AHW's Childhood Behavioral Health Landmark Initiative

In 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Children’s Hospital Association declared a national state of emergency in children’s mental health. That declaration referenced “soaring rates of mental health challenges among children, adolescents, and their families over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbating the situation that existed prior to the pandemic.” Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that in 2021, nearly 60% of teen girls had recently experienced persistent sadness or hopelessness, and nearly one-third of high school girls had recently considered suicide. In 2021, 42% of high school students felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for at least two weeks in a row that they stopped doing their usual activities, and 22% of high school students seriously conserved attempting suicide in the past year.

Youth mental health challenges have persisted beyond COVID-19’s peak, continuing to cause disability and poor life outcomes in young people, with social media adding to the risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents, according a 2023 U.S. Surgeon General Advisory.

AHW’s Childhood Behavioral Health Landmark Initiative will support evidence-based strategies that offer promise for addressing this growing challenge, building upon lessons learned and collaborations formed through AHW’s Advancing Behavioral Health Initiative.

Calls for applications for funding for projects specifically geared toward AHW’s Childhood Behavioral Health Landmark Initiative will appear here and on AHW’s Funding Opportunities page. Projects focused on childhood behavioral health are also invited during any and all open AHW grant opportunities.