Beginning in May 2007, The Austin Project facilitated several Austin community organizations' engagement with AISD staff to conceptualize, design, and write the recently awarded $8.6 million Safe Schools/Healthy Students Federal Grant Application; Seton Hospitals' Children's Optimal Health Initiative also provided important leadership for the effort. 

The four-year grant  is sponsored by the U.S. departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice.  The grant provides students, schools, and communities with federal funding to implement an enhanced, coordinated, comprehensive plan of activities, programs, and services that focus on promoting healthy childhood social/emotional development and preventing violence, alcohol and other drug abuse. Locally, the grant initiative is known as ACCESS, for Austin Community Collaborative Ensuring Student Success.