Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces $4.5M in Annual Grants for Community-Based Behavioral Health Programs

Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces $4.5M in Annual Grants for Community-Based Behavioral Health Programs 

Funding will help local organizations expand mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention services across Massachusetts 

BOSTON – The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced $4.5 million in annual funding for 23 organizations through the new Behavioral Health Promotion and Prevention Grant Program. Managed by the Office of Behavioral Health Promotion and Prevention (OBHPP), this multi-year initiative supports community-based organizations that are developing, expanding and sustaining programs that strengthen mental health and well-being across Massachusetts. 

The selected organizations represent communities across the state and will focus on improving behavioral health outcomes for historically underserved populations through locally driven prevention, early intervention and wellness initiatives. 

“Strong mental well-being is essential to healthy families and communities,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We want people to be able to get help before they reach a crisis point, and these grants will help trusted local organizations expand programs that strengthen well-being, reduce isolation and support healthier communities across Massachusetts." 

"Nobody understands the needs of a community better than the people who live and work there," said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. "By directly supporting community-based mental health initiatives, we're building strong local partnerships that expand opportunities for prevention, early intervention, and long-term well-being at the grassroots level." 

 "True health equity means meeting people where they are and equipping them with the resources they need in their own communities,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kiame Mahaniah, MD. “These grants enable 23 community-based organizations to design and implement behavioral health promotion and prevention programs that respond to the specific needs of the individuals and families they serve.” 

“These grants allow us to focus resources on historically underserved populations and work towards alleviating inequities in behavioral health,” said Department of Mental Health Commissioner Emily Bailey. “By supporting promotion and prevention programs across the Commonwealth we reinforce the fact that mental health is just as important as physical health in every community.” 

“OBHPP’s vision is a thriving and resilient Commonwealth where behavioral health promotion and prevention are fully integrated into every aspect of community well-being, fostering a culture of health equity and empowerment where all can engage fully in life,” said Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Behavioral Health Promotion and Prevention Funmi Aguocha, PsyD. “These grants support organizations and programs that advance our vision for a stronger, healthier, more equitable Massachusetts.” 

Grant funding is structured across three tiers, ranging from $100,000 to $350,000 annually, allowing organizations to develop, implement and evaluate new behavioral health programs, or expand existing ones, that align with OBHPP’s mission and vision. Applicants for these grants submitted proposals focused on one or more of these identified priority areas: 

Reducing loneliness and social isolation. 
Reducing family stress and supporting caregiver well-being. 
Promoting infant, early childhood, and maternal mental health. 
Reducing psychological distress in immigrant populations. 
Promoting early intervention with youth and young adults. 
Reducing family and intimate partner violence. 
Promoting population well-being through education, training, and skills development. 
 
The multi-year grant funding framework ensures recipients have the means, and the time, to develop and implement their programming. Funded projects operate within one of three categories:   
organizations creating or piloting new programs; 
organizations ready to launch or expand programs; and  
established programs with proven results that need support to grow or sustain their impact. 
The selected organizations serve their communities directly by identifying and addressing unique local needs and targeting barriers to well-being: 
Grants to create or pilot new programs 
City of Woburn 
Olga's List Inc 
Aurora Springs Inc 
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission 
TCFWC - The Child and Family Wellness Center 
Enlace de Familias de Holyoke 
Immigrant Family Services Institute 
 
Grants to launch or expand programs 
Perspectives Health Services, LLC 
Treehouse Foundation 
Fathers' Uplift 
Healing Abuse, Working for Change, Inc. 
Lowell Community Health Center 
Southeast Asian Coalition of Central MA 
Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services, Inc. 
Resilience Center of Franklin County 
Riverside Community Care Inc 
ReUnited Inc 
 
Grants to grow or sustain impact 
Town of Medway 
Boston Senior Home Care 
Raw Art Works 
Sharing Kindness, Inc. 
The Shine Initiative 
Haitian Mental Health Network