2023 ARPA Behavioral Health Funds

Applicants should submit proposals that meet at least one of the 7 Recommendations for Future Action from the BHNA

1. Provide leadership to engage critical stakeholders to improve behavioral health supports and services (e.g., forming a coalition between stakeholders to provided needed programming)

2. Increase awareness of and improve provision for language access services (this might include hiring bi-lingual staff, translators, or purchasing access to a language line)

3. Increase the number of providers (including Medicaid providers) and ensure that existing providers are maintained, within the City and County of Denver (e.g., maintaining or expanding current behavioral health supports and services)

4. Provide coordination and policy support to improve case management utilization (e.g., maintaining or expanding case management services to people experiencing behavioral health issues)

5. Educate and raise awareness for consumers around mental health treatment service options and how to connect to them (e.g., programming that improves the ability of people experiencing behavioral health issues to learn about, and access, effective supports and services

6. Increase culturally and linguistically responsive community outreach and involvement (e.g., this might include hiring new staff or forming a community advisory board)

7. Improve access to services by encouraging extended hours and weekends (i.e., evening, weekend, and holiday hours are often critical to people’s well-being)

NOTE: A single proposal may address multiple recommendations.

Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to:

• nonprofit community-based organizations (CBOs) with a 501c3 tax status
• public and private universities
• public and private hospitals and clinics
• substance use treatment centers
• mental health centers
• behavioral health training centers
• for profit organizations that provide behavioral health services and support
• agencies applying for Behavioral Health-Related Harm Reduction Services and Supports must be a registered Syringe Access Program (SAP) with Denver County in good standing as of January 1, 2023

Funded applicants must:

• provide services or engage in activities that encompass work dedicated to behavioral health
• primarily serve Denver residents with awarded funds
• be registered in the System for Award Management Database (www.sam.gov). The UEI number is a replacement for the DUNS number previously used in the SAM.gov (System for Award Management) portal, and is a new federal requirement for any federal funding. If you’re already registered with SAM.gov, the General Services Administration may have sent you an email last winter about the new UEI number and how to get it. Please see SAM.gov website for more information
• be registered with the Secretary of State’s office prior to entering a contract with the city

Other Requirements:

• Entities that are presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any federal department or entity are not eligible
• Response reviews and awards are contingent upon respondents being current with the City on any loan, contractual, or tax obligation as due, and in compliance with rules, regulations, and provisions of existing or past city contract
• Insurance will be required and may include: Commercial General Liability, Worker’s Compensation, Business or Personal Auto, Professional Liability, Cyber Security (please see the Sample Contract for more information)

Entities may submit more than one response to this RFP. The following requirements are placed on entities submitting more than one proposal:

• Entities that are proposing the funds in order to (a) hire new employees to perform work associated with this proposal or (b) supplement the wages of an existing employee may not use multiple awards from this RFP to fund the same employee.
• Work plans submitted by the same entity under different responses may not have overlapping objectives as part of each individual work plan.

The funding request range for this RFP is $10,000 - $15 million. However, the evaluation panelists and program managers will determine if the amount requested in the proposal is in alignment with overarching program goals, as set forth by the Community & Behavioral Health Division and may offer partial funding on select applications.

Approximately $1.55 million in funding is available forBehavioral Health-Related Harm Reduction Services and Supports. Please note this includes$550 thousand in General City Funds. The funding period for General City Funds shall be fiscal year2024. Continued funding will be based on 1) continued need for service, 2) successful completion of the scope of work, and 3) continued availability of funding.

Additionally at least $1 million will be allocated specifically to behavioral health services for persons living with HIV.

Applications requesting over $500,000 in total may require an additional interview and/or presentation.

Applications with subcontractors receiving over $50,000 may require additional information for contracting purposes

• Labor/staffing/personnel; program evaluation (including staff time for data collection and costs to compensate and incentivize community members to participate in data collection efforts); program outreach and community engagement (including language translation and interpretation costs)
• Federal Benefit enrollment assistance and marketing costs (including printing, paid advertising, etc.)
• Sub-awards or sub-grants (including contracts to hire experts in an area related to the proposal, including evaluation and quality improvement through surveys, focus groups, etc.)
• Technical assistance, capacity building, mentorship; professional development and training
• Operating costs, providing additional staffing support, reasonable transportation costs, and expenses for supplies and materials with appropriate justification
• Facility infrastructure upgrades, such as plumbing, electrical, or renovations to improve the efficiency of operations, warehousing, and food storage, loading or packaging equipment, software, and other equipment or materials
• Storage, handling, processing, preparation, packaging, transportation, supplies; program operating expenses
• Equipment (may include vehicles and vehicle maintenance)and capital infrastructure costs
• Value chain management improvements (such as trucks, bikes, communications, routing systems or software to improve distribution routes or efficiency, etc.)
• Transportation or loading improvements such as purchasing or leasing trucks, or other vehicles, or pallet jacks, forklifts, carts, conveyer belts etc.

• No more than 10% of the amount requested is allowed for evaluation cost- Evaluation is defined as: a systematic process for collecting and using data to examine effectiveness and to continually improve
• No more than 10% of the amount requested is allowed for indirect costs- Indirect costs are defined as: General expenses related to the operation of the overall administration of the program (e.g., funds used toward the cost of utilities)
• No more than 10% of the amount requested is allowed for administrative costs- Administrative costs are defined as: Functions that specifically support the program (e.g., funds used toward a position that performs an administrative service like processing invoices)

• Legislative policy and advocacy; IRS-defined lobbying; political activities or partisan causes; one-time events; annual appeals; membership drives; underwriting or fundraising events; endowments; loans or debt reduction; fellowships or scholarships.
• Funds cannot be used to support religious practices, such as religious instruction, worship, or prayer. Faith-based organizations may offer such practices, but at a separate time and location as the program applying for funding.