Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for Paraprofessionals

Link

https://www.hrsa.gov/grants/find-funding/HRSA-25-066

Additional Links

Notice of Funding Opportunity (Grants.gov)

Deadline

Application Deadline: Mar 18, 2025

Sponsor

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)

Purpose

Awards funding to institutions and programs to develop and expand community-based experiential training opportunities, such as field placements and internships, for individuals training to become mental health workers, peer support specialists, and other behavioral health paraprofessionals. Aims to increase the number of behavioral health paraprofessionals serving in high need, high demand areas, with special focus on gaining knowledge and understanding of of children, adolescents, and transitional-age youth who have experienced trauma and are at risk for behavioral health disorders, including anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder.

For this opportunity, training is separated in 2 levels:

Level 1: Pre-Service training that includes didactic and experiential field training
Level 2: In-Service optional training at a registered Department of Labor apprenticeship site

Program objectives include:

Establish and enhance relationships with community-based partners to expand and improve access to quality behavioral health services in high need and high demand areas
Promote collaborative training by using team-based models of care in integrated or interprofessional behavioral health and primary care settings
Promote collaborative training by using team-based models of care in integrated or interprofessional behavioral health and primary care settings

For this opportunity, high need and high demand areas are identified as sites located within a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) and/or a Facility Mental HPSA with a score of 16 or above, or within a geographical area considered rural as defined by the HRSA Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP). Applicants can use the HPSA Find Tool to determine an area's eligibility.

Trainees may receive no more than 12 consecutive months of stipend support through this program. Part-time trainees are allowed to receive a stipend prorated at one-half of the fixed amount for no more than 24 consecutive months. Required fixed stipend amounts for full-time trainees are as follows:

$6,000 for Level 1 trainees
$8,500 for Level 2 trainees during registered apprenticeship

Additionally, trainees may receive up to $4,000 for tuition, fees, and supplies.

Amount of Funding

Award ceiling:

Up to $350,000 per year for programs only implementing Level 1 Pre-Service training
Up to $500,000 per year for programs implementing Level 1 Pre-Service and Level 2 In-Service training

Project period: 4 years
Estimated number of awards: 29
Estimated total program funding: $10,900,000

Who Can Apply

Applications may be submitted by state-licensed mental health nonprofit or for-profit organizations, including government agencies or other organizations within a state that are legally permitted to offer training programs related to mental health and substance use treatment such as a state-run mental health department, a public university with a psychology program, or a county-level behavioral health agency that is officially designated to provide such training. Examples of eligible organizations include:

Public and private institutions of higher education
Nonprofits with or without a 501(c)(3) IRS status
Faith-based and community-based organizations
Hospitals
HRSA-funded health centers and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)
Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
Other community-based clinical settings
State, county, city, township, and special district governments
Native American tribal governments
Native American tribal organizations

Priority consideration is given to programs for paraprofessionals that emphasize the role of the family and the lived experience of the consumer and family paraprofessional partnerships.

In addition to the rural funding priority listed above, applicants can request a funding preference under a qualification for placing program trainees and graduates in medically underserved communities (MUCs):

Qualification 1 - High Rate: Must demonstrate that at least 50% of program graduates in practice settings serving MUCs in academic years 2022-2023 and 2023-2024.
Qualification 2 - Significant Increase: Must demonstrate a 25% increase placing program graduates in MUCs from academic year 2022-2023 to academic year 2023-2024.
Qualification 3 - New Program: Must be a new program, defined as any program that has graduated/completed less than 3 classes, and meet at least 4 of the criteria below:
- The training organization's mission statement includes preparing health professionals to serve underserved populations
- The program's curriculum includes content which will help prepare practitioners to serve underserved populations
- Substantial clinical training in MUCs is required under the program
- At least 20% of the program's clinical faculty spend at least 50%t of their time providing or supervising care in MUCs
- The entire program or a substantial portion of the program is physically located in a MUC
- Student assistance, which is linked to service in MUCs, is available to students through the program, federal and state student assistance programs do not qualify
- The program provides a placement mechanism for helping graduates find positions in MUCs

Medically underserved communities are defined as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs), Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs), or a Governor Certified Shortage Areas for Rural Health Clinic (RHC) purposes HPSA. Applicants can document these designations using the HRSA Shortage Area Dashboard.

Current BHWET for Paraprofessionals award recipients whose grants are scheduled to end on August 31, 2025 are eligible to apply as a "Competing Continuation" applicant, so long as there is not a change in scope. Previous BHWET for Paraprofessionals award recipients whose funded ended before September 1, 2021 should apply as a "New" applicant.

Geographic Coverage

Nationwide

What This Program Funds

Capacity Building • New Program • Operating Costs and Staffing • Training Providers

Application Process

Application instructions, requirements, and other information can be found in the funding announcement.

Applicant webinar
February 28, 2025
2:00 - 3:30 p.m. Eastern

Contact

For programmatic or eligibility questions:
Nicole M. Wilkerson
301-443-6752
BHWETPara25@hrsa.gov

For grants management or budget questions:
Vanessa Prosper
301-443-0377
BHWETPara25@hrsa.gov

Topics This Program Addresses

Healthcare Workforce • Mental Health • People with Lived Experience/Peers • Substance Use Disorder