Emerging Needs Fund

Emerging Needs Fund is sponsored by St. Louis Mental Health Board (MHB). The MHB Emerging Needs fund offers one-time funding for projects or initiatives addressing high-priority issues and unmet needs outside of regular application cycles in St.

Permanent Supportive Housing Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) is defined as “a cost-effective combination of permanent, affordable housing with services that help people live more stable, productive lives. ” For more information about PSH in St. Louis, download the Corporation for Supportive Housing’s “Report to the St.

Louis Partnership for Mental Health and Housing Transformation Grant”. PSH works well for people who face the most complex challenges – individuals and families who are not only homeless, but who also have very low incomes and serious, persistent issues that may include substance use, mental illness and HIV/AIDS. In conjunction with the Corporation for Supportive Housing’s report, St.

Louis set the goal of providing 1,227 units of PSH, of which 882 were to be specifically set aside for populations with serious mental illness who are homeless or who may be at risk of homelessness. Since FY11, St.

Louis Mental Health Board has supported this goal through the offering of funds, usually in the form of 10-year forgivable loans, to support the development of PSH through either renovating existing infrastructure or through construction of new sites that provide behavioral health services in conjunction with PSH. Consideration for PSH funding is a two-step process. At present there are no hard deadlines.

Letters of Intent and applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Emerging Needs Letter of Interest The MHB Emerging Needs fund is designed to provide one-time funding for projects or initiatives that address high priority issues and unmet Needs that occur outside of our regular application cycles. Please be advised that this is not emergency funding meant to address time-sensitive or urgent requests.

The Emerging Needs application review process may take up to 3 months. Emerging Needs applications will be received and reviewed on a rolling basis without a deadline. When the Emerging Needs fund is fully allocated, the application will close until additional funding is available.

Submit a Letter of Interest in the MHB Grant Portal to determine your organization’s eligibility to receive funding and provide basic information about your project idea. MHB staff will review your submission for eligibility. Ineligible projects will be notified by email that their project will not move forward for funding consideration.

If your project is eligible for funding, you will receive an email with clarifying questions regarding your project idea or you will be contacted by MHB staff to schedule a meeting to discuss your idea. After meeting with MHB staff, you may receive a request for additional information or a notice of award or decline.

More specifically, it is an opportunity to ask questions and receive technical assistance year-round about a variety of topics such as: Program logic models (with evaluation plans) Assessment tools and data collection Program enhancements/ideas Community resources – access/connections Community trends/opportunities Program implementation barriers/challenges Application writing/evaluation Other (you tell us how we can help you) However, Funder Fridays are not … An opportunity to seek funding or request increased funding To register for a session click HERE FY27-29 Community Children’s Services & Community Mental Health Funds Combined Competitive Funding Cycle The St.

Louis Mental Health Board (MHB) is excited to announce the opening of our FY2027 – 2029 Community Children’s Services Fund (CCSF) and Community Mental Health Fund (CMHF) Application Cycle with a simple Eligibility Quiz and Letter of Interest beginning November 3, 2025. In the past, MHB offered rotating three-year grant cycles between the Community Children’s Services Fund and the Community Mental Health Fund for adults.

For the first time, MHB will combine the cycles to offer them both at the same time to streamline the application process for organizations. Important deadlines for the application cycle are as follows: November 21, 2025, by 5:00 pm CST – Letter of Interest Deadline During this step MHB currently funded projects will answer basic questions to indicate their intent to apply for funding.

New projects will also be required to provide a brief project summary within their letter of interest. December 1, 2025 – MHB Funding Priorities Announced & Technical Assistance Available A preview of MHB’s application material and funding priorities will be available on the MHB website on December 1, 2025.

MHB staff will provide technical assistance for applicants from December 1 – December 19 to answer questions about the application material and funding priorities. New projects are required to complete a technical assistance meeting to determine if they are approved to submit a full application. Technical assistance is optional for currently funded projects.

January 30, 2026, by 5:00 pm CST – Application Deadline The MHB Application Portal will open on January 2, 2026, for all approved applicants to submit a proposal. MHB will conduct a virtual application workshop on Monday, January 12, at 11:00 a. m.

to provide general instructions on how to complete the application material and answer questions from attendees. Approved applicants will receive a link to register for the application workshop. Questions received during the workshop and answers will be posted on the MHB website and updated as new questions are received.

MHB staff will also be available to answer project specific questions until 5:00 p. m. , January 23, 2026.

Applications are due by 5:00 p. m. CST on January 30, 2026.

Letter of Intent Question Preview Information on How to Apply MHB FY27-29 Application Q & A (updated 11/17/25) (create a new account ONLY if your organization does not already have one)