criteria. Competitive preference priority points are available for applicants proposing to serve rural communities. The program requires annual reporting on performance measures including the number of school psychologists trained, placed in practicum or internship settings, and hired by high-need LEAs. Grantees must propose annual performance targets and demonstrate data collection and reporting capacity. This grant opportunity is offered under Section 4631(a)(1)(B) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, with awards to be made by the end of FY 2025. For further information, applicants may contact Nicole White at Mental.Health@ed.gov or by phone at (202) 987-1594.