disrupt criminalization of mental illness – May 18 (letters of intent)

Posted by Sozosei Foundation on May 10, 2022

Sozosei Foundation invites applications for programs to disrupt criminalization of mental illness

Established in 2019 as a philanthropic arm of Otsuka, the Sozosei Foundation has a mission to be a catalyst for ideas that nurture creative solutions for healthier communities.

The foundation’s primary focus is to eliminate the use of jails and prisons to diagnose and treat mental illness. To that end, the foundation invites statements of interest in the decriminalization of mental illness. Grants will be awarded in support of evidence-based programs and innovative (untested) approaches with the potential to disrupt the current practice of criminalizing mental illness and accelerate access to community-based mental health care.

Priority will be given to proposals in the following areas: 988 implementations, operations, communications, and other activities related to responses to mental health emergencies that increase access to care in communities; scaling efforts to increase access to community-based mental health care so that people with mental illness do not enter the criminal legal system; increasing the number of psychiatrists in the United States, with a focus on psychiatrists from BIPOC communities; supporting education and organizing around enforcing the Mental Health Parity Act and ensuring parity in health plans not covered by the Act itself (please note that the foundation does not support lobbying or political campaigns); and arts and communications to increase access to mental health care outside of the criminal legal system. The foundation will also consider proposals outside of these categories that are creative and have potentially scalable approaches to decriminalizing mental illness.

The foundation will provide a small number of general operating or project-based grants ranging between $25,000 and $300,000. Grants may be extended up to two years and are eligible for renewal at the end of the grant term at the foundation’s discretion.

Applicants must be tax-exempt as defined by section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, have a fiscal sponsor with such status, or coalitions with a lead 501(c)(3) organization.

Statements of interest are due May 18, 2022, and selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal, due July 6, 2022.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the Sozosei Foundation website.

Deadline: May 18, 2022 (Statements of Interest)