Sarah Lindstrom Johnson joins Matthew McConaughey on Good Morning America panel to discuss school safety funding
Panel focuses on McConaughey’s Greenlights Grant Initiative, which supports schools in securing federal funding for safety and mental health programs
Sarah Lindstrom Johnson (right) spoke on an interview panel featuring Matthew McConaughey’s (middle) Greenlights Grant Initiative. Photo courtesy ABC/Paula Lobo.
This week, Associate Professor Sarah Lindstrom Johnson participated in a panel discussion on Good Morning America to address school safety and the urgent need for schools to apply for federal grant funding. The discussion featured actor Matthew McConaughey, whose Greenlights Grant Initiative helps schools access critical resources for safety and mental health.
The program, co-founded by McConaughey and his wife, Camila Alves McConaughey, assists school districts in navigating the complex process of applying for federal safety and mental health grants.
After the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act set aside funding to improve school safety, many schools struggled to apply for the available resources, often due to a lack of awareness, staff or expertise. That’s where McConaughey’s program comes in.
McConaughey explained in the interview, “The Greenlight Grant Initiative is a connector between the schools in need—highest risk, lowest capacity schools—and the government agencies. And that has not been an easy task...there’s a lot of red tape, it’s very complicated, and so we are simplifying that process so schools can be heard.”
Earlier this year, Lindstrom Johnson mentored three Arizona State University students in writing and submitting grants for the Glendale Elementary School District as part of this initiative. The ASU team submitted five grant applications to support afterschool programs for over 10,000 students, with the goal of building safer and more supportive learning environments.
On the Good Morning America panel, Lindstrom Johnson shared her experience working with schools through the initiative: “Of the seven grants that I was fortunate to work with and write with Greenlights last year, all of them asked for people,” said Lindstrom Johnson. “Schools, as Matthew noted earlier, currently have a ratio of one school mental health professional per 750 students.”
Lindstrom Johnson explained that there is a need for more trained personnel, and schools are often forced to combine resources from federal, state and local programs just to maintain critical staff positions. This struggle to keep positions, particularly when funding runs out, remains an ongoing challenge for schools across the country.
The Greenlights Grant Initiative is working to close that gap by streamlining the grant application process and helping schools secure the funding they rely on. If schools can access these resources and prove that they work in improving the quality and safety of schools, these efforts have the potential to make lasting changes.
Watch the first, second and third segments on Good Morning America to learn more about Matthew McConaughey’s ongoing initiative and Lindstrom Johnson’s involvement in the grant applications.