March 4, 2025 – San Diego, CA – San Diego Foundation announced today that it will offer $1.5 million in grants to expand support for mental and behavioral health services for children and families in the region.
“San Diego Foundation is committed to supporting children and families furthest from opportunity to ensure they have a bright future and thrive in our region,” said Pamela Gray Payton, VP, Chief Impact & Partnerships Officer. “Our investment in this work with our nonprofit partners is reflective of the critical need in our community, now and in the future.”
Awarded grants will support programs that advance access to mental/behavioral and early relational health services for families and children of all ages. The grant will focus on two primary categories:
- Nonprofit service providers providing mental/behavioral and early relational health services that promote and destigmatize access to care through culturally responsive and trauma-informed practices for children and youth of all ages and their families.
- Strengthening a diverse local workforce by supporting organizations that provide paid stipends to individuals pursuing careers in mental and behavioral health professions.
Nonprofit organizations providing services in San Diego County are invited to apply for a grant. Successful proposals will center the needs of young children, youth, parents, caregivers and/or the providers who support them. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m., March 28, 2025. To learn more or to apply for this grant opportunity, visit SDFoundation.org/apply.
Social-emotional skills are critical to the healthy development of young children and serve as the foundation for positive mental health across a person’s life span. However, children and families furthest from opportunity encounter disproportionate levels of adversity that can threaten healthy social-emotional functioning during childhood and beyond.
Exposure to high levels of chronic stress early childhood contributes to a range of challenges, including learning difficulties, interpersonal and behavioral concerns, and mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. In California, mental health issues are the No. 1 reason for youth hospitalization and the state ranked last (out of 50 states and Washington DC) in access to youth mental health care based on parent self-report.
According to the San Diego Workforce Partnership’s San Diego Behavioral Health Workforce Report, the San Diego region will need an estimated 18,500 additional mental and behavioral health professionals by 2027. To support mental and behavioral health workforce development in the region, the report recommends student stipends to support transportation, childcare, and other critical needs to provide much-needed financial support to students.
Additionally, the lack of diversity among mental and behavioral health professionals remains an issue in the region. In 2021, the American Psychological Association (APA) found that over 80% of the country’s workforce are comprised of White professionals compared to the 5% of Black and African American professionals. Individuals of color seeking support from a professional who shares cultural experiences have a far more difficult time securing services. Financial barriers, including the high cost of graduate-level training and limited prospects for gainful employment, are often cited for the lack of diversity in the mental and behavioral workforce.
Since 2017, SDF has granted $7.6 million through 128 grants to nonprofits providing mental and behavioral health support and services to local families through the Early Childhood Initiative and the Healthy Children & Families Initiative.
This work benefitting children and families in San Diego County aligns with Fifty & Forward, a multi-year grantmaking and fundraising campaign that SDF originally launched in 2021 and publicly announced in 2024. The goal of the ambitious campaign is to partner with donors to grant $500 million to local nonprofits supporting education, children and families, and the environment, while fundraising $1 billion to help shape San Diego’s future. To date, $335 million has been granted to create a place we feel proud to call home.
To learn more about how San Diegans can amplify their impact together, visit SDFoundation.org/50.
About San Diego Foundation
San Diego Foundation believes in just, equitable and resilient communities where every San Diegan can thrive, prosper and feel like they belong. We partner with donors, nonprofits and regional leaders to co-create solutions that respond to community needs and strengthen San Diego. Since our founding in 1975, our community foundation has granted $1.8 billion to nonprofits to improve quality of life in San Diego County and beyond. Join us in commemorating 50 years of impact – and looking toward the next 50 – by learning more at SDFoundation.org.
Contact
Lorena Nava Ruggero, San Diego Foundation, lruggero@sdfoundation.org, 619-814-1365
