News Releases

The Michigan Health Endowment Fund (MHEF) will support the implementation of community-led programming to combat elevated youth suicide rates in Michigan’s tribal communities. 

The grant of $416K to the University of Michigan will be implemented by Promoting Community Conversations About Research to End Suicide—known as PC CARES– in collaboration with the Bay Mills Indian Community, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, and the Gun Lake Tribe.

The PC CARES project housed by the Research Center for Group Dynamics at the Institute for Social Research uses accessible research summaries and guided discussions to help local communities explore practical ways to support mental wellness and reduce suicide risk. Originally developed in northwestern Alaska, its founder, Lisa Wexler, aims to extend its  “Learning Circles” approach to generate community-led, evidence-informed strategies for suicide preventon in diverse settings and contexts. The PC CARES model is included in the Suicide Prevention Best Practices Registry.

The award was approved as part of its 2025 Behavioral Health Initiative that is investing more than $6.8 million to bring behavioral health support to residents across the state of Michigan.

The grant will support learning circles made up of parents, elders, teachers, coaches, and tribal leaders to create whole-community strategies supporting mental health among Indigenous youth.

A complementary grant to the American Indian Health and Family Services of Southeast Michigan will equip trusted adults to recognize and respond to suicide risk and connect youth to care.

PC CARES researcher Elizabeth Evans also received summer funding to extend the model in Michigan with the grant “Building Community Capacity for Suicide Prevention: Implementing PC CARES with American Indian Health and Family Services in Detroit,” awarded by the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan.

Read more on the Endowment Fund grants in MHEF’s announcement.