NYC-Based AFSP Awards
$9.47M for Suicide Research

Without Research, There’s No Suicide Prevention: New Research Grants Totaling $9.47M Make This Work Possible

Amid public health disruptions and federal funding cuts, researchers are fighting to preserve the scientific community while contributing to lifesaving research. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) has been steadfast in supporting researchers and fueling research. As the largest private funder of suicide prevention research, AFSP announced 29 new grants totaling $9.47M, with the organization's total research investment surpassing $100M and supporting approximately 900 research grants since its founding in 1987. 

"Research informs suicide prevention tools, strategies, and lifesaving treatment options,” said AFSP Senior Vice President of Research Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman. “The transformative work and studies conducted by each AFSP research grantee shapes our understanding of suicide and, ultimately, saves lives.” 

Some areas studied by the new grants include:  

• The impact of different treatments for suicidal adolescents 

• Approaches for fast response to suicide clusters (i.e. suicidal acts that occur close together in time or location) 

• Effective training strategies for community health representatives and school counselors seeking to prevent suicide among Indigenous youth 

• Strategies for combining ketamine treatment with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to reduce suicidal ideation 

• Treatments to reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviors for women who have experienced interpersonal violence  

• Cannabis use, cognitive processing and suicide risk in young adults  

“AFSP’s commitment to drive both research and community action to save lives is deeply aligned with our project goals and approach, and we are excited to join the community that AFSP provides,” said Dr. Emily Haroz, 2026 AFSP Focus Grant recipient and Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health researcher. “With AFSP’s support, we hope that our study, “Scaling New Hope”, will inform how best to scale an effective suicide prevention intervention for youth delivered during the acute risk phase across Indigenous communities.”  

Suicide Prevention Research Impact 

Notable suicide prevention efforts and research date back to the 1960s, and most of what we know about suicide has resulted, in part, from AFSP-funded studies and researchers. In its founding year, 1987, AFSP funded its first three studies for $11,000. 

Each year, AFSP funds researchers who advance our understanding of suicide and interventions that save lives. In 1989, AFSP funded Dr. Victoria Arango, whose research found that reduced serotonin levels in certain parts of the brain increase individuals’ predisposition to major depression and suicidal ideation. As one of the first to study the brain in this way, Arango’s work paved the way for other researchers to explore the role of brain function in suicide-related outcomes. Arango received a subsequent grant from AFSP in 2005, focusing on how stress-related brain chemistry may differ in people who died by suicide. 

In 2019, AFSP funded Dr. David Tolin, who explored the effectiveness of Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (BCBT) in inpatient hospitalization settings. Over a six-month follow-up, BCBT-inpatient reduced the odds of suicide attempts by 60% and lowered psychiatric readmission rates by 71% among participants without substance use disorders. Studies show that people who attempt suicide are more likely to go on to re-attempt, underscoring the importance of knowing, as Dr. Tolin discovered, what treatments can most effectively prevent suicide.  

Looking Back 

One of the most effective public health tools to prevent suicide is hotlines. Launched in Los Angeles in 1965, the first ever 24-hour hotline quickly demonstrated the truth of crisis care: suicidal crises do not follow office hours. Over half a century later in 2020, 988 was designated as the short dial code for the national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a movement in which AFSP played a leading advocacy role. Research has shown proof of this concept: hotlines save lives, and creating a memorable dial code improves crisis support accessibility. A recent study involving 437 adult suicide Lifeline callers found the vast majority of callers thought their crisis call helped them (nearly 98%) and stopped them from killing themselves (88.1%). 

Tune In 

• Ask Dr. Jill: “Does Psychedelic Therapy Actually Work?”: Tune in on Oct. 6 where Dr. Jill is joined by Dr. Lynnette A. Averill, a researcher specializing in psychedelics and their potential applications in mental health. Dr. Jill and Dr. Averill explain how drugs such as Ibogaine, Psilocybin, and Ketamine work. 

• Hope Starts With Us: “Inspiring Hope Through Research”: Tune in on Oct. 7 where Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman and NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. discuss the ways that both NAMI and AFSP turn science into hopeful action for those affected by suicide. 

AFSP welcomes research grant applications in all areas of suicide research and connects early career researchers with mentors. Research grants are funded primarily through funds raised by AFSP Out of the Darkness Walks.   

To learn more, visit afsp.org/research.  

Source: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention