U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Statewide Family Network

The Statewide Family Network (SFN) grant program seeks to better respond to the needs of children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbance (SED) and their families by providing information, referrals, and support; and to create a mechanism for families to participate in state and local mental health services planning and policy development. This program is expected to be a catalyst for transforming mental health and related systems in the state by strengthening coalitions among family organizations and between family members, policy makers, and service providers.

The SFN grant program builds upon prior work of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to establish a child/adolescent and family focus in programs serving children and adolescents with mental health challenges. Although significant progress has been made, further support will help to ensure the development of self-sufficient, empowered networks that will participate in state and local mental health services planning and health care reform activities associated with improving community-based services for children, youth, adolescents, and young adults with SED.

The goals of the SFN program are to:

• Strengthen network organizational, leadership, and management skills
• Foster leadership skills among families of children and adolescents with SED
• Work effectively with policy makers and service providers that support the needs of children and adolescents with SED
• Promote peer support and social inclusion of families with children and adolescents with SED

Amount: A total of $1,448,985 is available to award up to 15 grants that range up to $95,000 per year for up to three years.

Eligibility: Family-controlled domestic public and private nonprofit organizations in states, territories, and tribes. A family-controlled organization is one that has a Board of Directors made up of more than 50 percent family members who have primary daily responsibility for the raising of a child or adolescent (up to 18 years of age) with a serious emotional disturbance; or a young adult up to the age of 26 being served by an Individual Education Plan in transition to the adult mental health system. Applicants must submit a Certificate of Eligibility attesting that they meet the requirements of a family-controlled domestic public or private nonprofit organization.

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=310143

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