San Diego Foundation (SDF) announced today the award of $2.1 million in grants to local nonprofits to support current and future access to mental and behavioral health services for local children, youth and families.

“Mental health issues are the leading cause of youth hospitalization in California,” said Mark Stuart, President & CEO, SDF. “San Diego Foundation is awarding grants to local organizations working on the front lines of this crisis, because every young person deserves timely, equitable access to the mental health support they need to thrive.”

In addition to increasing access to services for local children, youth and families, grants were also awarded to address the critical need for more mental and behavioral health workers in San Diego County. According to the San Diego Workforce Partnership’s San Diego Behavioral Health Workforce Report, the San Diego region will need an estimated 18,500 additional mental and behavioral health professionals by 2027.

More than $1.2 million was granted to provide direct services, with $925,000 awarded for local mental and behavioral health workforce development programs. This year’s grantees include:

Since 2017, SDF has granted $7.6 million through 128 grants to nonprofits providing mental and behavioral health support and services to local families through the Early Childhood Initiative and the Healthy Children & Families Initiative. These initiatives are funded in part by the Guy Clum Early Childhood Fund and the Blasker-Rose-Miah Endowment Fund at San Diego Foundation. Partnership with Coastal Community Foundation has enabled additional aligned funding for this initiative.

This work benefitting children and families in San Diego County aligns with Fifty & Forward, a multi-year grantmaking and fundraising campaign that SDF originally launched in 2021 and publicly announced in 2024. The goal of the ambitious campaign is to partner with donors to grant $500 million to nonprofits supporting education, children and families, and the environment, while fundraising $1 billion to help shape San Diego’s future. To date, $335 million has been granted through the Fifty & Forward campaign.

To learn more about how San Diegans can amplify their impact together, visit SDFoundation.org/50.

San Diego Foundation believes in just, equitable and resilient communities where every San Diegan can prosper, thrive and feel like they belong. We partner with donors, nonprofits and regional leaders to co-create solutions that respond to community needs and strengthen San Diego. Since our founding in 1975, our community foundation has granted $1.8 billion to nonprofits to improve quality of life in San Diego County and beyond. Join us in commemorating 50 years of impact – and looking toward the next 50 – by learning more at SDFoundation.org.

Lorena Nava Ruggero, [email protected], 619-814-1365