Grants for Organizations

Behavioral Health Programs

The Behavioral Health Programs address workforce through activities that provide financial support for students and professionals, build training capacity, and develop a career pathway and pipeline. 

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Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) Five-Year Workforce Education and Training (WET) Plan

Development of the 2026–2030 Plan

The Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) continues the development of the 2026–2030 Five Year Workforce Education and Training (WET) Plan, as required pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code section 5820, subdivisions (c)–(e).

The Five-Year WET Plan identifies behavioral health workforce needs in California’s county behavioral health system and provides a framework for the strategic allocation of Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) funds to support workforce education, training, and development initiatives that will advance access to quality care for individuals with significant behavioral health conditions.

As part of this effort, HCAI has conducted a series of community engagement activities to gather input on behavioral health workforce challenges, opportunities, and priorities.

Using input from this community engagement process, HCAI has developed plan objectives and proposed strategies designed to strengthen the behavioral health workforce in the county behavioral health system.

HCAI is collaborating with the California Behavioral Health Planning Council (CBHPC) throughout the development of the Plan and will conduct a public comment period to solicit additional stakeholder input. A draft of the 2026–2030 Five-Year WET Plan will be posted on HCAI’s website in May 2026. Consistent with statutory requirements, CBHPC will review and approve the final 2026–2030 Five Year WET Plan.

The 2026–2030 Five Year WET Plan is anticipated to be finalized and published in summer 2026.

In January 2019, the California Behavioral Health Planning Council (CBHPC) approved the 2020-2025 Five-Year WET Plan.

Peer Personnel Training and Placement Program

HCAI contracts with Peer Personal Training Programs to support individuals with lived experience as a mental/behavioral health services consumer, family member, or caregiver placed in designated peer positions. 

Application Cycle : CLOSED

Check back here for information regarding the next application cycle in January 2027.

Application Dates

Open January 9, 2026, at 3:00 p.m.
Close March 6, 2026, at 3:00 p.m.

Resources

Awards

Medi-Cal Behavioral Health Residency Training Program

HCAI is offering the Medi-Cal Behavioral Health Residency Training Program (MBH-RTP) as part of the Behavioral Health Community-Based Organized Networks of Equitable Care and Treatment (BH-CONNECT) Workforce Initiative. The goal of the MBH-RTP is to increase the availability of General Psychiatrists, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists, Addiction Psychiatrists and Addiction Medicine Physicians that are trained and serve in Medi-Cal safety net settings.

Resources

Previously Funded Programs

The programs below do not have future planned funding at this time.

Community-Based Organization Behavioral Health Workforce Grant Program

The Community-Based Organization (CBO) Behavioral Health Workforce Grant Program will support CBOs to recruit and retain behavioral health personnel, and provide loan repayments, scholarships, and stipends to paid and unpaid CBO behavioral health staff.

Resources

Awards

Substance Use Disorder/Justice System-Involved Youth (SUD/JSIY) Training Request for Information

HCAI invites vendors to review and respond to this non-binding Request for Information (RFI), which will provide information to HCAI to inform the planning, design, development, and launch of the behavioral health training for non-medical and non-behavioral health professionals by June 2023. HCAI may use the RFI to contract with one of the respondents of this RFI. HCAI will use the responses to this RFI to develop a scope of work for the aforementioned contract.

Resources

Substance Use Disorder Earn and Learn Grant Program

This grant opportunity will result in a three-year agreement with Substance Use Disorder Earn and Learn organizations who provide education and paid job experience for students earning their Substance Use Disorder certification.

Resources

Awards

Social Work Education Capacity Expansion (SWECE) Grant Program

This grant opportunity will result in grant agreements with educational institutions to develop new Bachelor of Art in Social Work (BASW) and/or Master of Social Work (MSW) programs as well as serve to expand MSW programs.

Webinar

An informational webinar was held on March 7, 2024
Webinar Recording

Resources

Awards

Psychiatric Education Capacity Expansion (PECE) – Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Grant Program

The purpose of this program is to enter into grant agreement(s) for grantee(s) to fund increased numbers of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNPs) training in California, including, but not limited to:

  1. Adding PMHNP field placements.
  2. Recruiting PMHNP students who can provide care consistent with PECE guiding principles. 
  3. Recruiting culturally diverse PMHNP students who can provide culturally competent care.
  4. Increasing the number of hours PMHNP students are trained.
  5. Providing clinical supervision that leads to American Nurses Credentialing and/or American Association of Nurse Practitioners national certification.
  • Please review the 2022-23 PECE Grant Guides for program guidance and requirements.

Webinar

An informational webinar was held on March 5, 2024
Webinar Recording

Resources

Awards

Psychiatric Education Capacity Expansion (PECE) – Psychiatry Residency Grant Program

The purpose of this program is to enter into grant agreement(s) for grantee(s) to train psychiatry residents and fellows in California, including, but not limited to: 

  1. Adding psychiatry residency/fellowship slots to an existing psychiatry residency/fellowship program.
  2. Recruiting residents and/or fellows who can provide care consistent with the guiding principles. 
  3. Recruiting culturally diverse residents and/or fellows who can provide culturally competent care.
  4. Increasing the number of hours psychiatry residents and/or fellows trained.
  5. Providing clinical supervision that leads to Board of Psychiatry and Neurology certification.

Please review the 2022-23 PECE Grant Guides for program guidance and requirements.

Webinar

An informational webinar was held on March 5, 2024
Webinar Recording

Resources

Awards

Regional Partnership

This grant opportunity will result in agreement(s) with WET Regional Partnerships (RP) administering programs that oversee training and support to the Public Mental Health System workforce in their region.

The RP program must have one or more of the following components:

  • Pipeline Development
  • Undergraduate College and University Scholarships
  • Clinical Master and Doctoral Graduate Education Stipends.
  • Loan Repayment Program
  • Retention Activities

Awards

Contact Us

Email: behavioralhealthworkforce@hcai.ca.gov

Phone: (916) 326-3700

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