Education foundations can play a pivotal role in helping school districts deal with the rising mental health challenges they鈥檙e facing, by directing no-strings-attached dollars to support students鈥� social-emotional and mental well-being.
But not every school district has a foundation. And ones that do often don鈥檛 have hefty bank balances.
Still, even modestly-funded foundations can find ways to help their districts support students鈥� mental health.
Here are four ways districts and foundations can work together to do so:
Find out what districts actually need
Check with the superintendent or the health coordinator to find out the best way to use the foundation鈥檚 resources, platform, and network to help the district. District officials are the experts. Districts may need staff, cash, or even professional development to support teachers.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 hold the answers at the foundation,鈥� said Beth Best, the executive director of the Littleton Public 69传媒 Foundation in Littleton, Colo. 鈥淭he school district [officials] are the experts.鈥�
Officials in the Littleton district, for example, realized that one of the biggest challenges it had was getting students access to treatment as soon as possible.
Transportation, ability to pay, and health insurance鈥攊nadequate or nonexistent鈥攚ere often barriers.
So one of the first things the foundation did was finance the creation of a network of therapists that students and families could turn to when they needed mental health treatment.
The therapists were vetted by a district employee, and the district compiled the languages they spoke, their specialty, and the insurance they accepted. The foundation also pays for students to receive treatment for as many as 12 therapy sessions and emergency hospitalization, if needed.
Jill Henden, the executive director of the Cherry Creek 69传媒 Foundation, in Greenwood Village, Colo., advises foundations to take time to learn about their district鈥檚 needs.
Before the Cherry Creek foundation started prioritizing mental health supports, it had raised money to set up a COVID-19 emergency relief fund. But as the public health emergency wound down, the foundation asked district officials about their most pressing needs and found that creating a separate fund for mental health and wellness was the way to go, she said.
Think small
Small sums of money can have huge impacts.
Over the last few years, teachers have been asking for help to learn how to better support students鈥� emotional and mental well-being as well as create classrooms that are more comforting and welcoming. 69传媒, too, have sought help from their principals and districts to create welcoming environments.
Small grants to cover the cost of teacher professional development related to supporting students鈥� mental health and well-being as well as improving learning environments can go a long way.
The Cherry Creek foundation, for example, normally disburses grants鈥攗p to $1,200 annually鈥攖o teachers through its In the past few years, the foundation has received more requests from teachers seeking money for efforts related to supporting student emotional and mental health and well-being, Henden said.
This year, for example, the foundation funded a nine-basket outdoor Frisbee golf course built and designed by students and aimed at promoting physical and mental wellness. It also paid for heart-rate monitors that teachers at one elementary school requested鈥攖ools that allow students to track their heart rates and learn about self-regulation and stress management.
鈥淚t鈥檚 inspiring to see what our teachers can come up with,鈥� Henden said. 鈥淎nd we love the fact that they are not spending their own money to go out and purchase these materials.鈥�
Small grants from the Littleton 69传媒 Foundation have also helped with the creation of a 鈥淶en Den鈥� for students to seek quiet during stressful periods, professional development for teachers, and calming corners in classrooms.
Get the community on board
Community members can be incredible allies鈥攊t鈥檚 their children, relatives, and neighbors who are in the school system, and they鈥檝e likely seen the same signs of distress.
They can be good sources for donations to buttress their district鈥檚 efforts. Hospitals and other non-profits can help with staff, therapy sessions, and workshops, depending on the district鈥檚 challenges.
The Littleton and Cherry Creek foundations were able to pivot so quickly to mental health because their communities recognized mental health as a critical area of need.
鈥淚 have incredible board members who are very open about the struggles that their families have experienced,鈥� Henden said.
Both the Littleton and Cherry Creek foundations either host or participate in fundraising efforts specifically for mental health.
Make the commitment in writing
It鈥檚 often said that in education, if it鈥檚 not measured, it鈥檚 not done. Similarly, in the non-profit world, if it鈥檚 not a stated goal, it probably won鈥檛 get funded.
Education foundations can signal their commitment to mental health by including it among their top priorities in their strategic plans and mission statements.
Doing so ensures the foundation will follow up with support鈥攂oth financial and otherwise. It also ensures that the commitment outlasts the current board members and becomes an integral part of the foundation鈥檚 work.
In Cherry Creek, for example, the foundation has taken up mental health support as a key part of what it will support in the future.
The foundation is updating its strategic plan, 鈥渁nd we know that mental health will continue to be at the forefront of what we fund,鈥� whether it鈥檚 through relief funds, classroom grants, or support groups for staff and students, Henden said.
鈥淥ur board has decided that supporting the mental health of our students and our staff is at the core of what we want to do as an organization going forward,鈥� Henden said.
