Officer Wellness and Mental Health Grant Program
The Officer Wellness and Mental Health (Officer Wellness) Grant Program, established in the 2022 Budget Act (Assembly Bill 178, Chapter 45, Statutes of 2022), provides $50 million for city and county law enforcement agencies for the purpose of improving officer wellness and expanding mental health sources. The funding may be used for any of the following purposes:
- Establishing or expanding officer wellness units
- Establishing or expanding peer support units
- Services provided by a licensed mental health professional, counselor or other professional that works with law enforcement
- Expanding multiagency mutual aid programs focused on officer wellness and mental health
- Other programs and services that are evidence-based or have a successful track record of enhancing officer wellness
The five allowable uses are broad in nature. This was by design so that each recipient could determine how to utilize the funds to best meet the needs of the peace officers within their respective agency.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Responses to frequently asked questions are available to assist recipients with administering the grant and understanding grant requirements. A comprehensive FAQ document (12/5/2023) has been developed which compiles all previous FAQs into a single document with the addition of several new questions and responses. The document is extensive and covers a variety of different topics such as grant period/term, use of funds, procurement guidelines, supplanting, reporting requirements, retention of records, unspent grant funds, questions or technical assistance, and more. Links to each section are available in the Table of Contents so you can quickly access/navigate to the topic you want to learn about.
Officer Wellness Grant Reporting Requirements
Recipients of Officer Wellness Grant funds are required to report information related to grant administration, expenditures and impact.
Annual Report
Due December 1, 2023 and December 1, 2024, the annual report will provide updates on recipients' efforts in administering the Officer Wellness Grant during the previous year.- Annual Report - Officer Wellness Grant Annual Reporting Form
Final Impact and Expenditure Report
Due by December 1, 2025, the Final Impact and Expenditure reports will detail how funding was used and describe the impact of the resources.
- Final Impact Report - Officer Wellness Grant Final Impact Reporting Form
- Expenditure Report - The expenditure portion of the final report will be an Excel file that will be attached to the Final Impact Report form. An agency-specific Expenditure Report (Excel spreadsheet) has been sent via email to each grantee. If your agency did not receive your customized Expenditure Report or requires another copy, please send a request to OfficerWellnessGrant@bscc.ca.gov.
Annual Reports Webinar
A webinar reviewing the reporting requirements for the Annual Reports was held on June 6, 2023. Annual Reports are due December 1, 2023 and December 1, 2024.
6.6.23 Officer Wellness Grant Annual Reports Webinar Recording
Final Impact and Expenditure Reports Webinar
A webinar reviewing the reporting requirements for the Final Impact and Expenditure Report was held on April 26, 2023. These reports are Due December 1, 2025.
4.26.23 Officer Wellness Grant Final Impact and Expenditure Reports Webinar Recording
Resource Materials from Webinars
- Pre-Post Assessment and Control Group slides
- Annual Report – Word version
- Final Impact Report – Word version
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) from the webinars have been incorporated into the comprehensive FAQ document located above in the “Frequently Asked Questions” section.
Data Reporting Guide
Recipients will submit information related to the Officer Wellness grant annually. A Data Reporting Guide has been created to assist with the reporting requirements.
Funding Allocations and Disbursement
The Funding Distribution Schedule includes the allocation of funds each agency was awarded. The allocation of funds for each eligible agency was determined based on the number of peace officers described in Penal Code section 830.1 that are employed. A check for the full award was sent to eligible law enforcement agencies.
The funding allocation and disbursement of grant funds was announced in the December 2022 Officer Wellness Grant Award Memorandum from BSCC Chair Linda. The memo went out to all police chiefs and sheriffs.
Resources
Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) – Organizational Wellness and Resilience - Resources available to law enforcement agencies related to officer wellness, including contacts at other agencies who have established officer wellness programs and available training courses and videos.
International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) – Officer Health and Wellness - Collection of resources that support the safety, health, and wellness of every officer that may be used when developing comprehensive officer safety and wellness strategies, including topics such as building resilience, injury prevention, peer support programs, physical fitness, proper nutrition, stress, mindfulness, suicide prevention, and more.
IACP – Police Chief Magazine – Officer Safety & Wellness
- Focus on Officer Wellness: Officer Wellness Programs – Research Evidence and a Call to Action
- IACP@Work: Peer Support in Small and Rural Agencies
- Designing a Wellness Program for Smaller Police Departments
U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ) – Officer Safety and Wellness Resources
U.S. DOJ - Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) – Officer Safety and Wellness
- Building and Sustaining an Officer Wellness Program – Lessons Learned from the San Diego Police Department
- Making Officer Safety and Wellness Priority One – A Guide to Educational Campaigns
U.S. DOJ - COPS Resource Center
- Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Programs – Eleven Case Studies
- Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act – Report to Congress
- Promising Strategies for Strengthening Police Department Wellness Programs – Findings and Recommendations from the Officer Safety and Wellness Technical Assistance Project
- Preparing for the Unimaginable – How Chiefs Can Safeguard Officer Mental Health Before and After Mass Casualty Events
- Officer Safety and Wellness Group Meeting Summary: Improving Law Enforcement Resilience – Lessons and Recommendations
- Wellness Provider Vetting Guide
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) – Office of Employee Wellness
Society for Human Resource Management - How to Establish and Design a Wellness Program
Contact the BSCC regarding the Officer Wellness Grant
If you have additional questions about the BSCC's Officer Wellness Grant send them to OfficerWellnessGrant@bscc.ca.gov.