NEW HANOVER COUNTY — New Hanover County Schools and Coastal Horizons are partnering to expand student mental health and emotional well-being supports through a $7.5 million, five-year federal grant.
The grant, to be distributed in $1.5-million annual increments, was awarded to Coastal Horizons by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration as part of its Project AWARE, which stands for Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education.
The program is designed to help schools establish sustainable systems that promote student mental health, address substance use and co-occurring disorders, and connect school-aged youth with appropriate behavioral health services.
Port City Daily asked the district what exactly the funding will pay for; after press, NHCS said the grant will cover a team of 15 staff hired through Coastal Horizons to “scaffold a sustainable framework of expanded school based mental health for students in our K-12 schools based on identified needs.”
NHCS said Coastal Horizons will build a three-tier system of care that spans prevention, early intervention, and referral to intensive treatment to ensure schools, families, and providers are able to identify and appropriately respond to school aged youth mental health, substance use, and co-occurring disorders.
Coastal Horizons, a nonprofit provider of behavioral health and human services, will lead the grant-funded initiative in collaboration with NHCS. The partnership is planned to support a coordinated approach to student behavioral health, emphasizing prevention, early intervention, access to services, crisis response, and collaboration with families and community partners.
“No student should have to face a mental health challenge alone, and no family should have to navigate the search for help without support,” said Margaret Weller-Stargell, President and CEO of Coastal Horizons. “This five-year investment gives us the opportunity to work alongside New Hanover County Schools to recognize concerns earlier, connect students with care, and build a lasting network of support. Together, we can help students develop resilience and ensure that asking for help is met with compassion and a clear path to care.”
The award builds on North Carolina’s broader efforts to expand school-based behavioral health services through Project AWARE. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction recently announced a separate $7.5 million, five-year federal Project AWARE award to support three school districts across the state from 2026 through 2031.
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