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Welcome > What We Fund > Mental Health > Annual Mental Health Grant Guidelines

Annual Mental Health Grant Guidelines

PDF Download the PDF Version (162K) (includes instructions and complete application)

Objective 

The Tower Foundation seeks to prevent or alleviate psychological disorders in children, adolescents, and young adults to age 26. 

Eligibility 

To be eligible to apply, organizations must: 
  • operate programs that provide one or both of the following -
    > services for children, adolescents, or young adults to age 26 with psychological disorders
    > programming to prevent the onset of psychological disorders in children, adolescents, and young adults to age 26 who, based on a range of socio-economic factors, have a higher-than-average likelihood of developing these conditions 
  • be tax-exempt with 501(c)(3) classification from the Internal Revenue Service that are not private foundations or described as 509(a)(3) organizations; or
  • be charter or private schools; or diocesan or public school districts; or
  • be a non-profit public benefit corporation.

Geographic Areas

Massachusetts:
  • Barnstable County
  • Dukes County
  • Essex County
  • Nantucket County
New York State:
  • Erie County
  • Niagara County

Priorities

The Foundation will give preference to projects involving one or more of the following priorities:

  • Projects providing direct benefit to individuals with serious mental illness (see definition below)
  • Reducing barriers to seeking treatment or services
  • Social and emotional development
  • Indicated or selective* prevention programming
  • Reducing Stigma
  • Early identification and linkage to services
  • Effective treatment/programming
  • Co-occurring disorders
  • Life-skills programming for persons with serious mental illness
  • Provider workforce shortage and readiness (field-wide capacity building)

*Indicated interventions are aimed at individuals who may already display signs of psychological disorders. 
  Selective interventions target those who are at greater-than-average risk for psychological disorders.
  Universal programs are applied to general population groups without reference to or identification of those at particular risk. 

Note: Universal programs will not be considered for funding.

The Foundation will also consider other project ideas that have the potential to advance its objective in the category.
 
The Foundation has adopted the National Alliance on Mental Illness’s definition of mental illness:
 
Mental illnesses are defined as medical conditions that disrupt a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life.

The Tower Foundation has a particular interest in serious mental illnesses, including major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder.

Additional Information

  • Typical funding range is $25,000 - $75,000 per year.
  • The Foundation encourages multi-year grants.
  • The Foundation gives preference to projects in which the majority of costs are both new to the organization and directly related to the proposed initiative.
  • Projects should be sustainable after grant funding ends.

Notification of Interest

All letters of inquiry are reviewed to determine if the Foundation wishes to pursue a grant application. Applicants will be notified by May 11, 2012 of the result of this review. A request for an application is not an indication of likely support. The deadline for grant applications, if requested, is June 20, 2012.
 
Final decisions on grant awards are made by the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. Applicants will be informed of the Board’s decision by September 21, 2012.
 
The Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. 

Restrictions

The Foundation does not  fund:

  • grant requests largely consisting of general operating support
  • programs or projects that may be used for the private benefit of any grant recipient or affiliated person
  • attempts to influence legislation
  • attempts to influence or intervene in any political campaign
  • capital campaigns or improvements
  • scholarships

 

Timeline Summary

  Deadline Expect response by
Letter of Inquiry March 28, 2012
4:30 p.m.		 May 11, 2012
Grant Application (if requested)

June 20, 2012
4:30 p.m.

 September 21, 2012

Note

 All of the requested information must be received in order to be considered for a Mental Health grant. For instructions and complete application, click here.