1. SAMHSA CCBHC Improvement and Advancement Grant

Status: Open

Deadline: August 17, 2026

Funding: Up to $1 million per year for up to four years

If your nonprofit is already operating as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC), this is one of the biggest opportunities on the list.

SAMHSA's CCBHC Improvement and Advancement Grant (SM-26-015) is designed to sustain and enhance services at existing CCBHCs serving people with or at risk for mental health and substance use disorders.

SAMHSA anticipates approximately 117 awards, with up to $1 million per year per award for projects lasting up to four years. There is no required match listed in the current notice.

Who can apply?

Eligibility is limited primarily to:

• Community-based behavioral health nonprofit organizations

• Organizations that are part of a local government behavioral health authority

• Certain tribal organizations

• Urban Indian Organizations meeting the requirements in the notice

So this is a serious opportunity, but it is not a general mental-health grant for any 501(c)(3).

Watch out

If your organization isn't an existing CCBHC or otherwise meets the specific statutory eligibility requirements, don't spend your weekend trying to make the application fit.

SAMHSA also has a separate CCBHC Planning, Development, and Implementation Grant (SM-26-014) with the same August 17 deadline, designed for organizations developing new CCBHCs.

That one may be the more relevant opportunity if you're building toward CCBHC status rather than already operating one.

Official source: SAMHSA CCBHC Improvement and Advancement Grant

2. OMH Youth Safe Spaces Program

Status: Open

Deadline: September 17, 2026

If your nonprofit works with young people, this is one of the opportunities that you must watch out.

New York State Office of Mental Health's Youth Safe Spaces Program (MH253033) is designed for young people ages 12–24. The program supports standalone youth safe spaces and allows existing community spaces to expand their services as Youth Safe Spaces. Examples from the program include:

• Libraries

• Youth organizations

• Youth recovery clubhouses

• Boys & Girls Clubs

• Parks and recreation centers

The previous Youth Safe Spaces round specifically stated that applicants did not need to be licensed OMH providers, which makes this type of opportunity particularly relevant to community-based nonprofits.

The current OMH procurement schedule lists Round 3 with a September 17, 2026 deadline.

Why this one is worth watching

A mental health nonprofit doesn't necessarily need to operate a traditional clinic to work in this space. If your organization already has trusted relationships with young people and operates a community setting, your model may be relevant.

Watch out

Read the current RFP carefully.

The previous round had detailed requirements around what constituted a Youth Safe Space and how existing services could be enhanced without simply duplicating them.

Don't assume that running a youth program automatically makes you eligible.

Official source: New York State Office of Mental Health Procurement Opportunities

3. OMH Collaborative Care for Perinatal Mental Health

Status: Open

Deadline: August 20, 2026

This is a much more specialized opportunity, but that is exactly why it can be easy to miss.

OMH is funding the expansion of the Collaborative Care Model for perinatal mental health in obstetrics, gynecology, and family medicine practices. The model integrates behavioral health into physical healthcare, including behavioral health care managers and psychiatric consultation.

The current OMH procurement schedule lists MH253030 with an August 20, 2026 deadline. The program is intended to expand access to behavioral healthcare for people during the perinatal period, with particular attention to communities at higher risk.

Who should look at this?

This is worth researching if your organization works with:

• Perinatal mental health

• Maternal mental health

• Pregnant or postpartum patients

• OB/GYN practices

• Family medicine

• Behavioral health integration

• Community health partnerships

The underlying OMH program describes Collaborative Care as a model for integrating behavioral healthcare into physical healthcare settings and expanding screening and treatment for perinatal mental health conditions.

Watch out

This isn't a general grant for a nonprofit that happens to provide counseling to mothers. The program is built around collaborative care in healthcare practices.

A nonprofit without the appropriate clinical expertise or healthcare partnerships may not be a realistic applicant.

Official source: OMH Mental Health Procurement Opportunities

4. The New York Community Trust: Health & Behavioral Health

Status: Ongoing NYC competitive grant program

This one is different from the government opportunities above.

The New York Community Trust currently accepts proposals through its Grantseeker Portal for its NYC competitive grants program. Its NYC funding areas include Health and Behavioral Health, and the Trust specifically says NYC applicants may submit proposals at any time through the portal.

For mental health organizations, this is particularly worth researching because the Trust supports work involving:

• Behavioral health access

• Screening and early intervention

• Coordinated care

• Health disparities

• Workforce development

• Community-based behavioral health

• Mental illness and substance-use recovery

• Systems and policy work

The Trust says it prefers sector-wide, systemic, and multi-agency solutions where possible.

Recent NYC grants have included work supporting behavioral health clinics, mental health services for newly arrived young migrants, coordinated medical and behavioral healthcare, and CCBHC-related capacity.

Why I like this one for a grant prospect list

There isn't a frantic “apply before Friday” situation. You can actually research the fit.

The Trust holds information sessions for prospective applicants, and its website currently lists upcoming sessions for organizations interested in health, behavioral health, human services, and biomedical research.

Watch out

The Trust does not fund general operating support or routine operational expenses through this program. It also excludes capital and building campaigns, endowments, equipment, individuals, and religious purposes.

So:

“We need $100,000 to keep our nonprofit running.”

Probably not the strongest pitch. A defined project addressing a clear behavioral-health need is a much better fit.

Official source: The New York Community Trust — Health and Behavioral Health

What About the van Ameringen Foundation?

