Innovation Grants
The Center partnered with the Montana Children’s Mental Health Bureau to award funding to support innovation in children’s services. One million dollars in combined funding was awarded to 13 outstanding organizations across Montana. The Innovation Grants funded well-developed projects that:
- Demonstrated a high potential to meet targeted benchmarks
- Could be replicated in similar communities.
- Adopted evidence-based strategies to support strong transitions to adulthood and enhance family engagement.
Supporting Strong Transitions to Adulthood
Goal: To identify effective and replicable strategies to support youth transitioning out of state Medicaid children’s mental health services into adulthood, with the intent of helping these youth achieve and maintain mental health, economic self-support and self-sufficiency.
Youth age out of Montana Medicaid mental health services at age 18 or 19 and need help preparing for this transition. Youth who leave care without a strong support system in place can struggle to navigate applying for health care coverage, continuing their mental health services, finding a job and securing housing. They are also more likely than other youth to be unhoused, involved with the criminal justice system and exposed to sex trafficking. Successful proposals focused on helping youth avoid these risks and setting them up to thrive.
Enhancing Family Engagement
Goal: To create effective and replicable strategies to engage family members of youth who are served through the state children’s mental health system and who are at risk of being or have been placed outside of the family home due to abuse, neglect, exploitation or behavioral health challenges. Successful proposals focused on one or both of the following areas:
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Improving the engagement, involvement and capacity of families to provide for the care and support of their child following out-of-home placement.
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Improving ways to engage family members in community- and home-based care that prevents the need for out-of-home placement.
For more information, contact ccfwd@umt.edu.