photo by: John Hanna/Associated Press

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly speaks during an event at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka on Thursday, March 24, 2022.

The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services has awarded $525,000 for organizations across the state to tackle suicide prevention, and a pair of Lawrence agencies are on the list, Gov. Laura Kelly announced Wednesday.

According to a news release from Kelly’s office, two Lawrence-based nonprofits — DCCCA and the Kansas Black Leadership Council — will each receive $35,000 to develop community-specific strategies to prevent suicide among at-risk Kansans. The funds come from KDADS’ Kansas Community Suicide Prevention Grant program.

“Improving mental health in every community is essential to creating a healthy, thriving Kansas,” Kelly said in the release. “By investing in organizations that directly work with Kansans in crisis, we are furthering our mission to prevent suicide and ensure every Kansan can access the mental health services he or she needs.”

The release says the grants are intended to address the ongoing crisis of suicide in the state. In 2021, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment found that suicide was the second-leading cause of death among people ages 10 to 44 in Kansas between 2015 and 2019.

DCCCA and the Kansas Black Leadership Council, along with 13 other agencies throughout the state, will be required to create a plan that includes conducting a community assessment, building suicide prevention infrastructure, addressing cultural competency and ensuring suicide prevention efforts are evidence-based. Grantees will receive continued support from KDADS and the Kansas Suicide Prevention Coalition to reduce the stigma surrounding suicide while emphasizing diversity and inclusion, according to the release.