Status: 2026 cycle underway, but new LOIs are closed

This is one I would absolutely keep on your prospect list.

The van Ameringen Foundation is one of the more directly relevant private funders for mental health organizations because it specifically funds organizations in New York City's five boroughs and Philadelphia.

Its grants can support:

• Direct services

• Early intervention

• Access to mental health services

• Advocacy

• Training

• Media and dissemination

• Systemic change

Direct-service grants are generally $25,000–$100,000 annually for up to three years, while advocacy grants can reach $250,000 annually for up to three years.

The foundation's November 2026 cycle opened June 1, with an LOI deadline of July 17, 2026. Organizations invited to submit full proposals have until September 4, 2026, with funding decisions scheduled for November 17.

So can you apply now?

Not if you missed the LOI deadline.

The foundation's current calendar does not support calling this a currently open opportunity for a brand-new applicant but it belongs on your next-cycle calendar.

And because it is such a strong geographic and programmatic fit for NYC mental health organizations, I would keep it near the top.

Official source: van Ameringen Foundation Grant Guidelines

2027 Mental Health Funding to Put on Your Calendar

If you are planning beyond the next few weeks, don't stop at currently open grants.

SAMHSA maintains a forecast dashboard for upcoming funding opportunities. That is particularly useful because some large federal programs appear there before the final Notice of Funding Opportunity is released.

One opportunity worth watching is CCBHC Planning, Development, and Implementation.

The current 2026 version, SM-26-014, has an August 17, 2026 deadline and is designed to help organizations develop and establish new CCBHCs.

For organizations that aren't CCBHCs yet but want to move in that direction, this type of funding may be more relevant than the CCBHC Improvement and Advancement grant.

OMH's 2026–2027 pipeline is worth monitoring too

OMH's published procurement schedule currently includes additional mental health opportunities in the second and third quarters of FY2027, including:

• Crisis Intervention Teams and adjacent systems transformation

• Crisis Stabilization Centers

• Geriatric Service Demonstration Projects

• Teen Mental Health First Aid

• Sources of Strength

• Youth Safe Spaces

• Promoting Wellness and Healing in Communities

The schedule is explicitly described as tentative and subject to change, so these should be treated as pipeline opportunities rather than guaranteed future grant openings.

That distinction is important when you're building a grant calendar.

Which Opportunity Fits Your Nonprofit?

Here's the quick version.

You already operate a CCBHC

Start with:
SAMHSA CCBHC Improvement and Advancement

Deadline: August 17, 2026

You're developing toward CCBHC status

Watch:
SAMHSA CCBHC Planning, Development, and Implementation

You work with young people ages 12–24

Look at:
OMH Youth Safe Spaces

Deadline: September 17, 2026

You work in maternal or perinatal mental health

Look at:
OMH Collaborative Care for Perinatal Mental Health

Deadline: August 20, 2026

You are an established NYC behavioral-health nonprofit working on systems or access

Look at:
New York Community Trust Health & Behavioral Health

Status: NYC competitive grants accept proposals through the Grantseeker Portal.

You provide direct mental health services in NYC

Watch closely:
van Ameringen Foundation

Its geographic and program focus makes it one of the more natural private-funder prospects for NYC mental health organizations.

A Few Things to Watch Before You Apply

“Mental health” doesn't automatically mean you're eligible.

A funder may support behavioral health but require:

• A licensed provider

• A CCBHC

• A healthcare partnership

• A particular age group

• A particular geography

• A specific service model

• A government registration

• A particular organizational structure

Read the eligibility section first. Then read the rest, most preferably before writing 12 pages.

Government funding is different from foundation funding

OMH opportunities are procurements.

That means you're responding to a government solicitation with specific requirements, rather than simply sending a foundation a nice proposal about your mission. Your organization may need New York State registration and other administrative requirements before submitting.

NYC's nonprofit funding page specifically directs organizations to the Statewide Financial System prequalification process for state funding.

“Open” needs to mean open

This is worth saying because nonprofit grant lists are notorious for this. A page saying “2026 grant cycle” does not necessarily mean you can apply today.

For example, van Ameringen's November 2026 cycle is active, but its new-applicant LOI deadline already passed. Likewise, an OMH program appearing on a procurement schedule doesn't mean the RFP has been released yet.

Check the actual application page.

Don't ignore smaller, recurring opportunities

A $25,000 grant that fits your organization can be much more useful than a $1 million opportunity that requires infrastructure you don't have.

Look at:

• Eligibility

• Award size

• Match requirements

• Reporting requirements

• Program restrictions

• Staff capacity

• Application complexity

• Renewal potential

before deciding whether an opportunity is worth pursuing.

Bottom Line

If you're an NYC nonprofit looking for mental health funding right now, the strongest verified opportunities in this research are highly specific:

SAMHSA CCBHC Improvement and Advancement for eligible existing CCBHCs, OMH Youth Safe Spaces for qualifying youth-focused organizations, OMH Collaborative Care for Perinatal Mental Health for the appropriate healthcare/behavioral-health model, and The New York Community Trust's Health & Behavioral Health program for NYC organizations whose work fits its current priorities.

For the next cycle, keep van Ameringen Foundation, SAMHSA's forecasted opportunities, and OMH's procurement pipeline on your calendar and check the official source before submitting.

Grant deadlines have a funny habit of refusing to care that your spreadsheet says something different.