Peer-to-Peer School-based Suicide Prevention Grants

The funding period for the 2023-24 school year has closed

Details for the next cycle will be updated here in late summer 2024

Mental Health America of Wisconsin is pleased to announce a funding opportunity for elementary, middle, and high schools in Wisconsin. This opportunity is in addition to the 4th Annual Peer-to-Peer Suicide Prevention Grant Competition through the Department of Public Instruction. With a focus on training Wisconsin students to recognize the signs of suicide shown by fellow students, peer-to-peer programs use messages of hope, health, and strength to develop peer leaders and resources for students who may be struggling.

Recipients of a grant under this program may use the grant funds to support an existing evidence-based peer-to-peer suicide prevention program (Hope Squad, Sources of Strength, NAMI Raise Your Voice, REDGEN, or Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM)) or implement a new peer-to-peer suicide prevention program. For schools wanting to implement new programs please provide evidence that is linked to the program's effectiveness.

The amount of each individual grant award may not exceed $5,000. Allowable costs include training staff and/or students, travel, materials and supplies (no more than 20% of the total request), and presenter or speaker fees (no more than 25% of the total request). Costs can not be used towards food, assemblies, and please refer to this document for other unallowable costs. .

Grant applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The application window closes on December 15th or when the funding amount has been exhausted, whichever comes first. 

To Apply:

• Please complete the application via Survey Monkey here
• You must complete the survey at one sitting; you will not be allowed to save and return to it. Respondents will be able to go back to previous pages in the survey and update existing responses until the survey is finished or until they have exited the survey. However, after submitting or exiting the survey, the respondent will not be able to update existing responses. Therefore we recommend downloading the PDF version and compiling all your responses before entering the survey.
• This application is for one school; if someone is applying for multiple schools, a new application must be completed for each school.
• You will receive a PDF copy of your responses via email within a week of submission. You may receive follow up questions about the proposed program and community partners before notice of your acceptance. 
• You will receive grant funding notification within 30 days of confirmation of your application submission.
• Click here for more Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

If you have any questions, please email Cara Hansen at cara@mhawisconsin.org. 

Suicide in Wisconsin: Impact & Response (2020)

Wisconsin Suicide Related Data and the Wisconsin Suicide Prevention Plan

Suicide in Wisconsin: Impact and Response seeks to help inform efforts through a two-part report. By first presenting in-depth data, stakeholders will gain insight about the people and populations in Wisconsin who experience self-harm injuries, as well as suicidal thoughts, behaviors, deaths, and associated risk factors. The report then presents the Wisconsin Suicide Prevention Plan, a comprehensive approach to reduce suicide attempts and deaths. Suicide in Wisconsin: Impact and Response updates two previous reports, The Burden of Suicide (2014) and the Wisconsin Suicide Prevention Strategy (2015).

The Wisconsin Suicide Prevention Plan was produced in collaboration with the Prevent Suicide Wisconsin Steering Committee. Prevent Suicide Wisconsin is a statewide public-private partnership that was formed over a decade ago when stakeholders identified the need to create an umbrella organization for suicide prevention efforts in Wisconsin.

Access the Wisconsin Suicide Prevention Plan here >

MHA of Wisconsin's Suicide Prevention Policy Priorities

Support School-Based Suicide Prevention

• Provide funding for school-based suicide prevention.
  • Signs of Suicide kits
  • Sources of Strength
  • Hope Squad
  • Provide grants to help implement behavioral health screenings to identify and intervene with students at risk.

Require Suicide Prevention Training

• 27 states, plus DC, require training for school personnel.
• 9 states require training for health professionals.

Reduce Access to Lethal Means

• Funds to purchase/disseminate gun locks or other safe storage equipment
• Lethal violence protection order (14 states)
• Background checks and waiting periods for handgun purchases

Increase the Mental Health Workforce

• Increase loan repayment programs.
• Support integration of behavioral health providers into primary care.

Support Local Coalitions

• Provide grants for coalitions/local health departments to increase public awareness and implement local programs.
• Provide funds to support administration of grant programs, if authorized, or to provide additional technical assistance to counties, coalitions, or provider agencies.

Prioritize Populations at Risk

• Provide funds for populations at disproportionate risk of suicide; e.g. Military/Veterans, LGBTQ+ youth, Men in the Middle Years, Native or AI/AN communities .

See the Suicide Prevention Resource Center's page on Populations here>>

Impact of Trauma

Impact of Suicide on Youth & Families: The Ones We Miss curriculum 

Suicide Prevention Resource Center

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Mental Health Information - Suicide >>, Loss and Grief >>

Survivors Helping Survivors Support groups for those who have lost a loved one to suicide

Alternatives to Suicide support groups for those with experience of suicidal thoughts, feelings or actions 

Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey