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Health Forward awards $4.7 million in Mental Health Grants

Kansas City, MO — Health Forward Foundation is proud to award $4.7 million in grants to 31 nonprofit organizations through our 2019 Mental Health funding.

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

“The support provided by our partners enables more people to improve their state of well-being and live healthy and resilient lives,” said Bridget McCandless, M.D., President/CEO of Health Forward.

Health Forward received a total of 69 proposals totaling nearly $14.1 million in requests.

The following grants were awarded during a September board of directors teleconference:

Agency Award Grant Description
Amethyst Place $45,160 To help low-income women recovering from drug and alcohol addiction and their children successfully transition to drug-free, independent housing by providing trauma-informed therapy and comprehensive case management.
Belton School District #124 $300,000 To increase access to services by providing school-based therapy services for underinsured and uninsured students and families in all Belton schools.This project partners with Compass Health Network to serve pre-K through 12th grade children at 11 schools.
Center for Developmentally Disabled $31,000 To increase access to behavior-related intervention for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities by hiring a board-certified behavior interventionist to pilot advanced training and support to direct support professionals.
Child Protection Center $171,073 To provide timely access to evidence-based and trauma-focused mental health counseling for child victims and their families coping with severe physical and sexual abuse.
Children’s Mercy Hospital $117,277 To improve communication and quality of care for underserved individuals with limited English proficiency by providing Spanish culture and language coaching for mental and behavioral health care providers.
Compass Health Network $120,000 To support comprehensive, behavioral health care services for undeserved and uninsured residents of Cass and Lafayette counties.
Comprehensive Mental Health Services $70,059 To provide medication-assisted treatment screenings in order to achieve increased access, retention, and quality of mental health services for low-income adults struggling with substance use and mental health disorders.
Family Conservancy $180,000 To provide bilingual outpatient counseling and case management services to low-income residents of Wyandotte County, Kansas, who have experienced complex and severe trauma.
Genesis School $167,664 To provide trauma-informed and school-based counseling services for students and culturally-responsive home assessment and referral for their families.
Gordon Parks Elementary School $70,500 To increase the frequency and quality of behavioral and mental health measurements for all students through classroom-based resiliency measurement technology.
Hope House $225,000 To provide domestic violence survivors with evidence-based therapy services, system navigation, and case management by supporting and enhancing staff capacity.
Jewish Family Services $76,500 To provide outpatient psychotherapy and improve mental health outcomes of low-income and uninsured residents of Johnson County, Kansas.
Jewish Vocational Service $100,000 To address stigma and access issues related to mental health and domestic violence by providing mental health wraparound services to refugee and immigrant communities and families.
KC CARE Health Center $250,000 To improve behavioral health outcomes and provide quality, affordable, accessible behavioral health services to the underserved people in the Kansas City community.
KC Healthy Kids $150,652 To develop capacity among early childhood educators serving low-income families to identify trauma symptoms in children and minimize barriers to seeking treatment.
KidsTLC $179,699 To provide outpatient behavioral health clinics specializing in anxiety/self-harm, behavioral therapy, and LGBTQ affirming care in order to achieve better health outcomes for youth in Johnson and surrounding counties who face disparities in accessing care.
Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault $219,464 To achieve improved behavioral and mental health, decreased psychological trauma, and improved coping skills for victims of sexual violence and their families in the Kansas City Metro through enhanced operating measures and evidence-based counseling.
Poetry for Personal Power $95,787 To expand capacity and accessibility to peer support services for individuals in the Kansas City metropolitan area suffering from trauma, mental health issues, and serious mental illness.
reStart $175,000 To provide comprehensive behavioral health services to homeless youth and adults by supporting qualified staff with health and resiliency education and enhancing referral capacity to community partners for medication management.
Rose Brooks Center $225,000 To support survivors of domestic violence and their children through innovative, accessible, and trauma-informed mental health services.
SAFEHOME $225,000 To support comprehensive trauma-informed therapy helping survivors of domestic violence heal from violence and trauma.
SAVE, Inc. $105,000 To launch a homeless youth drop-in center and provide trauma-informed mental health assessment and referral services for homeless LGBTQ young adults.
Sheffield Place $121,993 To provide expanded mental health services for highly traumatized, homeless children from mother-led families in the urban core of Kansas City, Missouri.
Sunflower House $47,000 To improve the capacity of the child assessment and therapy program to meet the needs of abuse victims and their families by supporting receptionist and and family advocate positions, as well as staff development and program supply funds.
Synergy Services $132,672 To expand capacity to serve the mental health needs of uninsured and underserved children and youth through an integrated approach that addresses the complex trauma experienced by clients.
Tri-County Mental Health Services $125,000 To improve existing evidence-based “zero suicide” efforts and increase engagement of those at risk of suicide by supporting a qualified behavioral health professional and crisis manager.
Truman Medical Center Charitable Foundation $500,000 To increase intake staff positions and develop a robust and immersive training program for behavioral health staff that will expand timely service for more clients.
Veronica’s Voice $16,900 To increase access to individual and group trauma counseling for women taking part in Magdalene KC, a residential program serving women in recovery from addiction, homelessness, violence, and commercial sexual exploitation.
Vibrant Health $153,958 To achieve quality mental health outcomes for children and adults in Wyandotte County, Kanasas, by retaining key mental health care professionals, improving organization capacity, and maintaining an electronic health record system.
Welcome House $50,000 To provide quality mental health care to indigent men in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction by hiring a licensed social worker and peer recovery specialist.
Wyandot Center $252,642 To support Wyandot Center Psychiatric Services Clinic staff who provide core psychiatric care and services for adults living in Wyandotte County, Kansas.

The Mental Health Grants are the second round of foundation defined grants awarded by Health Forward in 2019. Safety Net Grants will be announced in December. For more information on applying for foundation defined grants, visit healthforward.org.

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