The Ballmer Group, co-founded by Steve and Connie Ballmer, is donating $100 million to three universities in the LA area to expand their mental health training programs for youth. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic)FilmMagicThe Ballmer Group, the philanthropic investment organization co-founded by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie, is giving a total of $110 million to three public universities — California State University, Dominguez Hills; California State University, Los Angeles; and the University of California, Los Angeles — to address a shortage of behavior health professionals serving the youth of the Los Angeles area.According to a news release from the funders, the Los Angeles region currently lacks an adequate mental health workforce, leading to problems of access and long wait times for clinical services. It’s estimated that Los Angeles County will need to add more than 17,000 new behavioral health professionals by 2033.“All kids deserve a fair shot to thrive. This investment is about ensuring that young people can get timely, culturally responsive support close to home—and that means growing the behavioral health workforce in the communities where the need is greatest,” said Kim Pattillo Brownson, Director of Strategy, Policy, and Partnerships for Ballmer Group Los Angeles, in the release. “By partnering with CSUDH, Cal State LA, and UCLA, we’re expanding and strengthening a pipeline of youth-serving professionals who can help close access gaps for low-income children and youth across Los Angeles County.”California State University, Los AngelesCalifornia State University, Los Angeles is being given $48 million, the largest philanthropic gift in its history. The money will be used to prepare more than 1,000 new social workers and family counselors through the university’s Master of Social Work and School–Based Family Counseling programs, each of which has a longstanding history of serving East Los Angeles and surrounding communities. "We deeply appreciate Ballmer Group for this grant, which will change lives across Los Angeles by preparing a new generation of counselors and social workers who reflect and understand the communities they serve," said Cal State LA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes, in a university news release. "We have always been a university of impact, and this partnership with Ballmer Group elevates our capacity to meet the critical mental health and wellness needs of children, youth, and families across the region."MORE FOR YOUMost of the new funding will be used to support new student scholarships, doubling the capacity of the one‑year MSW program, increasing the two‑year MSW program by 50%, and doubling the SBFC programCalifornia State University, Dominguez HillsCalifornia State University, Dominguez Hills will receive $29 million, which is its largest gift ever. It will be used to launch Toros Heal L.A., which will provide scholarships, licensure preparation, and other sources of aid for up to 700 undergraduate and graduate students in social work, marital and family therapy, clinical and health psychology, and school and college counseling.The university will also establish an undergraduate paraprofessional pathway in its Human Services program, preparing students for jobs in the behavioral health field. “This gift is a response to acute child and youth behavioral health shortages in South L.A. and adjacent areas—communities our students and graduates call home,” said CSUDH Interim President Mary Ann Villarreal. “With this investment, CSUDH can expand access to opportunity for our students while preparing professionals committed to serving populations with the greatest need.”University of California, Los AngelesUCLA will receive $33 million for its role in the Ballmer Group initiative. With that investment, it will launch or expand three programs, involving undergraduate, graduate, medical and postdoctoral trainees in the department of psychology, the department of social welfare, and the department of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences. Additionally, the funds will enable UCLA to strengthen its Public Partnership for Wellbeing training and professional development programs with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, administered by the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA.“UCLA is not just a university in Los Angeles, it is a university of Los Angeles — so it is critical for us to address the growing youth mental health crisis in our community,” said UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk, in the university’s announcement. “The generosity of Ballmer Group will enable UCLA to equip more professionals with the skills and deep knowledge needed to care for young people and their families.”Collectively, it is anticipated that the Ballmer gift will enable the three universities to train almost 2,600 new behavioral health graduates by 2031.About The Ballmer GroupThe Ballmer Group focuses its philanthropy on multiple areas related to economic mobility, including early learning, K-12 education, college and career pathways, housing, behavioral health, and criminal justice. Co-founded in 2015 by Connie Ballmer and her husband Steve Ballmer, who served as CEO of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014, the organization has donated more than $7 billion to various causes. In 2022, the couple made a record $425 million gift to establish the Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health at the University of Oregon, Connie Ballmer’s alma mater. Forbes recently pegged Steve Balmer’s net worth at more than $121 billion.