Three Southern California universities have received grants totaling $110 million to expand programs training mental health professionals serving children and families in the region. The grants were given by Ballmer Group, the organization run by Clippers owner and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and his wife, Connie Ballmer.
California State University, Los Angeles will receive the largest share at $48 million, followed by $33 million for the University of California, Los Angeles and $29 million for California State University, Dominguez Hills. Each grant represents the largest philanthropic gift in the history of the two Cal State campuses. The investment addresses an urgent shortage of youth mental health professionals while expanding career pathways into counseling and social work.
At Cal State LA, the funding will help the university prepare more than 1,000 new social workers and family counselors through its Master of Social Work and School-Based Family Counseling programs. The gift will double the university’s one-year MSW program, increase its two-year MSW program by 50%, and double its school-based counseling program, with much of the funding going toward student scholarships.
At Cal State Dominguez Hills, the grant will support scholarships, licensure preparation and emergency aid for students studying community and behavioral health fields as part of a new initiative called Toros Heal LA, aimed at training hundreds of additional counselors and social workers to serve South Los Angeles. At UCLA, funding will support new and expanded training programs across psychology, social welfare, and psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences departments, including a new undergraduate minor in youth behavioral health, expanded fellowships and community partnerships for social work students, and additional postdoctoral training in child and adolescent psychiatry and psychology.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://patch.com/california/los-angeles/record-110m-grants-la-county-schools-will-train-thousands-new-mental-health