Mental Health Equity Impact Zone - New Jersey
Addressing and closing mental health equity gaps
Equity impact zone overview
For many years, communities have used their deep understanding and experiences to overcome systemic barriers such as marginalization, poverty, and exclusion. These communities have developed innovative solutions to address their urgent needs and improve outcomes for themselves and others.
Community-led and community-designed initiatives are rooted in the identities, cultures, and languages of the communities they serve. Many of these initiatives aim to bridge the mental health and social equity gaps that exist in under-resourced spaces. However, too often, these kinds of solutions are unfunded or underfunded, and communities are left without the capacity to implement or sustain them.
Recognizing these barriers, Mental Health America is establishing an inaugural Equity Impact Zone (EIZ-NJ) in Burlington County and/or the city of Trenton, New Jersey. This initiative is designed to uplift and amplify community-driven solutions. Through dedicated multi-year financial support and technical assistance, it aims to support long-term sustainability and break through systemic barriers that impede progress and mental health equity.
Learn about our awardees
Congratulations to our 2024 awardees, Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania and the Mental Health Association in New Jersey.
Grant process and timeline
The application is a 3-step process designed to be as simple as possible while ensuring MHA clearly understands your project/program proposal.
STEP 1
There are several eligibility requirements for grantees. To determine if your organization is eligible for this grant, you must first successfully complete the eligibility assessment.
STEP 2
After confirming your organization is eligible, you will be invited to submit a concept proposal, which will be reviewed to determine your alignment with the goals and objectives of the Equity Impact Zone - New Jersey project. The concept proposal application will require organizations to respond to 12 questions about their proposed program or initiative. Concept proposals will be accepted from April 22 until May 20, 2024; they will be reviewed by the end of May 2024.
STEP 3
Select concept proposal applicants will be invited to submit a full written in-depth proposal, including a budget narrative, in early June with a submission deadline of July 19, 2024. Awards will be announced by the end of August 2024.
Download the full grant process and timeline guidelines for a more detailed description of each phase and important information.
Interested in learning more?
First, complete the eligibility assessment to determine if your organization is a fit for this opportunity. MHA held an EIZ-NJ information session webinar on Monday, April 29, from noon to 1 p.m. ET, where we shared more details about the opportunity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Concept proposals may address the community assessment findings below or a different mental health or social equity gap impacting your community. For example, programs that address the social drivers of mental health are eligible if they are able to demonstrate outcomes tied to mental health and well-being.
Community assessment findings
Leveraging MHA's National Screening and Prevention Program (MHA Screening) data and other government sources of health data, MHA completed a community assessment of Burlington County and the city of Trenton, New Jersey.
At the highest level, we know:
- Communities with higher mental health needs within these counties reported experiencing trauma, violence, grief or loss, financial problems, and loneliness more often than average in the state of New Jersey.
- Poor education outcomes, lower household income, and higher unemployment and incarceration rates were correlated with higher mental health risk.
- Individuals from communities with higher rates of routine or preventative health care were less likely to screen at risk for a mental health condition.
- Individuals from communities with higher rates of chronic health conditions like stroke, heart disease, COPD, and asthma had a higher chance of screening at risk for a mental health condition.
MHA Screening population demographics in Burlington County and Mercer county, where Trenton is located:
- Individuals who identified as LGBTQ+, Hispanic or Latino, or “more than one race” screened at risk for a mental health condition at higher rates than the general population.
- Youth under age 18 also screened at risk for a mental health condition at higher rates than any other age group.
- 77% of screeners who identified as Black or African American or Hispanic or Latino reported household incomes less than $80,000 a year, compared to 53% of white screeners.
Take a brief 20-question eligibility assessment to determine if your organization is eligible for funding.
I don’t meet all eligibility requirements, but will in the next few months. Can I apply for funding?
No. Applicants must meet ALL eligibility requirements at the time they submit their concept proposal.
Yes. Concept proposals will only be considered for organizations with programs or proposed programs serving Burlington County and/or the city of Trenton, New Jersey. ZIP codes include: 08505, 08608, 08609, 08610, 08611, 08016, 08015, 08618, 08619, 08628, 08629, 08638, and 08690.
Yes, you can apply if your concept proposal effectively demonstrates how you intend to reach these communities and your organization meets all the eligibility requirements.
Yes. Organizations can partner for this grant program. However, all partners must meet ALL the eligibility criteria. Additionally, only one concept proposal should be submitted for the partnership.
Once you complete the eligibility assessment and meet all the requirements for the grant program, you will receive an email with instructions to access the concept proposal submission platform.
No. There are different options so that each applicant can choose the format that is the easiest for them. However, we ask that each applicant choose one format to reply to all questions. Our evaluation criteria are standard regardless of format submitted.
There are endless ways to engage with Mental Health America. Learn more about what we do and ways to partner with us. For more direct questions, email info@mhanational.org.
You can send an email to specialprojects@mhanational.org. We will do our best to respond within 48 business hours.