(1-27-21) What mental health organizations received a loan from the Small Business Administration through its Paycheck Protection Program to keep its workforce employed during the Covid 19 crisis?
The federal government has made 4.8 million PPP loans, worth a staggering $521,483,817,756. A second round is now in the works.
In the beginning, there were numerous complaints about who received forgivable tax dollars. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Quarterback Tom Brady, who signed a two year $50 million football contract, got nearly a $1 million loan for TB12, a company that hawks his t-shirts and other Brady items. Evangelist Joel Osteen collected $4.4 million in PPP funds for his megachurch. The Los Angeles Lakers got $4.6 million but were shamed into returning it.
The SBA moved to tighten rules and Congress took steps to insure that the bulk of funds went to smaller businesses that desperately needed loans to avoid laying off workers. The average amount of a PPP loan is currently $107,000.
If you type the words MENTAL HEALTH into the Washington Post data base that lists loans more than $150,000, you can learn if your local mental health provider is listed.
Here’s what several national mental health organizations received, including two that garnered more than $1 million.
Mental Health America received $432,438 to help cover its payroll for 27 employees at its national office, according to the Post database. The grassroots advocacy group lists annual revenues of $5 million and nearly $7 million in assets, according to GuideStar. A long list of community MHA chapters throughout the country received PPP loans in excess of $150,000.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness national office is not listed on the $150,000 and up list. GuideStar lists NAMI’s annual revenues at nearly $22 million with assets of $19 million. NAMI of New York is on the PPP list. It received $184,000 to support 15 jobs.
The Treatment Advocacy Center received $248,000 to support 13 jobs. GuideStar lists its revenues at $2 million per year, with about $1 million in assets.
The American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association are not listed as recipients.
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance received $230,300 to support 17 jobs. Its national headquarters in Chicago lists $3 million in yearly receipts and $2 million in assets. Many of its state chapters also received PPP funding in excess of $150,000.
More Than A Million
The National Council for Behavioral Health, which represents 2,700 mental health providers, collected $1,648,000 in PPP loans to support 135 jobs. GuideStar lists it annual revenues at $66 million with assets of $45 million.
Finally, Fountain House in New York, which operates perhaps the best peer run recovery programs in the country, received $1,691,556 to support 182 jobs. GuideStar lists its annual revenues at $40 million with assets of $55 million.
I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about each group’s PPP funding.
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