$117.7 Million in Grants to Support Behavioral Health Providers at 134 nonprofit Community-Based Organizations 

   $33.7 Million in Grants for Social Work Stipends and Fellowships to Support Nearly 900 Individuals Working to Become Licensed Social Workers

SACRAMENTO—California’s Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) is issuing more than $150 million in grants to bolster the health care workforce: $117.7 million in grants to support the behavioral health providers at 134 nonprofit Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) across California; and a $33.7 million award to the California Social Work Education Center (CalSWEC), administered by the University of California at Berkeley to 892 students pursuing careers in social work.

“California is going to need thousands more health care workers over the next several years to address growing patient needs and to replace retiring workers,” said Governor Newsom. “The grants going out today will increase health care access throughout the state and educate our future health professionals. These are important jobs, good careers, and the state will help pay to educate and train those who want to enter the health care profession.”

WHY THIS MATTERS: California is committed to meeting our state’s health care needs. Through the work of HCAI, the State is building a diverse and culturally competent health workforce to serve medically underserved areas and populations by awarding grants to individuals and organizations throughout California.

“Through these grant awards we will put more behavioral health professionals in areas of unmet need and further our goal of increasing access to equitable and affordable health care for individuals throughout the state,” said California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly.

“We know California needs more social workers and needs them now. This funding will pay stipends to support those getting their clinical hours for an MSW degree and those working to become Licensed Clinical Social Workers,” said HCAI Director Elizabeth Landsberg. “With awards like these and others supporting training behavioral health providers, California’s commitment to expanding access to behavioral health care is clear.”

BACKGROUND ON BEHAVIORAL HEALTH GRANTS

    The Community-Based Organization (CBO) Behavioral Health Workforce Grant Program will support scholarships, loan repayments, stipends, and recruitment and retention incentives for as many as 5,000 eligible individuals. See the full list of grant awardees here.

    Funding for the CBO Behavioral Health Workforce Grant Program comes from the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), the anchor of California’s Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health. CYBHI supports and expands the workforce to meet the demand for mental health and substance abuse care to children and youth through age 25 and their families. The $4.7 billion CYBHI program aims to transform California’s health and human services system into one where all Californians can access services for emerging and existing behavioral health needs, regardless of health payer status.

BACKGROUND ON SOCIAL WORK GRANTS

    This funding will be used for a training and fellowship program that will serve 892 students and graduates pursuing careers in social work.

    The Behavioral Health Social Work Training and Fellowship program is designed to increase the supply of social workers trained to provide clinical behavioral health care. It complements the new Social Work Education Capacity Expansion Grant Program, which announced $59.4 million in awards in February 2023.

    This new grant program is supported by the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) and the Workforce for a Healthy California for All package from the 2023 Budget Act. The $4.7 billion CYBHI and the $1.4 billion Workforce for All programs aim to transform California’s health and human services system to a system where all Californians can access services for emerging and existing behavioral health needs, regardless of health payer. The CYBHI is the anchor of California’s Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health, a comprehensive approach to ensure all California kids, parents, and communities have increased access to mental health and substance use services.?