The National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement (NCSCB) at the USC School of Social Work has received a $1 million grant from the New York Life Foundation, a continuation of funding that will allow the NCSCB to expand its services, in particular the Coalition to Support Grieving Students.

Under the direction of David Schonfeld, MD, professor of practice of social work and pediatrics, the NCSCB moved to the USC School of Social Work in summer 2015. The Center established the Coalition to Support Grieving Students in partnership with New York Life Foundation in 2013, bringing together 10 major organizations that represent school professionals across different disciplines.

Since its inception, the NCSCB has provided consultation and training in the aftermath of a number of crisis events and disasters within the United States and abroad, including shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, Marysville, Washington, Aurora, Colorado, and Chardon, Ohio; flooding from hurricanes Sandy in New York City and New Jersey, Katrina in New Orleans and Ike in Galveston; tornadoes in Joplin, Missouri and Alabama; the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan, China; and the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.

“The NCSCB has been involved in disaster and crisis events in school and community settings where children are involved both nationally and globally,” Schonfeld said. “We do not charge for the advice and technical assistance that we provide, so philanthropic support is critical to sustaining and growing our ability to make schools better prepared to deal with loss in the lives of children every day, as well as after major crisis events.”

The Coalition was formed to elevate the national conversation around childhood grief and encourage entire communities to take action in supporting grieving children in their midst. The role of the NCSCB in managing the Coalition is crucial to its credibility, to producing reliable, relatable materials and in reaching more educators and other school professionals.

“Part of our mission at New York Life is to provide peace of mind for our policyholders, so providing assistance to children in their time of need is a natural extension of that and something the foundation has embraced,” commented Heather Nesle, President of the New York Life Foundation. “Although pervasive, childhood bereavement is still considered a ‘niche’ funding area.”

The Coalition has developed an online training resource (grievingstudents.org) that provides free materials to school administrators and staff, better preparing them to assist students who are grieving following a loss in their family, at their school or in their community.

The NCSCB began in 2005 with initial support from the September 11th Children’s Fund and the National Philanthropic Trust. The New York Life Foundation began funding for support of the NCSCB in 2011. More information can be found at schoolcrisiscenter.org.