Click here for a PDF of the Request for Proposals for the Promoting Mental Health Through Intentional Youth Engagement initiative.

FAQ, updated as of 1.22.25

View the virtual December 19^th Information Session here and slides here.

Register for Office Hours here. 

Background

In July 2023, Franciscan Children’s and Boston Children's finalized their institutional affiliation to enhance the system of behavioral health care of children and youth and improve care for children with complex rehabilitation needs. Consistent with their complementary charitable missions, Franciscan Children’s and Boston Children’s are working to expand access to compassionate, equitable, family-centered, and evidence-based care for children in Massachusetts and across New England. 

As a result of this partnership and plans for a new clinical building in Brighton, there is a new funding opportunity for community organizations in Boston. The Franciscan Children’s Community Health Initiative, a part of Boston Children's Collaboration for Community Health, aims to improve the health and well-being of children, youth, and families impacted by inequities in health and the social determinants of health. The community-identified goal for this funding opportunity is to improve the mental and behavioral health of Boston youth through positive social connections.

Funding Opportunity

Youth mental health consistently ranks at or near the top as an issue that the community, parents, and youth prioritize. While other efforts are simultaneously ongoing to support the increase of mental and behavioral health resources for children and young people, as well as to support the infrastructure of the mental and behavioral health workforce, these efforts are predicated on youth being connected to and engaged enough to receive these services. The consequences of young people not accessing resources and being engaged in activities can be profound, consequently impacting education, life trajectory, a sense of belonging in their community, and overall health and well-being.

This Request for Proposals (RFP) will fund efforts to reach Boston youth ages 11-24, who are not currently engaged through the typical channels: community-based organizations, out-of-school time activities, school-based activities, church activities, and general community engagement activities. Youth-serving organizations should apply for this funding opportunity with a community partner who will help to identify hard-to-engage young people and work to connect them to programs/services. These projects have the potential to provide youth with an increased sense of belonging and support for their mental health and well-being. Particular gaps in services were identified during our community engagement process. As a result, priority populations include: youth in foster care, court-involved youth, LGBTQ+ youth, immigrant youth, and neurodivergent youth.

Proposals should:

• Describe the ways in which hard-to-engage youth will be identified, for example, through partnerships with housing developments, organizations that work with court-involved youth, schools, welcome centers that serve newly arrived immigrants, and shelters.  
• Discuss ways that your organization/partnership understands, and is positioned to, engage youth in activities/services when other efforts may not have been successful.
• Describe what activities/services your organization can provide to these particular youth and how family and community engagement will be included in your work.
• Discuss the short- and long-term plan for positively impacting the mental and behavioral health and overall well-being of the youth that participate as well as what criteria your project will use as it considers youth “engaged” or on the continuum of engagement.

Examples of projects include but are not limited to:

• A youth development organization partnering with its local housing development to identify youth that may not be engaged in other community activities and families who have not participated in community events.
• A youth arts program partnering with a specific school to identify youth who are not engaged in any extracurricular activities.
• A youth mentoring program partnering with a public agency that works with court- involved youth and their families to provide wraparound services and support.
• A faith-based organization partnering with a welcome center that serves newly arrived immigrant families to get youth connected to programs/services and embedded in their community.
• An LGBTQ+ youth organization partnering with a foster care organization to provide identity-affirming academic and social support services. 
• A neurodiversity support group partnering with a neighborhood coalition to activate community spaces for inclusive programming.

Total Funding 

• A total of $1.2 million will be available for this funding opportunity.
• Funding will support projects for 3 years from June 1, 2025 to May 31, 2028.
• Applicants may apply for $50,000 to $100,000 per year ($150,000 to $300,000 total) commensurate to the scope of the project.
• We anticipate funding up to 6 partnerships through this competitive RFP process.

Eligibility and Priorities 

• Projects will benefit youth in the City of Boston. Priority will be given to projects located in the following Boston neighborhoods: Allston, Brighton, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Mission Hill, and Roxbury.
• Youth-serving organizations should be the lead applicant and must apply with a partner. Public agencies cannot be lead applicants.
• Partner organizations can include community-based organizations, community health centers, intermediary organizations, coalitions, advocacy organizations, or public agencies, including schools.
• Organizations must serve youth year-round or throughout the school year. Summer camps are not eligible.
• Organizations must have been in existence for at least two years.
• Tax-exempt organizations and groups with a tax-exempt fiscal agent are eligible to apply. Private foundations are not eligible.
• Practices or entities owned by Boston Children’s and Franciscan Children’s are not eligible to apply or receive funds but may serve as collaborators.

Support for Applicants

Boston Children’s will hold an optional information session on Thursday, December 19, 2024 from 1:00 - 2:00 PM via Zoom (register here). There will be an opportunity to have your questions answered during this session. This session will be recorded. Applicants can also sign up for office hours with Boston Children’s staff (register here). Applicants may email questions to Haley.Piette@childrens.harvard.edu at any point in the application process. Answers to questions will be posted online in the application portal.

Use of Grant Funds 

Grant funds may be used for project staff salaries, consultant fees, data collection and analysis, meetings, supplies, project-related travel, youth stipends, and other direct expenses, including a limited amount of equipment deemed essential to the project. Indirect expenses may not exceed 10% of total request. Grant funds may not be used to provide medical services, support clinical trials, construct or renovate healthcare facilities, or substitute funds currently being used to support similar activities. 

Evaluation 

A report evaluating the project and sharing progress and results is required at the midpoint and end of each grant year. Boston Children’s evaluation partner, Health Resources in Action, will work with grant recipients to design and finalize an evaluation plan and identify indicators.

Sharing and Learning 

Selected projects will be expected to participate in at least two sharing and learning activities annually hosted by Boston Children’s. Organizational leadership and project staff should attend.

Key Dates

Contact Information 

Haley Piette, Project Coordinator, Office of Community Health, Boston Children’s Hospital

Haley.Piette@childrens.harvard.edu

Application Instructions

Deadline
The deadline to submit applications is Friday, February 7, 2025 by 5:00 PM.  All applications must be submitted online at https://bostonchildrens.smapply.io/. All applicants will be notified of funding decisions via email by Monday, April 14, 2025.

Application Components

• Cover Letter (One page, single spaced. Include amount of funding requested and key contact information.)
• Proposal Narrative (Refer to application questions.)
• Project Budget (Use template provided here.)
• W-9 Tax Form (Use form provided here or upload own form for organization or fiscal sponsor. The W-9 submitted must include the specific address where payment should be mailed.)
• Letter of Support (One page, single spaced. Must be from someone outside of your organization such as a community partner or program participant.)
• Partnership Letter (One page, single spaced. Must be from all partners listed on this application.)

Selection Criteria

• Track record of meaningful youth engagement and connection to the community (Q 1, 2, 5 and uploaded Letter of Support)
• Strong partnership with clearly defined roles and evidence of (or potential for) successful collaboration (Q 2, 3, 5, 6)
• Alignment with the initiative’s strategy and priority populations (Q 4, 5, 6, 10)
• Clear and comprehensive description of the project and how it will engage new youth (Q 5, 6)
• Potential for positive impact on youth mental health and wellbeing (Q 7)
• Outcome metrics that are relevant, measurable, and achievable (Q 8)
• Sufficient staff capacity to successfully implement and evaluate project (Q 9)
• Budget that accurately reflects the level of project effort (uploaded Project Budget)