\$48M Grant for School Therapists

California State University, Los Angeles has landed a $48 million grant to train about 1,000 future youth therapists in Los Angeles schools and community agencies over five years. (news.calstatela.edu) The money comes from Ballmer Group, and Cal State LA said on April 6 that it is the largest philanthropic gift in the university’s history. The university said the funding will expand its social work and counseling pipeline in under-resourced parts of Los Angeles. (news.calstatela.edu) LAist reported the program will place Cal State LA students in local schools, clinics and community organizations, with a focus on Eastside neighborhoods and other underserved areas. Students will train while serving children, adolescents and families who need mental-health support. (laist.com) Cal State LA said the grant is built around schools as training sites, not just service sites. The university plans to deepen partnerships with kindergarten-through-12th-grade districts and community agencies so students can move into the workforce where they train. (news.calstatela.edu) That approach lines up with a broader California push to grow the behavioral-health workforce through training grants, scholarships and career pipelines tied to underserved communities. The state Department of Health Care Access and Information says its behavioral-health programs are meant to provide financial support, build training capacity and develop a workforce pipeline. (hcai.ca.gov) Cal State LA already runs state-backed stipend and fellowship programs for social work students who plan to serve children and youth up to age 25 in behavioral health. One campus program says it supports students preparing to work as clinical social workers in mental health and substance-use care for underserved communities. (calstatela.edu) LAist said many of the students this grant is meant to support come from the same neighborhoods they would later serve, a point university leaders tied to language, culture and trust in care. The university said the services funded by the grant will be culturally responsive for children and families in under-resourced areas. (laist.com) (news.calstatela.edu) The grant does not just pay for counseling sessions now; it pays to produce the next hiring pool. Over five years, Cal State LA is betting that training therapists inside schools and neighborhood agencies will leave Los Angeles with more clinicians after the grant period ends. (news.calstatela.edu)