The Hogg Foundation is requesting proposals for projects that support rural and rural border communities. This initiative will build on community strengths and foster community-driven solutions to help develop, support, celebrate, and promote mental well-being.
The foundation plans to award up to ten project grants. Each grant will provide up to $75,000 annually for five years and may total up to $375,000 per grant partner, including 10 percent for overhead expenses. Grant partners will receive additional assistance during the five years from a separately funded coordinator to facilitate a learning community and program evaluation services and support.
This initiative encourages local leadership and collaborative community efforts. It will fund conversations within each community that lead to genuine commitment and action. Communities will use their strengths, resources, and relationships to improve mental health for their residents.
“Rural areas, especially those along the Texas-Mexico border, have rich cultures, strength and resilience, and a deep-rooted spirit of community. However, these dynamic communities often don’t have enough doctors, dentists, or mental health professionals,” said Dr. Octavio N. Martinez, Jr., executive director of the Hogg Foundation. “By focusing on rural areas, the foundation aims to help them face their unique challenges, improve mental health, and build stronger communities – using ideas and leadership that come from within the community itself.”
This initiative builds on an earlier project that was started in 2018 and is still going, called Collaborative Approaches to Well-Being in Rural Communities (WRC). WRC aims to learn more about how to support mental health in rural settings, identify strengths, address local challenges, and identify community conditions that both help and challenge mental health. In the past seven years, WRC has led to important insights and progress and has shown the Hogg Foundation the importance of including a wide range of community voices and letting the community lead the way.
“When communities come together to lead their own change, the results are powerful and inclusive” says Tammy Heinz, senior program officer and consumer & family liaison. “This initiative is about listening to rural voices, honoring their lived experiences, and supporting their efforts to build mental health and well-being in ways that make sense for them and their unique community.”
“We believe that real change happens when communities are trusted to lead,” said Rick Ybarra, senior program officer. “This funding opportunity is about supporting local leadership that is community-led, community-driven — recognizing the ingenuity and commitment that rural and border communities already have and helping create the conditions for mental health and well-being to thrive.”
The deadline for submitting project proposals is Monday, August 11, 2025. Details about the initiative and how to apply can be found at Strengthening the Mental Health of Rural and Rural Border Communities.
Acknowledgments
Strengthening the Mental Health of Rural and Rural Border Communities is the culmination of a years-long process of learning, collaboration, and community-building. The Hogg Foundation wants to thank the following partners:
- Five Rural Counties on a Mental Health Mission: Resilient Bastrop County, BHOLD Brooks County, Morris County Collaborative, Better Together Nacogdoches County, and Be Well Victoria County
- Texas A&M University School of Public Health Department: Heather Clark, PhD, Sara Mendez, PhD, and David Matarrita-Cascante, PhD
- Hogg Foundation National Advisory Council Members: Stephen Cooper, PhD, Dennis Mohatt, and Allen Smart
- Global Leadership Exchange, Rural Behavioral Health Committee: Jason Alves, Finola Colgan, Hazel Dalton, PhD, Mary Garrison, Krystal Grimes, Ron Manderscheid, PhD, Sarah-Anne Munoz, PhD, Russell Roberts, PhD, Karla Thorpe, and Hanneke Van Der Veeken
- Texas Rural Funders
Related Content
Grantee Spotlight: Good News for Bastrop County, Texas!
Isolation is a key barrier for Bastrop residents in need of mental health services. Resilient Bastrop is bringing new hope.