New Profit, in collaboration with the Deloitte Health Equity Institute, to Invest up to $1.6M in Sixteen Nonprofits Working in Mental and Behavioral Health Equity

PLEASE NOTE: Applications have now closed. The deadline to submit applications was 8PM ET/ 5PM PT on January 13, 2023.

In 2021, New Profit, in collaboration with the Deloitte Health Equity Institute, invested in ten social entrepreneurs representing eight organizations through our inaugural Health Equity cohort, with a goal of getting closer to a more equitable, healthier America. Now, we are launching our second Health Equity cohort, focused specifically on mental health equity. Through this cohort, up to sixteen innovative systems-change leaders and nonprofit organizations will receive a $100,000 unrestricted investment, in-kind capacity-building support, and participation in a peer learning community over the course of one year, starting in April 2023. We are seeking organizations specifically focused on advancing equity in mental and behavioral health, including through upstream factors that affect mental and behavioral health. 

For this investment cycle, we will prioritize investing in racially and ethnically diverse people of color, emphasizing Black, Latina/o/x, and Indigenous Leaders. We are also interested in working to ensure the perspectives of women, non-binary, and rural-based social entrepreneurs are reflected in our cohort.

Please note that if your organization is invited to the first round of interviews, those will occur between February 20th-March 3rd, 2023. If invited again for the second round of interviews with a Board representative, those will occur from March 6th-March 17th, 2023.

New Profit’s investments are guided by four principles:

1. We believe systems change entrepreneurs who are proximate to the communities disproportionately affected by mental health disparities should be at the helm of leading efforts to achieve equity in mental health. 
2. We invest in organizations that bring heightened awareness to the importance of centering equity and proximity within approaches to mental health equity. 
3. We need innovative, integrated solutions that target the underlying structural and systemic conditions that work to undermine fair access to mental health resources and opportunities for communities that have been historically oppressed and overlooked.
4. We are committed to diversity of demographics, thought, and geography to unleash solutions targeting many systems levels and pain points contributing to mental health inequities.

About the 2023 Mental Health Equity Cohort 

This cohort will help to support a range of cross-cutting systems-change approaches (e.g., narrative change, ecosystem development, advocacy, movement building) at the intersection of mental health & well-being and the social drivers of health. We are especially seeking to invest in organizations that are focused on creating change with/through behavioral and mental health care and services, as well as programs that intentionally focus their efforts on non-medical drivers of behavioral and mental health (e.g., access to healthy food, jobs, housing, social connection, etc.).

As we build the cohort, we are searching for organizations that are focused on addressing systemic mental and behavioral health issues at each life stage and transition point where these issues may be most acute (e.g., youth transitioning between educational settings, young adults transitioning into the workforce, individuals undergoing re-entry after incarceration or rehabilitation from substance abuse, etc.). We also aim to support some organizations that are already connected to or interested in working in school settings, given how many young people are experiencing mental health challenges in the wake of the pandemic.

Our New Profit Catalyze Cohort Investment Model

New Profit’s Catalyze Investments offer a synergistic support model to innovative early-stage organizations, creating value across several dimensions. This includes a peer learning community in each cohort, one-to-one adaptive leadership coaching, consultations with external content experts, New Profit’s tested capacity-building framework and tools, as well as $100,000 in unrestricted support over one to three years. 

Through various initiatives, New Profit’s team works to catalyze the innovations of organizations led by leaders from underrepresented communities. These initiatives include Civic Lab (democracy entrepreneurs), Postsecondary Innovation for Equity (postsecondary innovators), Unlocked Futures (entrepreneurs impacted by the American legal system), and Health Equity.

While each cohort has different needs, the base of New Profit’s capacity-building program consists of: 

• Refining systems theory of change and connecting it to a compelling story of impact
• Assessing organizational strengths and capabilities and areas for improvement
• Building effective boards of directors
• Developing effective practices for managing teams and stakeholders 
• Identifying effective practices for operational excellence in order to execute against organizational strategy (fundraising, finance, HR, and communications) 
• 1-2 additional topics identified by cohort members as areas of need

Eligibility Criteria

Organizations applying to this cohort must fit the criteria listed below to apply. If your organization does not meet the eligibility criteria at this time but you would like to be notified of future funding opportunities, we recommend that you complete this optional form to submit your information. Additionally – we consider this application process as a crucial opportunity to learn from a broad set of leaders and organizations about how they define mental health equity and their approaches to increasing equitable mental health outcomes in our nation. Even if this funding cycle opportunity is not for you, we hope you will consider providing us information on your organization via the optional form to inform our learning around the broader sector – and we thank you in advance for doing so.

