Opportunity Information: Apply for SM 18 018
The Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Grant Program (Funding Opportunity Number SM-18-018) is a discretionary grant competition run by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) through its Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Released on April 30, 2018, with an original application deadline of June 29, 2018, the program is designed to support community-based efforts that improve mental health outcomes for young children by expanding and strengthening prevention, early intervention, and treatment services. The funding instrument is a grant under CFDA 93.243, and SAMHSA anticipated making about 9 awards, with an award ceiling of up to $500,000 per award.
The target population is children from birth through age 12 who are at risk for mental illness, are showing early signs, or have already been diagnosed with a mental illness, including serious emotional disturbance (SED). A key emphasis is reaching children early, before concerns escalate into more severe and persistent difficulties. The opportunity also highlights the needs of children whose development may be affected by prenatal substance exposure (in utero exposure), including exposure to opioids, stimulants, or other drugs. Applicants are expected to address not only diagnosed conditions but also early symptoms and risk factors that can signal emerging SED, especially in populations with known developmental vulnerabilities.
The core purpose of the program is to develop, maintain, or enhance a comprehensive set of infant and early childhood mental health services. This includes mental health promotion (activities that support healthy social-emotional development and resilience), intervention (supports that respond to early signs or mild-to-moderate concerns), and treatment (clinical services for children with more significant needs). SAMHSA identifies two major service directions that funded projects should incorporate: first, programs that directly serve infants and children at significant risk, showing early signs, or living with mental illness/SED, including those potentially impacted by prenatal substance exposure; and second, multigenerational therapy and related family-focused services that strengthen positive caregiving relationships. This second focus reflects the program’s attention to the child in the context of their relationships and environment, recognizing that caregiver-child interactions and family stability are often central to a young child’s mental health trajectory.
SAMHSA requires that supported programs be evidence-informed or evidence-based, meaning applicants should rely on approaches with credible research support or strong practice-based evidence, and they should be able to explain how the chosen model is implemented with quality and fidelity. In addition, services must be culturally and linguistically appropriate, which signals expectations around tailoring outreach, engagement, assessment, and care delivery to the language needs, cultural values, and lived experiences of the communities served. In practical terms, this typically includes attention to equitable access, reducing barriers to participation, and ensuring that program materials and service delivery are responsive to community context.
Beyond direct services, the grant is also aimed at systems-building outcomes. SAMHSA expects the program to increase access to a full continuum of infant and early childhood mental health services and to build workforce capacity among providers and others who support children from birth to age 12. Workforce capacity can include training, consultation, reflective supervision, cross-sector coordination, and the development of competencies among clinicians, early childhood staff, primary care partners, and other child-serving professionals who are often the first to notice concerns.
Finally, the opportunity places strong weight on long-term impact and spread. Applicants must describe a realistic pathway to sustainability so that the work can continue beyond the grant period, such as braided funding strategies, policy or reimbursement alignment, partnerships, and integration into existing early childhood or health systems. Grantees are also expected to plan for dissemination, meaning they should outline how lessons learned, tools, and effective practices will be shared and potentially replicated in other sites and settings. Overall, the grant opportunity is structured to fund programs that can deliver high-quality, family-centered, research-informed care now while also creating the conditions for broader, lasting improvements in infant and early childhood mental health services.Apply for SM 18 018
- The Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adminis in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Grant Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.243.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 30, 2018.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 29, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 9 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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