Mental Health America will start accepting applications for the 2026 Bell Seal season on Monday, January 26, 2026. Please submit an interest form to receive updates and get started.
Determine if you’re eligible
Employers of all sizes and industries are welcome and encouraged to apply for the Bell Seal certification. Recipients represent 19 industries – from health care to financial services to manufacturing – and organizational sizes, from three to more than 1.5 million workers, in 39 states. Take this quick survey to see if your workplace qualifies.
An employer engaged in any effort – through internal policies and practices, legislation, regulation, litigation, or other advocacy – that weakens the rights of employees living with mental health or substance use conditions or discriminates against persons with mental health or substance use conditions is ineligible to apply for the Bell Seal certification.
Kickstart your application
MHA strives to provide a simple and clear application process. Follow these steps to apply:
- Submit an interest form and receive access to the Bell Seal criteria and online application.
- Prepare and submit your application online before the deadline.
- Pay the application fee at the time of submission.
- Receive your results by email within 45 business days.
Apply by Friday, April 3
Submissions are due by 5 p.m. PT on Friday, April 3, 2026, to be considered for the 2026 Bell Seal season. Responses may need to be sourced from multiple departments or teams, including human resources, benefits, and employee resource groups, and are typically the most time-intensive part of the application process. The online application takes approximately one to two hours to complete.
Low cost and big impact
A one-time application fee covers a thorough evaluation and a high-level scoring report for the 2026 Bell Seal season. Each application is reviewed by MHA’s Workplace Wellness team using MHA’s proprietary Bell Seal scoring rubric, which aligns with established evidence-based best practices for workplace mental health. Review all benefits for Bell Seal recipients.
The 2026 application fee is based on an organization’s industry and full-time equivalent (FTE) count and is payable at the time of submission by credit card or check.
- 1 – 50 FTEs
- MHA Affiliate: Free
- Public or Non-Profit: $150
- Private: $200
- 51 – 1,000 FTEs
- MHA Affiliate: Free
- Public or Non-Profit: $250
- Private: $300
- 1,001 – 5,000 FTEs
- MHA Affiliate: Free
- Public or Non-Profit: $350
- Private: $400
- 5,001+ FTEs
- MHA Affiliate: Free
- Public or Non-Profit: $450
- Private: $500
Applying does not guarantee recognition. The application fee is non-refundable, as all applicants will receive an evaluation and report. If certified, applicants can opt in to receive one official Bell Seal certificate by mail, which is subject to an additional $10 shipping and handling charge.
Safe and secure
Application responses will be securely stored and used only for MHA programming. MHA may use aggregated data or obtain recipients’ permission to feature responses as examples in educational or promotional materials, including the annual Workplace Mental Health report.
Apply with confidence
MHA is committed to supporting your organization’s workplace mental health journey. If the employer does not meet the criteria or wants to improve their score, MHA and its partners provide free resources and fee-based services to help employers prepare for the next application cycle. Visit MHA’s Workplace Wellness Resource Center or contact us at workplace@mhanational.org for more information.
Receive your score
All applicants will receive their results by email within 45 business days of submission. The results include scores for each section (Workplace Culture, Benefits, Compliance, and Wellness), a total score indicating whether the employer qualified and at which recognition level (Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum), and a benchmarking chart comparing your scores to the aggregate scores of other employers and recipients. Applicants also receive a recipient checklist with the next steps and additional resources.
Celebrate your recognition
If awarded, your organization will receive a promotion toolkit to announce its recognition to employees, clients, customers, and the communities it serves. In addition, recipients, at their discretion, receive recognition on the Bell Seal website and in the annual Workplace Mental Health report.
Activate your recognition each year
Bell Seal recipients must renew their recognition annually and will receive a reminder email in January. Renewing organizations benefit from benchmarking their efforts annually and being included in MHA’s award announcements as a leading employer in workplace mental heatlh.
Questions?
MHA is here to assist applicants throughout the process. If you have any questions about the Bell Seal or how to apply, please don’t hesitate to email us at workplace@mhanational.org. We’re happy to help.
“Applying for MHA’s Bell Seal award was an organizational treasure hunt, rewarding us, as a team, with deeper insights into how we currently address behavioral health concerns in the workplace and where our opportunities lay for future projects. We recommend that any organization complete this exercise, large or small, to discover how you can encourage a workplace that thrives!”