Note: We prefer applications from organizations with an annual operating budget between $250K and $2 million. While we will review all applications regardless of budget, we have found that Catalyze programming is most beneficial to organizations of this size, and we recommend that organizations with much smaller or much larger budgets do not apply. Please contact our team if you have questions on whether your organization might be a good fit.

The eligibility criteria are as follows:

• 501c3 status: Organization or fiscal sponsor must be a 501(c)(3) 
• Led by a social entrepreneur: Organization must be led by a Social Entrepreneur. We define a Social Entrepreneur (often the CEO or equivalent title) as both the leader and final decision-maker of an organization’s internal/external strategy, daily operations and financial decisions. Outside of your board, the buck stops with you. Social entrepreneur (CEO/ED) must also work for organization on a full-time basis (~30 hours/week) by December 31, 2022, and plans to stay at the organization until April 30, 2024, the estimated end date for the programming.
• In operation for at least 2 years: Organization has been in operation for two years as of December 31, 2022
• Early-stage, but not seed-stage: Organization considers itself past seed-stage (i.e., already has a functional operating model and approach), but is still relatively early-stage in terms of organizational growth and capacity. This criterion is less about the actual age of your organization (in terms of # of years in operation), and more about the stage of growth that you feel you are at right now – especially with regards to any specific initiatives related to mental health equity.
• Not a previous New Profit grantee: Organization has not previously received funding from New Profit’s Build or Catalyze initiatives. [We will not be considering previous New Profit grantee partners for this funding opportunity as it will not be as valuable to organizations who have already undergone our programming].
• Working to address mental health equity: Organization’s programming works to achieve equity in mental health, including through upstream factors that affect mental health
• Willing to be an actively engaged cohort member over the course of one year: Catalyze cohorts work best when participants are fully engaged. We ask that Social Entrepreneurs commit to engaging in the following programming over the course of one year (which typically requires 6-8 hours each month, on average): 
  • monthly 1:1 coaching
  • three in-person convenings (typically spread out over 2-3 days). The first convening will be held on May 9-11, 2023; we will work with the final cohort to schedule future programming.
  • three 2-3-hour virtual learning sessions

New Profit covers travel, lodging, and meals for in-person programming. Ability to commit to and attend ALL programming is required for selection. The first few programming dates will be provided during the application process, and the team will work with the cohort to schedule the rest.

Resources

Applications have now closed The deadline to submit applications was Friday, January 13, 2023 at 8:00pm ET/5:00pm PT. 

• Application Guide & FAQs
• An Informational Webinar was held on 12/12. Watch the recording here and view the slides here. 

For any questions, please contact catalyze@newprofit.org and include “Mental Health Equity” in the subject line. Due to the volume of inquiries we expect to receive and in the interest of ensuring equitable access for all applicants, we are not able to offer individual phone calls to prospective applicants.

We invite you to share this opportunity with anyone in your networks who may be interested. And please stay tuned to our social media, website, and this mailing list for more information on this cohort and others over the coming weeks!

About New Profit

New Profit is a venture philanthropy organization that backs social entrepreneurs who are advancing equity and opportunity in America. New Profit exists to build a bridge between these leaders and a community of philanthropists who are committed to catalyzing their impact. New Profit provides unrestricted grants and strategic support to a portfolio of organizations led by visionary social entrepreneurs to increase their impact, scale, and sustainability. It also partners with social entrepreneurs and other cross-sector leaders to shift how government and philanthropy pursue social change to ensure that all people can thrive. Since its founding in 1998, New Profit has invested over $350M in 200+ organizations and, through the America Forward Coalition’s collective advocacy efforts, has unlocked over $1.7B in government funding for social innovation.

About the Deloitte Health Equity Institute

Recognizing the imperative for immediate and sustained effort, and grounded in Deloitte’s acknowledgment of racism as a public health crisis, Deloitte established the Deloitte Health Equity Institute (DHEI) in Spring 2021. DHEI is dedicated to creating public good through data-driven pro bono services, philanthropy and research. DHEI builds on Deloitte’s commitment to advance health equity, informed by work with clients, a decade of impact made by our Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, and our perspective on how life sciences and healthcare organizations can activate health equity.

The DHEI reinforces Deloitte’s purpose of making a positive, enduring impact that matters. By collaborating with local and national organizations, DHEI is a catalyst, helping advance health equity at scale. Each of our initiatives aims to help everyone achieve their full potential in all aspects of health and well-being, building a more equitable society for all. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of their legal structure.