Request for Funding Applications

Building Capacity Through Rural Community Behavioral Health Organizations Mentorship and Support Program 

Acceptance Notification: Fri, Jan. 10, 2025 

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), invites community behavioral health organizations (CBHOs), harm reduction organizations and others serving rural and frontier communities to apply for the Building Capacity through Rural CBHO Mentorship and Support Program. 

Through a competitive Request for Applications (RFA) process, the National Council will select up to 18 organizations to receive up to $83,500 to participate in the six-month mentorship and support program beginning in February 2025. 

Selected organizations will be paired with mentor organizations leading the field in rural and frontier services. Funding will support them as they implement, with support from mentors and subject matter experts, strategies to enhance and expand critical services that reduce the risk of overdose by increasing engagement in evidence-based and innovative harm reduction strategies, linkage to care and peer support services. 

Eligible applicants include community-based organizations in the U.S. that provide services within a rural area, as defined by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Applicants are required to use the Rural Health Eligibility Analyzer to determine eligibility for this program.  

Previous recipients of the National Council Building Community Capacity Award (2023–2024) are ineligible to apply as mentees for the R-CBHO MSP. 

This project is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $2,250,000 with 100% funded by CDC/HHS. The content is that of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS or the U.S. government.