Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 24 in California. Deaths due to suicide leave a tragic loss for families and society. The California Department of Public Health and The Center are partnering to implement the Youth Suicide Prevention Media and Outreach Campaign for youth at increased risk of suicide.
The campaign’s goal is to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior for disproportionately impacted youth. A media agency will lead the development and dissemination of media materials and work directly with funded partners to develop communication plans and ensure all media materials are co-created with the youth they serve.
California Awards $16.3M to Prevent Youth Suicide
On September 15, 2023, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), through The Center at Sierra Health Foundation, awarded $16.3M to nonprofits to propel its Youth Suicide Prevention Media and Outreach Campaign. The full list of grantees follows. This campaign focuses on youth populations disproportionately impacted by suicide. Populations of focus are American Indian and Alaskan Native youth, Hispanic and Latinx youth, and African American/Black youth, as well as intersectional populations, including youth with mental health conditions and/or substance use issues, youth impacted by the foster care system and 2S/LGBTQ+ youth.
Funded grantee partners are organizations and partners that possess cultural humility and responsiveness and whose staff and organizational leadership reflect the racial, ethnic and cultural communities they intend to serve.
This opportunity is provided by The Center at Sierra Health Foundation with funding through Assembly Bill (AB) 178 and under contract with CDPH.
YSP Grantee Partners
4th Second, $500,000: To improve youth mental health for Black/African American and Latinx/Hispanic youth in Solano County through safe spaces, youth leadership development opportunities, and peer-to-peer support to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behaviors.
Action Network, $344,923: To improve youth mental health for Latinx/Hispanic and American Indian/Alaskan Native Youth in Mendocino and Sonoma counties by 1) engaging youth in planning an environmental based experience that connects them with nature and 2) engaging youth in group meetings or healing circles to provide skills for peer-to-peer action to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
American Indian Health & Services, $500,000: To improve youth mental health for American Indian/Alaskan Native youth in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties through coping and problem-solving skill development, and youth training opportunities to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Berkeley Youth Alternatives, $499,365: To improve youth mental health for Black/African American and Latinx/Hispanic youth in Alameda and Contra Costa counties through education, safe spaces, and mental health supports to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
BreakBox Thought Collective, $477,780: To improve youth mental health for Black/African American and Latinx/Hispanic youth in Fresno and Madera counties by fostering a holistic, arts-integrated approach to healing to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Centro del Pueblo Movimiento Indigena Migrante, $429,169: To improve youth mental health for Latinx/Hispanic youth in Humboldt County through a mentorship initiative and peer support network to destigmatize mental health issues, connect youth with their power, and reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Loud for Tomorrow Community Initiatives, $500,000: To improve youth mental health for Black/African American and Latinx/Hispanic youth in Kern and Tulare counties by 1) increasing accessibility of mental health, substance use harm reduction education, awareness, and services 2) by connecting youth with their power, and 3) by increasing a sense of community to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Divine Truth Unity Fellowship Church (doing business as Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance), $500,000: To improve youth mental health for Black/African American and Latinx/Hispanic youth with an emphasis on queer and trans youth in Riverside and San Bernardino counties through group mentoring, creating a peer support network, and increasing protective factors to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center, $500,000: To improve youth mental health for Black/African American and Latinx/Hispanic youth in Riverside and San Bernardino counties through education, risk screening, linkages to services, and an evidence-based peer mentoring program to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
EmpowHer Institute, $500,000: To improve youth mental health for Black/African American and Latinx/Hispanic youth in Los Angeles County by teaching healthy coping strategies that deal with stress, providing intensive case management, and offering resources to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Good Seed Community Development Corporation, $500,000: To improve youth mental health for Black/African American, Latinx/Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native youth in Los Angeles County by providing community education about suicide and related behavioral health issues to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Humanidad Therapy & Education Services, $499,837: To improve youth mental health for Latinx/Hispanic youth in Sonoma County by using conventional and non-conventional mental health modalities, training, education, and developing a sense of belonging and empowerment to reduce suicide, suicide attempts self-harm behavior.
Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley, $500,000: To improve youth mental health for American Indian/Native Alaskan youth in Santa Clara County by providing culturally based and evidence-based trainings to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Instituto Familiar la Raza, $461,335: To improve youth mental health for Latinx/Hispanic youth in Alameda, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties by facilitating a cultural arts intervention, promoting suicide prevention messaging, and strategies to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Jail Guitar Doors, $498,965: To improve youth mental health for Black/African American and Latinx/Hispanic youth in Los Angeles County by facilitating groups, drop-in counseling services, trainings, and workshops to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
KidsFirst Child Abuse Prevention Council of Placer County, $499,999: To improve youth mental health for Latinx/Hispanic youth in Placer County by building and launching a mobile phone application that facilitates safe and secure communication between youth, survivors, case managers, and mental health professionals while sharing suicide prevention messages to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Latino Center for Prevention & Action in Health & Welfare (doing business as Latino Health Access), $500,000: To improve youth mental health for Latinx/Hispanic youth in Orange County by creating social connections, enhancing coping skills, and increasing the capacity of families to support youth to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Liberty Towers Church, $500,000: To improve youth mental health for Black/African American youth in Placer and Sacramento counties by increasing knowledge and resources, and normalizing conversations about suicide prevention with peers, behavioral health professionals and others to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP), $500,000: To improve youth mental health for Latinx/Hispanic youth in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties by building cultural awareness, pride, and connectedness to a community of caring adults and peers; helping them develop coping and problem-solving skills, and empowering youth to advocate for systemic changes to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Native Alliance of Sierra Nevada Foothills, $354,711: To improve youth mental health for Black/African American, Latinx/Hispanic and American Indian/Alaskan Native youth in El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sutter, and Yuba counties by raising awareness, reducing stigma, providing peer-counseling, and connecting peers to ongoing sources of support to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Native American Health Center Inc., $500,000: To improve youth mental health for Black/African American, Latinx/Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaskan Native youth in Alameda and San Francisco counties by creating a youth-led community wellness group, educating peers, and reducing stigma around behavioral health conditions to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Northern California Indian Development Council Inc., $500,000: To improve youth mental health for American Indian/Alaskan Native youth in Del Norte, Humboldt, Siskiyou, and Trinity counties by educating the community, supporting protective factors to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance, $500,000: To improve youth mental health for Latinx/Hispanic youth in Orange County by having youth peer mentors/ambassadors support connection, education, and care to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Pala Band of Mission Indians, $500,000: To improve youth mental health for American Indian/ Alaskan Native Youth in San Diego County by training youth to identify and support peers and others at risk, learn culturally relevant coping and problem-solving therapeutic techniques to reduce suicide, suicide attempts, and self-harm behavior.
San Diego Youth Services, $500,000: To improve youth mental health for Black/African American and Latinx/Hispanic youth in San Diego County by hosting youth support groups, providing QPR gatekeeper trainings, and translating stigma reduction materials to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
The Race and Gender Equity (RAGE) Project, $499,881: To improve youth mental health for Black/African American youth in Sacramento County by facilitating youth connection to others, social understanding, purpose, and belonging to reduce suicide, suicide attempts, and self-harm behavior.
The Spahr Center, $500,000: To improve youth mental health for Latinx/Hispanic youth in Marin County by creating a youth advisory council and increasing the linguistic and cultural responsiveness of services for the Latinx community to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
The Yurok Tribe, $500,000: To improve youth mental health for American Indian/ Alaskan Native youth in Del Norte and Humboldt counties by addressing follow-up care, offering healing protocols, and providing information and intervention services to locations frequented by youth to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
TrueCare, $499,999: To improve youth mental health for Latinx/Hispanic youth in San Diego County by training peer ambassadors and reducing stigma with targeted culturally and linguistically sensitive outreach to younger Hispanic and Latinx youth, their parents, and LGBTQ+ youth to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Tuolumne Me-Wuk Indian Health Center, $479,600: To improve youth mental health for American Indian/Alaskan Native youth in Tuolumne County by hosting events, facilitating tribal youth bi-monthly meetings and increasing education to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Two Feathers Native American Family Services, $469,077: To improve youth mental health for American Indian/ Alaskan Native youth in Humboldt County by expanding existing youth ambassador programming which includes working LGBTQ+/Two-Spirit youth to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Wellness and Prevention Foundation, $365,335: To improve youth mental health for Latinx/Hispanic youth in Orange County by decreasing access to lethal means, increasing help seeking behaviors, strengthening access to care, and serving as a referral source for families seeking higher levels of care to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Youth Leadership Institute, $500,000: To improve youth mental health for Black/African American, and Latinx/Hispanic youth in Los Angeles and Merced counties by building a youth-led storytelling campaign to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.
Youth Outreach Leadership Institute, $500,000: To improve youth mental health for Black/African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Latinx/Hispanic youth in Merced County by using peer-mentorship, promoting help-seeking behavior, and offering cultural ethical healing methods and culturally relevant holistic healing practices to reduce suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior.