Youth Mental Health Providers Recruit, Retain, Rest and Recuperation (4R) Grant Program

The Youth Mental Health Providers Recruit, Retain, Rest and Recuperation (4R) Grant Program, established by Carrie Towbes in partnership with the Santa Barbara Foundation, aims to support mental health providers working with youth in Santa Barbara County. This initiative addresses the staffing shortages exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on innovative recruitment and retention of professionals. Grants of up to $10,000 for one year will aid organizations in enhancing youth social-emotional health and wellness.

Background
The Youth Mental Health Providers Recruit, Retain, Rest and Recuperation Fund (4R) was established in 2023 by Carrie Towbes in partnership with the Santa Barbara Foundation, with a vision to ensure support for mental health providers delivering direct behavioral healthcare to children, youth and their families and caregivers. Grants will provide resources to organizations that are providing direct support to youth and their families with the goal of supporting and improving young people’s social emotional health. Click here to read more about Carrie’s story.
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated and illuminated the youth mental health crisis. It took a toll on everyone regardless of age, race, socio-economic status, beliefs, or geography. Remote learning created inequities in academic achievement and stymied social emotional development. School administrators, mental health professionals, parents, and students themselves have expressed that youth mental health has reached crisis levels.
An October 2022 survey of mental health providers and stakeholders in various settings across Santa Barbara County sought to help understand the mental and behavioral health staffing shortages that plague mental health care across the county. Key findings included a substantial number of vacancies, as well as wage disparities among positions and organizations. These shortages lead to burnout and high turnover, which compromise care for our youth at schools, healthcare facilities, and community-based organizations.
Focus
In partnership with local funders, the 4R Grant Program supports organizations’ staffing needs as they work to improve youth social emotional health and mental wellness in Santa Barbara County. Funds may be used for the following, including but not limited to:

• Attracting and retaining youth mental health professionals
• Providing youth mental health providers with support for secondary trauma related to their work in the Santa
• Barbara County community.
• We are particularly interested in effective recruitment and retention strategies that are innovative and collaborative.
• Funding Amounts and Duration
• Grants are for up to $10,000 for a one-year period.

Eligibility

Organizations must be certified as tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or use a fiscal sponsor with 501(c)(3) tax status.