Sponsors (16)
The bill directs modest, sustained federal research funding to develop and test evidence-based youth mental health interventions and build research capacity, trading a $600M federal investment for potential implementation delays and reduced flexibility in how NIH organizes that work.
Children and adolescents will gain access to more research-backed prevention and treatment options because NIH will fund a dedicated Youth Mental Health Research Initiative ($100M/year, 2025–2030).
Schools, community providers, and health systems are likely to get better tools and delivery models for identifying and caring for at-risk youth as the initiative studies interventions in the settings where youth live and learn.
The federal mental health research workforce and interagency coordination at NIH may be strengthened by sustained funding and a focused initiative, supporting longer-term capacity to study youth mental health.
Taxpayers will fund an estimated $600 million total (FY2025–2030) for the initiative, representing a modest but real increase in federal spending that could crowd out other priorities.
If the research funding is concentrated at NIH without clear translation and dissemination plans, communities (including schools and families) may experience delayed or uneven implementation of effective practices.
Directing leadership or emphasis to specific NIH institutes could reduce flexibility or marginalize other centers with relevant expertise, potentially limiting the breadth of research approaches.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Directs NIH to establish a youth mental health research initiative and authorizes $100M/year for FY2025–2030 to study resilience, identification, and delivery of interventions for youth.
Introduced April 1, 2025 by Bonnie Watson Coleman · Last progress April 1, 2025
Creates a new NIH Youth Mental Health Research Initiative led by the National Institute of Mental Health in coordination with NICHD and NIMHD to coordinate and expand research on youth mental health. It directs research on building resilience and community capacity to identify and care for youth at risk or in crisis, and on improving how mental health interventions are targeted and delivered where youth live, learn, work, and play. The bill authorizes $100,000,000 per year for each fiscal year 2025–2030 to carry out the initiative.