Update as of October 17, 2022: The application period for this grant as well as a grant funded by the Oak Foundation are now open.
Thanks to a generous $625,000 two-year grant from ECMC Foundation, NCAN will undertake a new initiative to better support members in providing culturally responsive, accessible, effective, and affordable mental health support for the postsecondary students
they serve.
“This topic has become a high-priority request of our member organizations in response to the pandemic, economic inequities, and national racial reckoning and backlash,” NCAN CEO Kim Cook said. “Good mental health is a fundamental need of students, and
we look forward to sharing the wisdom and strategies that NCAN members are developing.”
The grant is part of ECMC Foundation’s Basic Needs Initiative, which supports the whole student by addressing needs such as food, housing, childcare,
mental health, financial assistance and transportation. These resources are critical for ensuring strong academic performance, increasing persistence and graduation, and improving wellbeing among students enrolled in postsecondary education. “We are
excited to partner with NCAN,” said ECMC Foundation Program Officer Jonathan Reid. “This project is timely as it looks offer resources to support culturally competent mental wellness for students most in need, and we believe the organization is well
positioned to lead this work.”
NCAN’s 2022-24 student mental wellness project consists of two parts. First, NCAN will provide regular professional development opportunities to all members through our established channels of webinars, blog posts, peer exchanges, e-learning units, and
a national conference workshop track. Topics could include strategies such as identifying potential mental health concerns, destigmatizing mental health services, or finding culturally competent mental health providers. We will also spotlight NCAN
member organizations that have already adopted mental health strategies as examples to inform the field.
Second, NCAN will select six member organizations through a competitive application process to receive more intensive technical assistance and $30,000 regrants to assess their mental health and wellness strategies, create or modify related student support,
or train staff and volunteers. Stay tuned for more information about the regrant opportunity in October.
At the end of the initiative, NCAN hopes that members will report having staff and volunteers who are better able to identify and support students experiencing mental health challenges. We also hope to find that more members report adopting practices
that affirmatively address student mental wellness as part of their regular programming.
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