Libraries Supporting Community Mental Health

Key Dates

Webinars given by Texas Grants Resource Center.

The foundation will host a learning community for this project. These quarterly virtual calls are designed to foster a space where grantee partners can share knowledge, learning, strategies, and resources. This approach is grounded in the understanding that learning communities enhance the capacity for collective problem-solving and innovation.  

The foundation will provide an independent evaluation team for the grant term. The evaluation team has deep expertise in assessing program impact. Their services include evaluation support, mentoring, coaching, and training to nonprofits, government agencies, and academic institutions.  

Evaluation will begin with the grant award and continue for two years. Grantee partners are expected to cooperate fully with all evaluation efforts. They may also be asked to share stories or examples from staff, community members, and other stakeholders of how the project impacted people. With support from the evaluation team, each group will choose success markers to measure their projects’ effectiveness.  

Examples of evaluator activities may include but are not limited to:  

• Monthly or bimonthly virtual check-in meetings  

• Customized 1:1 technical assistance/consultation to support each of the sites (external consultants will include library personnel known to the foundation engaged in similar work)  

• Leveraging any Hogg Foundation assets/expertise that would be beneficial to the sites (Communications Team, Texas Grants Resource Center, Hogg Foundation program lead)  

• Site visits 

• Annual reports to the foundation describing evaluation activities and outcomes/lessons learned 

By creating this learning community and providing a separate evaluation component, the foundation aims to provide additional resources to the funded sites such as technical assistance, training, and opportunities for shared and collective learning and support. 

Initiative Goals 

The primary purpose of this grant program is to:  

• Increase the number of total visitors to community libraries (adults/children) 

• Increase the number of visitors specifically seeking mental health information, education, resources, and/or support  

• Increase the number of mental health related events hosted by library, number of attendees, number of community partners, Hogg Foundation funding used for events   

• Increase the number of current partnerships to expand mental health and wellness offerings; compared with number of partnerships before the grant award

• Establish formalized partners identified by sector (non-profit, governmental agency, faith-based, etc.)  

• Establish formalized schedule of daily/weekly/monthly activities focused on mental health and well-being offered at the library   

With this grant initiative, we hope to:  

• Support libraries to enhance mental health, resilience, and well-being  

• Develop or strengthen multisector partnerships to support positive mental health  

• Involve people traditionally not engaged in planning; community activation; civic participation; program and policy development  

• Establish a robust library program that provides access to mental health resources and programming  

• Demonstrate the importance of mental health as part of overall health in these communities  

• Enhance mental health in communities in Texas with limited resources  

• Mathis Public Library
  Mathis, San Patricio County
• Mayor Joe V Sanchez Public Library
  Weslaco, Hidalgo County
• Newton County Public Library
  Newton, Newton County
• Olga V Figueroa Zapata County Public Library
  Zapata, Zapata County
• Palmview Municipal Library
  Palmview, Hidalgo County
• Pharr Memorial Library
  Pharr, Hidalgo County
• Pittsburg-Camp County Public Library
  Pittsburg, Camp County
• Quemado Public Library
  Quemado, Maverick County
• Ranger City Library
  Ranger, Eastland County
• Red River County Public Library
  Clarksville, Red River County
• San Benito Public Library
  San Benito, Cameron County
• Sabinal Public Library
  Sabinal, Uvalde County
• San Juan Memorial Library
  San Juan, Hidalgo County
• Sergeant Fernando de la Rosa Memorial Library
  Alamo, Hidalgo County
• Speer Memorial Library
  Mission, Hidalgo County
• Swisher County Library
  Tulia, Swisher County
• Taft Public Library
  Taft, San Patricio County
• Timpson Public Library
  Timpson, Shelby County
• Unger Memorial Library
  Plainview, Hale County
• Utopia Memorial Library
  Utopia, Uvalde County

Training and Support

Texas Grants Resource Center will offer free, optional webinars to assist in the proposal process. TGRC staff cannot assist with Hogg Foundation grant proposals. See Key Dates for details.

Send webinar questions, no later than 24 hours in advance, to the Grants Management team.

The Proposal Must Include:

• Summary You will fill this out using the Fluxx system. This acts as a cover letter for your proposal.
• Narrative (Main Written Proposal) Also completed in Fluxx. We encourage you to answer the questions on a separate document and cut and paste into your Fluxx application as Fluxx times out every 30 minutes. You will be asked to answer questions about:
  • Proposed Goals Describe the main purpose of your proposal, including goals of the proposal and how they align with this grant initiative, and strategies or methods that will be used to achieve the goals.
  • Proposed Description of Activities Describe how  you intend to accomplish the goals of the proposal, including specific activities (including type and frequency) to be conducted during the grant term; how the activities will advance the strategies and goals; the staff and partners (such as contractors and volunteers) involved and the role each will play in supporting the proposal’s strategies and goals.
  • Tracking Success Metrics and Evaluation Describe how you will work with the evaluation team to share requested information, define metrics, and measure success. Such as agreed upon meeting schedule, discuss, define and/or co-create metrics to be collected, measured and reported to assess outcomes and impact.  
  • Impact and Outcomes Share how you see the project impacting your community in the short and long term. Address how your project will adapt based on stakeholder and/or community feedback and changing conditions.
  • Future Plans: Sustainability and Durability Outline how you will keep the effort going after the grant ends. Discuss how you will find ongoing support and funding from local community partners and other potential funding sources.
• Staff In Fluxx’s “Key Project Staff” section, list everyone who will implement the project (such as project lead, contractors, consultants, etc.). For each person, include their name and title, and upload CV/resumes. If a position is vacant, you may upload a job description.
• Budget (Use the template provided)Download the Excel budget template from Fluxx’s “Application Documents” section. Fill out, save, and upload the document to Fluxx with your proposal. Follow the instructions in the first tab of the Excel budget template provided in Fluxx.
• Timeline (Use the template provided) Download the Excel timeline template from Fluxx’s “Application Documents” section. Fill out, save, and upload the document to Fluxx with your proposal. Include:
  • Major proposed milestones and due dates
  • Names of those responsible for each task
• Letter Approving the Proposal Submission Upload a signed letter on letterhead from your organization’s leadership. This letter should either approve the proposal or say that approval is unnecessary.
  Note: This process can take several business days, so submit proposals early to give the grant office enough time for review and approval.
• Fiscal Documents Upload the following documents from your organization’s finance office to the “Fiscal Documents” section in Fluxx:
  • IRS letter of determination of 501(c)(3) or tax-exempt status
  • Most recent IRS Form 990
  • Current operating budget
  • Statement of activities (income statements) from the past year
  • Statement of financial position (balance sheets) for the past year
• Letter(s) of Support If you’re working with partner organizations, upload letters of support from them to the “Application Documents” section in Fluxx’s “Required Documents” section. Each letter should be on the partner’s letterhead and signed by the organization’s authorized representative (such as the executive director, president, or CEO).

Background and Definitions

Background

This background document is available for those who would like to learn more about the needs addressed by this initiative.

Definitions

Collaborative: A community-led group of many local stakeholders—including residents, organizations, and institutions—who work together to improve mental health, resilience, and well-being in their rural community.  

Co-location: The practice of placing multiple, often related, entities within a single physical location, facility, or campus to leverage shared resources, improve efficiency, and increase collaboration. In the context of community resources, this means placing complementary programs and services—such as adult basic education, parent education, job training, stress management and/or healthcare providers—in one location to make them more accessible to residents. 

Community: A group of people who have identified common goals and act together to achieve them. Learn more

Durability: Means to last a long time and comes to us from the Latin verb durare, meaning “to last.” Learn more

Evaluation Team: A group that works with the grantee partners, the Learning Community Coordinator, and the Hogg Foundation to measure the projects’ success and the initiative’s impact.  

Fluxx Grants Management System: Online platform to manage grant applications and processes. 

Learning Community: A group of practitioners who, while sharing a common concern or question, seek to deepen their understanding of a given topic by learning together as they pursue their individual work. Learn more 

Learning Community Coordinator: A team with expertise that provides support to grantee partners through technical assistance, coaching, and mentorship.  

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): A formal agreement, usually non-binding, between two or more parties that outlines a mutual, cooperative working relationship. In the context of community resources, an MOU outlines the intentions, roles, and responsibilities of partners (such as nonprofits, government agencies, and schools) to collaborate on services, share resources, or coordinate efforts without a legally binding contract. Learn more  

Mental Health and Well-being: Mental health, as defined by the World Health Organization, is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can make a contribution to his or her community.” The foundation believes that mental health and well-being should be promoted beyond the walls of health clinics and integrated into everyday life. Community members, leaders, and professionals–from teachers and preachers to police officers and judges-–should understand its importance, the factors that influence it, and its relationship to overall well-being and resilience. Learn more 

Population Mental Health: Mental health is necessary for living healthy, socially fulfilling, and economically productive lives and goes beyond the absence of a mental disorder. This includes nonclinical interventions and activities intended to improve mental health outcomes.  Learn more 

Resilience: Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress — such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors. It means “bouncing back” from difficult experiences. Community resilience can relate to how communities respond to crises, natural disasters, significant economic shifts, etc. Learn more