Health Forward awards $4.5 million in Mental Health Grants

Kansas City, MO — Health Forward Foundation is proud to award $4.5 million in grants to 41 nonprofit organizations through our 2021 Mental Health funding.

These programs improve the availability and quality of mental and behavioral health services.

“Our communities are experiencing challenges in mental well-being like never before. As seeking mental and behavioral health care and support becomes our new normal, understanding a person’s lived experience should always help guide treatment and care,” said Qiana Thomason, Health Forward President/CEO. “These organizations are working to ensure behavioral health services and advocacy are equitable, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed.”

Health Forward received a total of 86 proposals totaling nearly $13.9 million in requests.

The following grants were awarded during the August board of directors meeting:

Agency Award Grant Description
Ad Hoc Group Against Crime $165,000 To provide a range of mental health services including free counseling; cognitive behavior intervention groups for adolescents and adults; crisis intervention; and a hospital-based violence intervention program for youth and young adults.
Amethyst Place $70,000 To provide essential mental health services in order to achieve transformational healing and empower generations of women and children to achieve recovery, reunification, and resilience.
Belton School District #124 $138,000 To provide quality mental health services through a comprehensive school-based program involving students, families, therapists, school staff, and community partners.
Benilde Hall $75,000 To enhance existing services for men experiencing homelessness and substance use disorders by implementing evidence-based practices.
Child Abuse Prevention Association $65,000 To sustain bilingual therapy services for families in south Jackson Co.
Child Protection Center $125,000 To provide access to short- and long-term mental health services for children and families affected by abuse.
Children’s Mercy Kansas City $45,000 To improve care for Spanish-speaking people by supporting an innovative culture and language coaching program for mental and behavioral health care providers.
Children’s Rights $75,000 To conduct legal advocacy to ensure that children in Kansas foster care receive trauma-informed mental health care and are not shuffled through damaging temporary placements.
DeLaSalle Education Center $100,000 To eliminate wellness barriers for students by expanding on-site mental health programming.
El Centro $100,000 To provide a mental health support in El Centro’s dual language preschool curriculum that will help children develop positive social emotional behaviors and connect families to services.
Footprints $75,000 To provide substance use disorder recovery services so that clients may achieve stability and positive mental health.
Genesis School $100,000 To provide comprehensive counseling, wellness, and family support services to improve students’ mental and behavioral health.
Guadalupe Center $75,000 To improve access to affordable bilingual treatment that will improve mental and behavioral health for Latino people experiencing substance use and other mental health disorders.
Hope House $175,000 To provide comprehensive, trauma-informed, and evidenced-based therapeutic services for adult and child survivors of domestic violence.
Jewish Vocational Service $100,000 To provide direct intensive case management and therapy services, including mental health and domestic violence counseling for people who are refugees or immigrants.
KC CARE Health Center $250,000 To provide high-quality, affordable, and accessible behavioral health services to more people in Greater Kansas City.
Legal Aid of Western Missouri $95,000 To provide representation and brief legal advice to help clients experiencing mental illness secure public benefits.
Mattie Rhodes Center $200,000 To provide mental health services that help achieve positive behavioral health improvements and well-being for the Latino community.
Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault $100,000 To provide evidence-based counseling through in-person and telehealth services for survivors of sexual violence and their families.
Mother’s Refuge $25,000 To provide trauma-informed mental health and therapeutic services to mothers and their babies. 
Mt. Carmel Redevelopment Corporation $162,192 To provide case management and clinical therapy services that improve life skills, stability, independence, and mental health outcomes for people without stable housing in northeast Kansas City, Kansas.
Newhouse $100,000 To support and enhance outreach therapy services for individuals recovering from the trauma of domestic violence.
Poetry for Personal Power $100,000 To expand the capacity of, and accessibility to, peer support services for people experiencing trauma, mental health issues, and serious mental illness in Greater Kansas City.
Reconciliation Services $165,000 To increase access to mental health services through a community-embedded, trauma-informed, and strengths-based approach for people in Kansas City’s urban core.
reStart $175,000 To provide comprehensive and individualized mental health support to people without stable housing in the Kansas City area.
Rose Brooks Center $150,000 To provide accessible and trauma-informed mental health services for survivors of domestic violence and their children.
Safehome $175,000 To provide high-quality, evidence-based mental health support for survivors of domestic violence.
Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center $100,000 To expand behavioral health therapy services to new patients in clinic settings.
SAVE, Inc. $77,000 To provide care coordination for transition-aged LGBTQ+ youth to access mental health care and social services.
Sheffield Place $130,000 To provide mental health services for mothers and children who are experiencing homelessness and trauma.
Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center $144,000 To improve patient navigation and data analysis capacity in order to achieve certification as a community behavioral health center.
Sunflower House $33,069 To provide trauma-informed therapeutic services for children in Johnson or Wyandotte counties experiencing problematic sexual behaviors.
Synergy Services $85,000 To provide individualized, trauma-informed, and evidence-based mental health services for children, youth, and families.
The Family Conservancy $150,000 To provide outpatient mental health services for people in Wyandotte Co.
Thrive Allen County $99,000 To provide programs, services, and resources that decrease social isolation and suicide risk-factors for Allen Co. residents, specifically focusing on farmers and LGBTQ+ youth.
United Inner City Services $90,000 To provide mental health resources, and to shift attitudes about mental health among families and staff through professional development, parent workshops, and mental health interventions for children.
Veronica’s Voice $20,000 To increase access to individual and group therapy for survivors of sexual exploitation.
Vibrant Health $136,739 To increase access to trauma-informed behavioral health care for Wyandotte Co. residents by expanding existing service locations to include a fourth clinic and an additional public elementary school.
Village Initiative $80,000 To increase staff capacity to provide case management and addiction counseling to returning citizens.
Wyandot Center $125,000 To increase access to psychiatric services and improve the mental health and quality of life for Wyandotte Co. residents experiencing mental illness.
Youth Ambassadors $50,000 To improve access to, and quality of, mental health services for youth who are disproportionately impacted by racial, income, and health inequities.

The Mental Health Grants are the second round of foundation defined grants awarded by Health Forward in 2021. Safety Net Grants, the third and final round, will be announced in December. For more information, visit healthforward.org.