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In a July 2024 survey of college and university students, 65% said they are experiencing mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Additionally, 76% of students said mental health services made available by their colleges and universities impact the likelihood of getting a degree.
Providing easy access to comprehensive mental and medical health care during critical times can be life-saving. Offering resources to help increase student retention is also beneficial for the financial health of the campus and local economy.
Despite the clear need and strong business case for funding mental health and student success resources, securing the necessary funds can be challenging. However, when campus leaders explore various paths to funding, institutions can often find the funds needed to add these essential programs.
With a strategic mix of federal, state, and local funding, along with private donations, schools can create a sustainable model for wellness initiatives. Here’s a closer look at each funding source.
Private donations
Parents, alumni, and community members often want to see mental health support services be expanded for students, wishing they had similar resources during their college years. Early adulthood is a challenging time, and support for stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship issues can significantly aid students on their educational journeys.
Alumni, parents, and students are some of the biggest champions of mental health and well-being initiatives. Private donors often feel a deep connection to the mission of supporting a new generation, relating to students’ struggles and remembering how few resources were available during their collegiate experience.
Examples from higher education show how private donations can help increase campus mental health resources. Institutions like Butler University, the University of New England, and the University of Texas have had successful fundraising programs for student mental health support. In 2024, The Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation announced a $850,000 challenge grant for Southern Utah University to inspire and encourage additional donations and partnerships to support mental health initiatives for all students, whether on campus or online. Elon University alumni Mark and Kim Tyson made a $3 million gift to their alma mater to help build the HealthEU Center, a new hub for holistic health and well-being initiatives
A donor-funded Nass Mental Health Initiative gift to Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management supports “students’ personal and professional development at the intersection of business and mental health.” The programming from this initiative addresses issues such as work-life balance, stress, anxiety, dealing with rejection, and burnout.
If you’re considering when to conduct donor outreach, start planning to launch in the month of May. With Mental Health Awareness Month and Mental Health Action Day, this is a perfect time to launch a private fundraising or crowdsourcing campaign to fund mental health support services.
Create a sustainable model for wellness initiatives today.
Foundations
Several non-profit foundations such as The Jed Foundation (JED) and Active Minds offer grants to colleges and universities looking to launch or expand mental health initiatives. The American College Health Foundation’s (ACHF) Stephan D. Weiss, PhD, Mental Health Fund for Higher Education supports programs that improve student mental health and retention. ACHF also has a College Well-Being Award to create or make improvements to campus infrastructure to support the well-being of students.
The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation (BLHF) was established by actress Taraji P. Henson and her friend Tracie Jade Jenkins to destigmatize mental health within the Black community and enhance accessibility. In 2023, BLHF launched Self-Care Wellness Pods under their ‘Meeting You Where You Are’ initiative to provide resources in spaces where African Americans convene.
BLHF partnered with kate spade new york to launch SHECARE Wellness Pods to reach more than 25,000 Black women on HBCU campuses. Alabama State University, Hampton University, and Bennett College were among the first schools to receive the SHECARE Wellness Pods. The structures house resources such as free therapy, support space, and programming designed to support women and girls.
Identify the organizations that best fit the mission of your institution and the goals of your health and well-being initiatives.
Government programs
A search for federal grants can start online at grants.gov through a database with eligibility filters. Grants like those from The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provide awards that aim to improve mental health services for students.
Colleges and universities nationwide have also leveraged state grants to support mental health and student success initiatives. The Ohio State University used a $2.5 million award from the state of Ohio to bring specialized teletherapy, academic accommodation support, and more mental health and well-being resources and programs to students.
The University of North Carolina system 2022-27 Strategic Plan identified improving student mental health as a key priority. In 2023, the state announced $7.7 million in new funding to support postsecondary institutions with additional student mental health services.
The Michigan Sixty by 30 strategic plan aims to increase the number of adults with a skill certificate or college degree to 60% by 2030. The grant program represents more than $45 million to grow student success at the state’s community and tribal colleges and universities.
Look for government programs like these to help fund mental health and wellness initiatives that can help drive student success.
Student-led initiatives
Mental health is important enough for many students to take action on their campuses to grow access to support services. Student government leaders have been instrumental in bringing 24/7 virtual care to their campuses. The Associated Students of Diablo Valley College (ASDVC) in California sponsors TimelyCare for medical and mental health care including the TalkNow service, scheduled counseling, and psychiatry.
Lake Washington Institute of Technology student government association leaders made mental health a top priority and decided they couldn’t wait to see if state funding would come through. They voted to use the institution’s reserve fund to add access to free 24/7 virtual medical and mental health care. Later, the student body voted to add a fee to indefinitely cover the cost of services.
The cost of inaction
Kerry Greenstein, dean of student life at Sweet Briar College, shares how an investment in TimelyCare is worth the money to help break down barriers to mental health support for students.
Nicholas Ladany, president of San Francisco Bay University wrote in an Inside Higher Ed opinion piece, “Providing the necessary resources—expanding mental health services and sessions, paying more counselors a competitive salary, and making mental health and wellness a larger part of the campus culture—is expensive. But the cost is a poor excuse not to provide students with what they need and, like many effective higher education practices we assume are essential such as technology, the cost of inaction or keeping the status quo is far more expensive.”
When students have nowhere to turn on campus due to long wait times, limited resources, or the stigma of care, students suffer in silence. At TimelyCare, 52% of those using our mental health service lines said they would have done nothing if our app were not available to them.
The cost of inaction—or insufficient action that doesn’t fully meet students’ needs—is high. And the impact on student engagement and retention is real. Still, the wait time for a first therapy appointment is between one and two weeks at most counseling centers across institutions of every size, according to the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors’ (AUCCCD) 2022-2023 Annual Survey. Additionally, The State of Higher Education 2024 Report found that, among all currently enrolled college students, 1 in 5 (22%) have considered stopping out due to mental health challenges or emotional stress.
How is your school responding to this need? By digging into the funding resources available to colleges and universities, you can expand mental health resources to make accessing comprehensive mental health resources easy.
More information about funding for mental health and student success initiatives is available here, or reach out to a TimelyCare representative today.
