Mental Health Policy Project Grants

Recognizing the critical role that policy work can have in improving mental health in Texas, the Hogg Foundation in 2008 began awarding grants for policy projects that address timely, meaningful mental health policy issues in Texas.

Projects must tackle important issues that are likely to lead to improvements in mental health policies affecting Texas residents. The foundation also considers the extent to which projects address diversity or health disparity issues and involve mental health consumers and their families.

Policy projects funded by the Hogg Foundation have garnered the attention of policy makers at the state and national levels, resulting in positive changes in mental health policies affecting people with mental health conditions in Texas.

2013 Grants

DePelchin Children's Center ($86,730) - DePelchin Children's Center will perform a study to assess Step-Down Care, a pilot residential program designed to promote crisis stabilization and avoid costly psychiatric hospitalization of children throughout Texas. DePelchin will also produce a policy brief and recommendations for changes to the Texas Medicaid program to include Step-Down Care as a reimbursable service.

Mental Health America (MHA) of Greater Dallas ($121,730) - The proliferation of boarding homes in Texas has made sensible regulation of these facilities a growing priority for local residents, especially those with family members living in such homes. MHA of Greater Dallas has been successful in working for the implementation of guidelines in Dallas. With these grant funds, they will provide technical assistance to surrounding counties for drafting new ordinances. MHA of Greater Dallas will also develop a stand-alone website as a resource for communities interested in pursuing boarding home regulation.

Mental Health America (MHA) of Greater Houston ($51,520) - At least five percent of children have a serious emotional disturbance that results in significant functional impairments that can affect both home and school activities, and many schools have struggled to meet the needs of these students. MHA of Greater Houston will receive funding for the second year of its School Behavioral Health Initiative, which convened a stakeholder group to develop recommendations to improve the prevention, identification and treatment of behavioral health issues among public school students. MHA of Greater Houston will provide technical and implementation assistance to school districts that agree to adopt the consensus recommendations.

Texas CASA ($185,000) - There is a pressing need to improve mental health outcomes for children in the Texas foster care system. Texas CASA will use this grant to increase its mental health expertise, develop evidence-based policy recommendations regarding mental health issues for children in foster care and create effective advocacy for those changes.

Texas Fair Defense Project ($52,640) - In the adult criminal justice system, the use of holistic mental health defense teams - multidisciplinary defense teams that include social workers and lawyers with experience representing offenders with mental health conditions - has been shown to reduce recidivism rates. The Texas Fair Defense Project will promote the use of these defense teams to represent juveniles with mental health conditions who are facing criminal charges. They will also work with local jurisdictions to develop new programs to provide holistic defense representation to juveniles.

University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) ($159,150) - Serious mental illness among people who are homeless can significantly complicate efforts to aid them. UNTHSC will investigate, advocate and raise awareness about local, state and federal policies that often appear to be misinterpreted and misapplied to the detriment of individuals who are homeless and have co-occurring conditions. The project will promote policy reform in four key areas: communication gaps, lack of integrated policies, mental health disparities and patient rights.

Past Grants

2012 Grants

Corporation for Supportive Housing ($140,000)
Texas Impact ($130,350)
Texans Care for Children ($86,467)
EveryChild, Inc. ($51,200)

2011 Grants

Blueprint for coordinating Bexar County’s mental health system, Bexar County Commissioners Court ($162,854)
State policies affecting children with dual diagnoses of developmental disabilities and mental illness, EveryChild, Inc. ($112,422)
Updating the Texas Mental Health Code, Texas Appleseed ($90,861)
Advocacy council of youth with mental illness in the juvenile justice system, Texas Network of Youth Services ($80,478)

2009 Grants

Boarding home regulations, Mental Health America of Texas ($96,769)
Public services for young people with mental illness transitioning to adulthood, Texas Network of Youth Services ($77,780)
Loss of public benefits after employment, Advocates of Abilene, Inc. (See video and booklet.) ($60,799)
Medicaid funding for mental health services, Mental Health Policy Analysis Collaborative ($30,000)

2008 Grants

Texas child care licensing standards, Texas Association for Infant Mental Health ($93,168)
Transformation of regional behavioral health system, Harris County Healthcare Alliance ($87,874)
Mental health needs of prison exonerees, Mental Health Policy Initiative for Texas Exonerees at the University of Texas at Arlington ($80,990)
Youths of color in juvenile justice systems, Southwest Key Programs, Inc. ($76,570)
Emergency psychiatric treatment at Austin area hospitals, Advocacy, Inc. ($67,963)
Lack of mental health care in immigration detention facilities, Texas Appleseed ($50,000)

Feature Stories

June 2009: New State Laws Provide Mental Health Care for Exonerees
June 2009: Detainees With Mental Illness: A Growing Challenge for Immigration Courts

Contact

Program Officer Colleen Horton, (512) 471-2988