We welcome grant applications for our Fall 2017 Children’s Behavioral Health grant program. Applications are due online by September 1, 2017.
LOHF recently hosted an informational event for organizations interested in applying for grant funds offered this fall. Below are several discussion questions and answers from our recent Grants Informational Session. View the full Grants Informational Session presentation materials here. Here are the questions and answers that came up during the session:
- How do we fill in organization history on the grant application if we are a new organization?
Any tax exempt organization that has an Employer Identification Number (EIN) is welcome to apply. When completing the organization registration form online, please include your EIN so that we can verify your organization’s tax exempt status automatically via Guidestar. If your organization uses a fiscal agent or fiscal intermediary, please provide the EIN for that organization.
- What if our financials show we have a high overall budget? Will it disqualify us?
Your overall budget will help us to better understand the scope of this project within your organization. A larger budget will not disqualify the application.
- What is the context for psychiatric consultation listed in the slide?
At LOHF, we are partnering with a behavioral health practice to begin offering consultative psychiatry services to primary care providers through our NavWell system. We have budgeted a small amount to cover these services as the NavWell pilot begins.
- We understand that letters of support are not required, but do you require a list of collaborative partners?
It depends on the design of your project. We do not require that you partner with other organizations, so letters of support are not required. However, we do encourage collaboration and partnership. If your project’s success depends on the partnership or collaboration of other organizations, then we do require letters of support from those partners.
- May we request a grant during both Spring and Fall grant cycles?
Yes, an organization may submit a grant request during either our fall cycle, our spring cycle, or both. We have also supported two different project requests from the same organization in the same grant cycle.
About the LOHF Children’s Behavioral Health Grants Program
LOHF targets support towards evidence-based programs that advance mental wellness of children and youth in Lancaster County. Our Children’s Behavioral Health Grants Program is a specific funding area that represents 26% of our annual program budget, with $100,000 total funds available annually, with the goal of providing more funds each year through fundraising efforts. Tax exempt community benefit organizations serving Lancaster County are eligible to apply.
In a study of Lancaster County healthcare needs, LOHF confirmed that child and adolescent behavioral health services exist, but care systems are fragmented. This leaves families overwhelmed and confused, and providers without tools to adequately refer families for therapy, counseling, and treatment.
With this information as a foundation, LOHF has built a grant-funding approach that invests in practical solutions to make children’s behavioral health information and services more accessible. The Children’s Behavioral Health Grants program targets support toward evidence-based programs advancing mental wellness of Lancaster County children and teens.
LOHF is positioned as a safety net, providing collaboration and resources for programs supporting parents, primary care providers and behavioral healthcare providers, nurses, and schools as they work together for the mental wellbeing of Lancaster County children and teens. Recognizing the current challenges of healthcare access—especially behavioral healthcare for children and teens—LOHF hopes to increase fundraising so that no child falls through the cracks. LOHF Children’s Behavioral Health Grants represent 26 percent of LOHF’s annual program budget, with $100,000 total funds available annually thanks to LOHF’s endowment and generous donors.
Tax exempt community benefit organizations serving Lancaster County are eligible to apply for LOHF grants, which are issued twice annually. Funded activities should focus on the following: care coordination, parent/caregiver education, and/or access (improving capacity of providers to treat children). To learn more, please visit: www.lohf.org/grants.
