Government Grants for Mental Health

The 2010 omnibus appropriations bill increased funding for many federal programs designed to improve mental health, according to the magazine Psychiatric Services. Government programs address a range of mental health issues including training, information gathering, prevention and clinical services. Although several grant deadlines expired in the first quarter of 2010, other programs have an ongoing review process or plan to release additional funds based on the number and quality of applications.

Mental and Physical Health Integration

• Public and private non-profit groups are eligible for a $1.75 million annual grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration to fund a four-year project designed to provide training and services to integrate primary and behavioral health care services, according to the agency's website. Goals of the grant include increasing the number of health care professionals qualified to provide wellness and behavioral health recovery and increasing the number of providers trained in specific mental health practices. The application deadline is June 17, 2010.

Mental Health Services for Students

• The Department of Education offers a grant designed to fund programs that improve student access to mental health services, according to the department's website. Qualified programs increase, improve or enhance crisis intervention services, address any language or cultural barriers that might be hindering access to or delivery of mental health services and train school personnel in behavioral health issues. Though the deadline for the grant has passed, the Department of Education may release additional funds depending on the number and quality of applications, according to the department's website.

Pregnancy and Postpartum Depression

• The Department of Health and Human Services along with the National Institute on Drug Use and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development offer a research grant for projects designed to increase knowledge about mental health during and after pregnancy, according to the NIH website. Qualifying projects must be completed in five years or less, and the grant award will vary with the scope of the project.

Alcohol Addiction

• The Department of Health and Human Services has an ongoing grant program to fund research into alcohol addiction, prevention and treatment, according to Federal Grants Wire.com. The program is also designed to increase the number and quality of researchers, according to the website.