CaroNova Receives $2.5 Million Grant from The Leon Levine Foundation

CaroNova has been awarded a $2.5 million, five-year grant from The Leon Levine Foundation to continue development of a bi-state collaborative effort to establish Universal Youth Mental Wellness Supports, with a goal of defining clear standards and shared definitions for mental wellness supports for school-aged youth in North and South Carolina. 

Rates of youth depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation remain significantly higher than they were a decade ago. The growing demand is outpacing the current system’s ability to meet the mental health needs of youth in the Carolinas. This challenge requires a focused and actionable strategy that accelerates coordination among key stakeholders in North and South Carolina and emphasizes prevention.   

Through The Leon Levine Foundation’s grant, the Universal Youth Mental Wellness Supports initiative builds on partnerships between CaroNova and state leaders, community agencies, philanthropic funders, and other mental wellness stakeholders in North and South Carolina. This work aims to amplify and advance existing efforts across the Carolinas by supporting a more coordinated, cross‑sector approach to develop a bi-state youth mental health framework that simplifies, strengthens, and standardizes the foundational elements needed to support youth.  

“Youth and children need better access to mental wellness supports that help them thrive emotionally, socially, and academically,” said Dr. Mike Richardson, healthcare program director at The Leon Levine Foundation. “CaroNova’s collaborative approach aligns with our commitment to empowering underserved Carolinians, improving health outcomes, and strengthening families and their communities. This initiative brings together organizations already doing important work to create a more coordinated, prevention-focused approach to youth mental wellness.” 

CaroNova’s Universal Youth Mental Wellness Supports initiative reflects nationally recognized best practices for school-based mental wellness and systemic change. The approach incorporates evidence-based frameworks and recommendations from organizations such as SAMHSA and the National Center for School Mental Health. CaroNova uses an inclusive co- designing approach to engage those most affected, including youth and their families, educators, health providers, payors, policymakers, and community advocates. The long-term goal is to create the conditions which enable every school district across North and South Carolina to be able to offer comprehensive, proactive school-based mental wellness supports for all students by 2035. 

Currently, active projects are underway in North and South Carolina and showing promising results. Through funding from the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the Mental Wellness Through Schools pilot program launched in Florence 1 Schools district middle schools during the 2025-26 school year. Early findings from the Florence, SC pilot show an increase in averted instances of suicidal ideation in middle schools, a decrease in emergency department referrals in middle schools, and a marked improvement in district and middle schools’ School Behavioral Health systems scores.  

Projects such as the Mental Wellness Through Schools pilot program continue to provide valuable learning opportunities and serve as a launching point for the Universal Youth Mental Wellness Supports initiative. This is one of many promising strategies being studied by the NC partners, laying the groundwork for alignment and sharing of best practices across both states. 

“This funding will energize our approach to co-designing strategies that directly address the fragmentation and variable standards of quality in youth mental wellness across the Carolinas,” said Julia Beck, president of CaroNova. “It allows us to build off our years of partnerships and drive us all closer to our long-term goal of universal preventive mental wellness supports for North and South Carolina children and youth.”  

About The Leon Levine Foundation: Established in 1980 by Leon Levine (Founder and former Chairman of Family Dollar Stores, Inc.), The Leon Levine Foundation pursues its mission of “empowering underserved Carolinians to be self-sufficient and strengthening our Jewish community” by supporting programs and organizations that align with its four core mission areas: education, healthcare, human services, and Jewish values. Based in Charlotte, N.C., the Foundation invests in nonprofits across North and South Carolina with strong leadership, a track record of success, and a plan for financial sustainability. Learn more at leonlevinefoundation.org.