To promote mental wellness and resilience and prevent and heal mental health, behavioral health, and psychosocial conditions through developmentally and culturally appropriate community programs, and award grants for the purpose of establishing, operating, or expanding community-based mental wellness and resilience programs, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill creates two new federal grant programs for community mental health. Planning grants up to $250,000 help nonprofits organize mental wellness networks and assess community needs. Program grants up to $500,000 per year (for up to 4 years) fund ongoing community mental wellness and resilience programs. The bill authorizes $36 million for fiscal years 2026-2030.
Who Benefits and How
Nonprofit organizations, community-based groups, and mental health organizations benefit by gaining access to federal grant funding for community wellness programs. Rural communities receive dedicated support with 20% of funds set aside for rural programs. Mental health professionals and community organizers benefit from new funding streams and technical assistance. Communities gain access to prevention-focused mental health resources rather than only treatment after problems emerge.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal taxpayers fund the $36 million authorization. The Secretary of HHS bears administrative responsibility for awarding grants and providing technical assistance. Grant applicants face compliance requirements including forming coordinating networks with representatives from at least 5 categories of community organizations, using evidence-based practices, and reporting on outcomes.
Key Provisions
- Creates planning grants (up to $250,000) for organizations to form mental wellness coordinating networks
- Creates program grants (up to $500,000/year for 4 years) for community mental wellness programs
- Reserves 20% of funding for rural areas
- Requires programs to take a population-level public health approach rather than individual treatment
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Establishes federal grant programs to fund community-based mental wellness and resilience programs that use public health approaches to prevent and address mental health conditions
Key Policy Areas
Public Health, Mental Health, Social Services, Community Development
Primary Purpose
Establishes federal grant programs to fund community-based mental wellness and resilience programs that use public health approaches to prevent and address mental health conditions
Policy Domains
Section 2 - Grant Programs for Community Mental Wellness and Resilience
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Nonprofit mental health organizations
- Community-based organizations
- Rural communities
- Mental health professionals
- Youth-serving organizations
- Faith-based organizations
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal taxpayers
- HHS administration
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, and Mr. Merkley) introduced …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Nonprofit and community-based mental health organizations, Nonprofit mental health and behavioral health organizations, Rural healthcare and community service providers
Senior care organizations, Youth-serving and after-school program organizations, Youth-serving organizations and after-school programs
Community-based organizations and grassroots groups, Grassroots groups and neighborhood associations
Educational institutions (schools, community colleges), Schools and educational institutions
Faith and spirituality organizations, Faith-based and spirituality organizations
Mental health professionals and social workers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "administrator"
- → Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
- "assistant_secretary"
- → Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use (SAMHSA)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A network composed of 1 or more representatives from at least 5 of 13 categories including grassroots groups, schools, youth organizations, faith organizations, health professionals, etc.
A nonprofit or community-based entity eligible to be part of the resilience coordinating network with documented support from at least 3 other such entities
Methods that take a population-level approach to promote mental wellness and resilience, addressing mental health problems by identifying protective factors and using holistic systems perspective
People, groups, and organizations that reside in or work within a specific geographic area, such as a city, neighborhood, subdivision, or urban, suburban, or rural locale
A traumatic event or events shared by a community that have lasting adverse effects on the health and well-being of the community
Strengths, skills, resources, and characteristics associated with lower likelihood of negative outcomes of adversities or that reduce the impact of toxic stresses
A state of well-being in which an individual experiences positive emotional functioning, pursues self-defined goals, establishes meaningful relationships, and feels meaning and purpose
Social and environmental structures and processes that adversely affect an individual's mental state or community health
Cognitive, psychological, emotional, and behavioral capabilities and social connections that enable people to respond to toxic stresses without negative consequences
Exposure to prolonged, severe, and stressful situations with no period of recovery or support
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology