2022 Behavioral Health Services Impact Fund Grant Awards Announced

Grant awards for the 2022 Behavioral Health Services Impact Fund Grant Program, including the Gary A. Darling Award, were recently approved by the Board of Larimer County Commissioners during their Administrative Matters meeting.

Behavioral Health Services [BHS] is the administrator of funds generated through a ballot initiative for the expansion of behavioral health services in Larimer County.  BHS invests those funds back into the community through the Impact Fund Grant Program and other initiatives to support countywide needs.

“The extensive process and the amount of steps that these grants go through to make sure that they’re relevant and they follow the ballot language and that they will be able to have measured outcomes and show the work that will come from these taxpayer resources that we are so grateful to have to do this work in the community,” said Larimer County Commissioner Jody Shadduck-McNally.

The 2022 grant awards were approved by the Behavioral Health Policy Council, the advisory board established to foster regional coordination and the equitable distribution of grant funding across the county, before receiving final approval by the Board of Larimer County Commissioners.

“Geographic distribution is important. When the voters approved the sales tax initiative it was important that they knew we’d be building a behavioral health facility but that we’d also be putting out funds throughout the county to benefit our community,” Larimer County Commissioner John Kefalas said.

Targeted Grant areas for the Impact Fund are determined by the BHS Technical Advisory Committee, made up of experts in the field of behavioral health, and the Consumer Advisory Committee consisting of residents with personal experience navigating the behavioral health system.

Targeted Grants are designed to address gaps in behavioral health care with concentrated focus and funding and include:

• Care Coordination & Systems Integration
• Workforce Expansion & Support
• Alternatives & Interventions in Criminal Justice
• The Gary A. Darling Award is granted to a standout organization in this category
• Services in Diverse Settings
• Expansion of Child & Youth Services

Responsive Grants are awarded to organizations that identify a behavioral health need and propose solutions that fall outside of Targeted Grant areas but align with BHS funding priorities.

“Programs that help youth and families are really top of the list and are getting a great deal of funding. Especially during COVID with isolation and with kids not going to school, there’s been a lot of concern about mental health issues,” Larimer County Commissioner Kristin Stephens said. “So to see over $1 million of taxpayer dollars going to directly impact it and help kids who struggled during this difficult time, it’s really remarkable”

BHS is awarding 42 grants to diverse programs serving county residents with a total funding distribution of $2,876,738.  Board of County Commissioner approval permits us to surpass the original $2.5M in funding allowing BHS to extend additional financial support to organizations serving Larimer County.

2022 Grant Recipients: 

The prestigious 2022 Gary A. Darling Grant is awarded to the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office for $136,728.  The award funding will be used to support diversion programming and focus on behavioral health for almost 100 criminal justice-involved adults and juveniles with behavioral health, substance use, and/or co-occurring needs in Larimer County.

Behavioral Health Services is honored by the number and quality of grant applications received and is pleased to recognize these organizations and their commitment to serving the behavioral health needs of communities in Larimer County.