Funder Briefing: Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, What You Need to Know About Federal Funding Streams

On January 15, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced it would cut $2 billion in mental health and addiction services funding, with grant recipients receiving notice that funding would end that day. National advocates mobilized their state and local partners and substance abuse networks to protect this infrastructure, and within 24 hours the funding was restored.

Losing this infrastructure would be catastrophic for states, and the infrastructure is still at risk.

The original cuts would have impacted millions of dollars in infant and early childhood mental health infrastructure in states, including cuts to Project LAUNCH, the Infant Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) Grant Program, The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, and other programs that support IECHMH programs in states as well as programs supporting pregnant people and families with very young children and other early relational health (ERH) programs.

We will be joined by ZERO TO THREE for a discussion on:

• Where infant and early childhood mental health funding shows up in appropriations, and within a larger context of threats to family mental health;
• Who leads the advocacy for these issues;
• How states and communities use this federal funding, and how they mobilize support for IECMH in states.

Hosted by ECFC and the Irving Harris Foundation, co-sponsored by Children, Youth and Family Funders Roundtable; Early Relational Health Funders Community; and Funders for Maternal Mental Health.