St. Clare Foundation Announces Over $500,000 in Grants for Youth Behavioral Health

Inaugural grant cycle will fund programs across Southern Illinois to address mental health needs of young people

Apr. 8, 2026 at 6:39pm

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An extreme close-up X-ray photograph of a human brain, with a faint neon outline pulsing around it, conceptually representing the internal workings and connectivity of the mind.A specialized mental health provider will join the Amy Schulz Child Advocacy Center to support the healing process for young victims of abuse and trauma.Centralia Today

The St. Clare Foundation, based in Centralia, Illinois, has announced the recipients of its inaugural grant cycle, deploying over $500,000 to high-impact programs aimed at improving youth and adolescent behavioral health across Southern Illinois. The grants will fund initiatives such as hiring mental health providers, expanding mental health services, and implementing social-emotional learning curricula in local schools and community organizations.

Why it matters

The St. Clare Foundation's investment comes at a critical time, as youth mental health has emerged as a growing crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. These grants represent a coordinated community effort to build an integrated system of resources and care to better support the behavioral health needs of young people in the region.

The details

The St. Clare Foundation offered three types of grants: Anchor Investments, Innovation/Seed Grants, and Capacity-Building Mini-Grants. The funded programs include hiring an adolescent psychiatrist and expanding an ambulatory clinic, adding a mental health provider to support child abuse victims, implementing a classroom management model focused on positive behavior, hiring mental health support staff for elementary schools, expanding social-emotional learning curricula and professional development, and supporting after-school programs and suicide prevention training.

  • The St. Clare Foundation announced the grant recipients on April 8, 2026.
  • The Anchor Investments and Innovation/Seed Grants will provide funding for programs over the next three years.

The players

St. Clare Foundation

A nonprofit organization based in Centralia, Illinois that aims to improve access to resources and holistically respond to unmet youth and adolescent behavioral health needs in the region.

Clare Kessler

The Executive Director of the St. Clare Foundation.

SM Clarette Stryzewski

The Board Chair of the St. Clare Foundation.

SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital Centralia

A hospital that received an Anchor Investment to support the recruitment of an outpatient adolescent psychiatrist and ambulatory clinic expansion.

The Amy Schulz Child Advocacy Center

An organization that received an Anchor Investment to fund the hiring of a specialized mental health provider to support children who are victims of abuse or trauma.

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What they’re saying

“The response from our community of healthcare providers, educators, and community organizations was inspiring. These initial investments are not just checks, they are the fuel for innovative, coordinated action. We are now moving beyond identifying the crisis to actively building the integrated system of resources and care that our youth deserve.”

— Clare Kessler, Executive Director, St. Clare Foundation

“It is truly our privilege to continue to be a part of the Centralia community and to support the needs of surrounding Southern Illinois communities. We are grateful for the spirit of deep respect and collaboration that exists between this community and the Felician Sisters, and we look forward to continuing this meaningful partnership.”

— SM Clarette Stryzewski, Board Chair, St. Clare Foundation

What’s next

The St. Clare Foundation will continue to monitor the progress of the funded programs over the next three years and may consider additional grant cycles in the future to further address youth behavioral health needs in Southern Illinois.

The takeaway

The St. Clare Foundation's investment represents a significant community-driven effort to tackle the growing youth mental health crisis in Southern Illinois. By funding a diverse array of programs, the foundation is taking a holistic approach to building an integrated system of care and resources to better support the behavioral health needs of young people in the region.