Strengthening Supports for Youth Act

The Strengthening Supports for Youth Act (S 4812) creates a federal pilot program to fund grants for organizations helping parents, caregivers, and families support youth mental health. It authorizes $5 million annually (2025-2028) for grants to nonprofits, schools, tribal agencies, and other eligible groups to develop and share evidence-based practices for identifying early mental health warning signs, reducing stigma, connecting youth to care, teaching help-seeking skills, and fostering supportive home environments. The program requires grantees to focus on children, adolescents, and young adults (ages 0-25), with an evaluation measuring impacts on family knowledge, youth well-being, and help-seeking behaviors. A report on the pilot’s results must be submitted to Congress within a year of its completion.