Office of Safe and Healthy Students

The Department of Education Office of Safe and Healthy Students is a civilian sub-agency within the Department of Education that administers federal grant programs supporting school safety, health, and student wellness initiatives nationwide. The Office distributes funding through grants to state education agencies, school districts, and related entities to support programs addressing student mental health, substance abuse prevention, school violence prevention, and related public health and safety priorities in K–12 education.

The Office has obligated $2.9 billion in combined federal grant funding across 1,018 awards since 1999. Grant activity peaked in the mid-to-late 2000s, with annual award volumes of 113 to 116 grants per year from 2006 through 2009; activity declined sharply thereafter, with only 4 awards recorded in 2010, the most recent grant award on file. The portfolio reflects a predominantly mature, established grant-making footprint rather than active new solicitation or expansion.

Grant recipients are highly fragmented across 116 distinct entities, indicating a dispersed funding model typical of formula-grant programs serving state and local education systems. The assistance-type mix is overwhelmingly dominated by Formula Grants, which account for 980 awards (96% of the portfolio), with Project Grants representing only 38 awards (4%). This composition reflects the Office's role as an administrator of statutory formula-grant programs (such as Safe and Drug-Free Schools grants historically authorized under the No Child Left Behind Act) that distribute funds according to legislated allocation formulas rather than competitive merit review.

No recent contract opportunities, grant opportunities, or contract awards are recorded against the Office or its descendant offices in the current data digest. The absence of grant awards after 2010 and the lack of open solicitation records suggest that the Office's active grant-making programs may have transitioned, been consolidated, or been realigned under different administrative structures within the Department of Education in the intervening period. Business development professionals evaluating current funding activity at the Office should verify directly with the Department of Education whether this Office remains the active administrator of Safe and Healthy Students grant programs or whether that function has shifted to another office or program structure.