» School-Linked Partnership and Capacity Grants

Workstream

School-Linked Partnership and Capacity Grants

About this Workstream

The School-Linked Partnership and Capacity Grants are a one-time investment enabling educational entities to build the necessary capacity, infrastructure and partnerships needed to achieve a long-term and sustainable funding model. The program will provide a $400 million investment to support California’s educational system. This funding aims to improve fee-schedule readiness (i.e., increase the number of Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) who meet fee schedule’s operational requirements) and expand access by increasing the availability, equity and range of behavioral health services and growing capacity through training and development of infrastructure.

Managed by

  • DHCS

Strategic Area

Behavioral Health Ecosystem Infrastructure

Funding

$400 million

Timeline

2022-2025

Workstream Goals

Increase the number of students receiving preventive and early-intervention behavioral health services.

Support statewide implementation of school-linked fee schedule and behavioral health network of providers.

Increase the number of LEAs that meet the operational readiness requirements needed to join the behavioral health provider network and utilize the fee schedule. This will ensure that one-time funds are used in a way that promotes long-term sustainability.

Increase availability, equity and range of behavioral health services in schools or school-linked settings by augmenting LEAs’ capabilities and capacity. This provides an opportunity for educational entities to increase capacity and expand service delivery in the nearer term. Similarly, investments in the systems around school-linked services can help expand access to behavioral health care in schools.

Provide direct grants to support new services for individuals 25 years of age and younger through schools, providers in school, school-affiliated community-based organizations or school-based health centers.

Key Achievements

  • Established grant allocation model for TK-12 schools.

  • Worked with COEs across the state to design a granting framework.

  • Partnered with Sacramento County Office of Education and Santa Clara County Office of Education to administer grant funds to all 58 county offices of education and provide them with technical assistance needed to implement the multi-payer fee schedule.

  • Outreach and Engagement:
    • 45 COE Implementation Plans outlining how each COE plans to use funds to achieve operational readiness and include the allocations for LEAs in their county. 
    • Four Communities of Practice hosted by Sacramento and Santa Clara COEs to help participants continually learn from each other. 
    • 10+ technical assistance office hour sessions.

Milestones

September 2024

COEs implementation plans submitted.

June 2024

DHCS executed a contract with the Sacramento and Santa Clara County Offices of Education (COEs) to serve as grant administrators.

March 2024

DHCS released the grant program funding guidance.