Woodland Awarded $7.3 Million Project AWARE Grant
Gurnee IL - Woodland School District 50 has been awarded a $7.3 Million Project AWARE Grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Woodland will receive almost $800,000 a year for each of the next five years (2026–2031) for the Wildcat Wellness program, funded through the AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) grant. These funds will help defray salary costs and the ongoing expenses of professional development and planning time for staff as Woodland continues building integrated student support through an Interconnected Systems Framework. The grant will also provide an additional $600,000 per year for outside support—including a mental health clinician, expert professional development, and comprehensive evaluation support.
SAMHSA is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that focuses on improving behavioral health across the nation by providing resources, grants, and support for substance abuse and mental health treatment. Project AWARE provides funding for non-profit organizations to develop a sustainable framework to promote the social and emotional wellbeing for school-aged youth in local or tribal education agency settings.
District administrators learned about this grant opportunity over the summer and submitted Woodland’s application in July. SAMHSA only awarded 41 awards (grants) nationally this year and three of them were earmarked for federally-recognized Native American institutions.
“Woodland is thrilled to be one of the 41 recipients this year! As we continue to build a framework of support for our students, this award is national recognition that we are on the right track. The money we receive will defray costs of personnel and programming already in our budget being paid for with local funds, and allow us to continue to expand programming where it is needed most,” stated Dr. Robert Machak, Superintendent.
The Project AWARE Grant will cover:
Salary and Benefits for Director of Supports and Innovation
Salary and Benefits for Four Family Coordinators
PBIS team meetings and training stipends
Summer Professional Development
End of Year Planning Days
One embedded clinician from Warren Township Youth and Family Services to work in our schools
Ongoing training and support from the Midwest PBIS Network
"With growing pressures on state and federal education funding, we are grateful to our staff for continually seeking alternative funding sources. The AWARE grant is a great example of this commitment to fiscal responsibility and supporting our students and staff,” said Woodland Board of Education President Joel Zwiefelhofer.
Wildcat Wellness is about making sure students have access to a full system of support academically, socially, and emotionally. By utilizing an Interconnected Systems Framework, we can leverage our strong community partnerships to build a unified system that supports all students both inside and outside the classroom. This collaborative approach ensures every child receives the tools they need to thrive, transforming the daily school experience into one where well-being and academic success go hand in hand.