PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) announced it has been awarded a $10,000 Community Impact Grant from Fallon Health.
This one-time award will fund the pilot of the Active Minds Curriculum at Pittsfield High School.
“We’re pleased to award grant funding to Berkshire Regional Planning and the SPARK initiative to help support early intervention programs for children and youth,” said Cheryl Schmaltz, Community Engagement Manager. “By focusing on teen mental health and substance use prevention, we can eliminate barriers to health care for this important population and enhance outcomes.””
The Active Minds Curriculum is a national peer-to-peer mental health program designed to foster mental health awareness among students by empowering them to connect and support one another. This initiative aligns with recent 2025 student data, which identifies increased mental health awareness as a critical factor in preventing substance use among youth, stated a press release.