We are excited to share that the Community Driven Behavioral Health request for proposal (RFP) is now open! This funding opportunity closes on February 22, 2023, at 2:00 pm. Please submit your application by then.
This RFP seeks to fund Small Organizations to provide community-driven behavioral health services that support the behavioral health needs within their own communities in King County. Organizations who propose programming that is different from “traditional, inherited European models based in oppression and othering”1 will be prioritized for funding. Applicants must meet the definition of Small Organization to be considered for funding. Small Organization refers to entities with fewer than 20 full-time equivalent staff and an operating budget of less than $4 million in the prior fiscal year.
For more information and to apply, view the full application on ZoomGrants here: https://kingcounty.zoomgrants.com/zgf/2023_2024_MIDD_Community_Driven_Behavioral_Health_Grants_RFP
This RFP is funded by King County’s MIDD Behavioral Health Sales Tax, a county-wide 0.1% sales tax that specifically supports programs and services for people living with or at risk of behavioral health conditions.
Overview
This RFP and the resulting grants continue MIDD’s focus on supporting community-driven behavioral health services and strategies in King County and advances MIDD’s policy goal to “increase culturally relevant, trauma-informed behavioral health services.” Behavioral health is defined to include both mental health and substance use disorder services.
While nearly 30% of King County residents identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), culturally specific behavioral health services responsive to their needs, delivered in an accessible manner, and in coordination with other community-designed and -informed services are lacking.
This RFP seeks to fund small organizations with close ties to BIPOC communities and deep knowledge of their behavioral health service needs, to support them in designing and/or delivering services and strategies that meet the needs of their community members.
Eligibility
Successful applications for the resulting Community Driven Grants will support the development, strengthening and/or implementation of creative, innovative, culturally, and linguistically responsive approaches “that are different from traditional, inherited European models based in oppression and othering.”
A specific, though related, funding opportunity will also be awarded to an organization through this RFP to pilot an Art Therapy approach to community identified behavioral health needs. A successful application to the Art Therapy Behavioral Health Pilot will pay for staffing, supplies, and/or other resources required to implement the Art Therapy Project. The awarded organization may be a behavioral health provider, may include a partnership with a behavioral health provider, or may be a contracted credentialed behavioral health specialist, to ensure that the program is therapeutic in approach. Partnership with an existing art institution to increase the effectiveness of the Art Therapy Behavioral Health Pilot will also be considered.
Organizations must meet the definition of Small Organization to be considered for funding.
This MIDD initiative was developed with the intent of supporting Small Organizations and coalitions that provide culturally and/or linguistically responsive behavioral health services to BIPOC and LGBTQI+ community members. The resulting grant will follow a simplified contracting process, with low administrative burden and some technical assistance and organizational development support.
See the full RFP here for more information about eligibility.
Available Funding
Up to $1,752,000 in MIDD Behavioral Health Sales Tax Fund funding is available. $200,000 will fund one organization to provide a pilot Art Therapy behavioral health program.
Multiple awards are anticipated for up to $100,000 per year, for up to 21 months of funding. Organizations can apply for up to $200,000 per project in total funding.
Awards will be offered for the remainder of the 2023-2024 biennium, April 1, 2023 – December 31, 2024.
Join the Applicants Conference on January 18, 2023
A virtual information session to discuss any questions will be held on January 18, 2023, at 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Register for the conference via Zoom here: https://kingcounty.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pcuGtqTIrGtDdUoeJ0QRw9vqn4tnKwXWj
Apply
Submit your application by February 22, 2023, via ZoomGrants: https://kingcounty.zoomgrants.com/zgf/2023_2024_MIDD_Community_Driven_Behavioral_Health_Grants_RFP
RFP Timeline
| RFP Release | January 10, 2023 |
| Pre-Proposal Conference A virtual information session to discuss questions related to this RFP. Register for the Conference via Zoom here: https://kingcounty.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pcuGtqTIrGtDdUoeJ0QRw9vqn4tnKwXWj The Pre-Proposal Conference will be recorded and posted to ZoomGrants. This will be a remote session with speech to text captioning provided. For accommodations to participate, please contact the Procurement Lead by November 13, 2021. | January 18, 2023 3 – 4:30 p.m. |
| Final day for small organizations to initiate request for technical assistance | February 8, 2023 |
| Final day to submit questions via ZoomGrants | February 15, 2023 |
| Proposal due | February 22, 2023 by 2:00 p.m. |
| Responses reviewed | February 22, 2023 through March 8, 2023 |
| Interviews with Proposer(s) (if applicable) King County reserves the right to conduct interviews as needed to make award determinations. | March, 2023 |
| Notification of selected and non-selected Proposer(s) | March 2023 |
| Anticipated program/contract start date | April 1, 2023 |
Questions?
Submit your questions via ZoomGrants by February 15, 2023: https://kingcounty.zoomgrants.com/zgf/2023_2024_MIDD_Community_Driven_Behavioral_Health_Grants_RFP
If you experience technical difficulties with ZoomGrants, contact the Help Desk in ZoomGrants or reach out to the procurement lead directly.
The RFP lead is Andria Howerton, dchscontracts@kingcounty.gov
Footnotes
- Shim, Ruth S., and Sarah Y. Vinson. Social (in)Justice and Mental Health. American Psychiatric Association Publishing, 2021.
Published January 10, 2023
