Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Safe & Supportive Schools: Mental Health Personnel Technical Assistance Center (MHP TA Center), Assistance Listing Number 84.184U | ED GRANTS 050323 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 050323 001

The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) Safe and Supportive Schools opportunity for the Mental Health Personnel Technical Assistance Center (MHP TA Center), Assistance Listing Number 84.184U, is a discretionary Department of Education funding opportunity aimed at strengthening the pipeline and preparation of school-based mental health professionals by building a national technical assistance hub. The central purpose is not to directly fund new school mental health service delivery in districts, but to support and improve the work of existing federal grantees and to share practical tools and guidance more broadly across the field. In other words, this grant funds an entity to operate a technical assistance center that helps other grant recipients and stakeholders implement, scale, and sustain efforts to recruit, prepare, and retain mental health personnel for K-12 settings.

The MHP TA Center is specifically designed to provide technical assistance to current Department grantees that received awards under the fiscal years 2022 and 2023 Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration (MHSP) and School-Based Mental Health Services (SBMH) grant programs. These grantees are actively working on increasing access to qualified school-based mental health staff, such as school psychologists, school counselors, school social workers, and other qualified providers. The TA Center is expected to support those grantees with resources, implementation support, and knowledge-sharing that improve program quality and results. Beyond supporting current grantees, the Center is also expected to disseminate resources and information to State educational agencies, local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and other stakeholders involved in training and preparing school-based mental health services providers. This broader dissemination piece matters because it extends the benefit of the federal investment beyond the small set of direct grantees to the wider ecosystem that trains and employs the workforce.

The funding instrument listed for this opportunity includes cooperative agreements and grants, which typically signals a more hands-on relationship with the Department compared to a standard grant. Under cooperative agreements, the Department may have substantial involvement in shaping deliverables, coordinating activities, or setting expectations for how technical assistance is delivered and evaluated. The opportunity anticipates a single award (Expected Awards: 1), with an award ceiling of $2,600,000, indicating the Department intends to fund one organization (or a consortium led by one applicant) to serve as the national or primary technical assistance provider for this work.

Eligibility is broad and includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and other eligible entities as described in the official notice. This wide eligibility reflects the reality that strong technical assistance centers can be housed in universities, research and development organizations, nonprofit technical assistance providers, or other entities with national reach and relevant expertise in educator workforce development, school mental health systems, implementation support, and evaluation.

Key dates included in the synopsis show the opportunity was posted May 3, 2023, with applications available the same day. The Department strongly encouraged applicants to submit a non-binding Notice of Intent to Apply by June 2, 2023 via email to the program contact, using the subject line "Intent to Apply" and including basic organizational and contact information. The deadline for transmittal of applications was July 3, 2023, and the deadline for intergovernmental review was August 31, 2023. A pre-application webinar was scheduled for May 23, 2023 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern, with registration hosted through the OESE Safe and Supportive Schools web page. For procedural details on obtaining and submitting an application, the synopsis points applicants to the Department's Revised Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs (Federal Register, December 7, 2022), which typically covers required forms, submission requirements, and standard application protocols.

For applicants or stakeholders seeking official guidance, the synopsis emphasizes that the Federal Register notice is the controlling document for requirements such as eligibility nuances, selection criteria, application components, performance measures, priorities, and contact information. The listed program contact for this opportunity is Carlette Kyser Pegram at the U.S. Department of Education, with contact through OESE.OSSS@ed.gov and phone number 202-453-6732. Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a capacity-building investment: funding one high-capacity center to help MHSP and SBMH grantees deliver stronger results and to spread effective approaches for preparing and supporting the school-based mental health workforce nationwide.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Safe & Supportive Schools: Mental Health Personnel Technical Assistance Center (MHP TA Center), Assistance Listing Number 84.184U" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.184.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 03, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 03, 2023 Applications Available May 3, 2023. Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply June 2, 2023. Notice of Intent to Apply The Department will be able to review grant applications more efficiently if we know the approximate number of applicants that intend to apply. Therefore, we strongly encourage each potential applicant to notify us of their intent to submit an application. To do so, please email the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT with the subject line #8220Intent to Apply,#8221 and include the applicant#8217s name and a contact person#8217s name and email address. Applicants that do not submit a notice of intent to apply may still apply for funding applicants that do submit a notice of intent to apply are not bound to apply or bound by the information provided. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications July 3, 2023. Deadline for Intergovernmental Review August 31, 2023. Pre-Application Webinar Information The Department will hold a preapplication presentation via webinar for prospective applicants on May 23, 2023, at 130 p.m. Eastern time. To register, please visit the program website athttps://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-formula-grants/safe-supportive-schools/. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT Carlette Kyser Pegram, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, room 3E257, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone 202-453-6732. Email OESE.OSSS@ed.gov.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,600,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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