The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Office of Behavioral Health Equity has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Family Counseling and Support for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex+ Youth and their Families grant.
This grant is intended to fund programs that address the higher rates of mental illness and suicidality among LGBTQ+ youth in comparison to their heterosexual and cisgender peers. Applicant programs should also focus on the negative impacts of an unsupportive home/family environment.
The Office anticipates awarding four grants of up to $425,000 per year for as many as three years. There is no match requirement. Applications are due through Grants.gov or eRA ASSIST by July 3, 2023 at 11:59 PM ET.
Eligibility
This grant is open to:
- State and Territory governments in the United States
- Local governments
- Native American Tribes
- Health facilities
- Facilities run by or in conjunction with the Indian Health Service
- Public or private nonprofit organizations
- Tribal organizations
Required Activities
- Create and implement an outreach strategy to connect the target community with services within four months of award
- Create and implement a public awareness campaign to engage families and promote familial support for LGBTQ+ youth within four months of award
- Create and implement screening and referral guidelines to connect the target community with services
- Identify and collaborate with community-based service providers to refer LGBTQ+ youth who require more intensive services due to mental health or substance misuse disorder
- Create and implement a workforce training plan to educate providers on evidence-based family counseling practices
- Implement an evidence-based family counseling program to promote family acceptance within six months of award
- Establish or expand an existing LGBTQ+ youth and family advisory workgroup within six months of award
- Create and implement a family counseling training program for organizations who work with LGBTQ+ youth
- Coordinate efforts and access relevant technical assistance (TA) and resources with the SAMHSA funded LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Center of Excellence, Technology Transfer Centers (TTCs), and other SAMHSA and relevant Health and Human Services (HHS) TA Centers and resources.
Allowable Activities
- Consulting with social media professionals to improve targeted communications
- Consulting with education and child welfare professionals to create or expand volunteer programs that address LGBTQ+ mental health and family rejection
- Providing peer and family support services
- Collaborating with agencies that work with youth to develop a broad web of partnerships
Evaluation Criteria
All applications will be evaluated based on:
- Population of focus and statement of need (10 points)
- Proposed implementation approach (30 points)
- Proposed evidence-based service/practice (20 points)
- Staff and organizational experience (25 points)
- Data collection and performance measurement (15 points)
