Amid shifting federal health care funding, grants that enable health care safety net entities[1] to respond to the changing landscape can unlock immense value. This form of grantmaking puts daily program-related decisions in the hands of people doing the work, allowing organizations to develop and sustain staff positions, workflows, and programs that reflect their priorities.

Behavioral health care safety net providers—Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) and integrated care-focused community health centers—are vital resources for individuals with behavioral health needs, including substance use disorder (SUD) [2]. To address the full range of factors affecting this population’s health and well-being, these organizations require funding and technical assistance (TA) to improve and expand service provision, internal capacity, and cross-sector collaboration efforts. To help these organizations better serve their communities, the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation (BMS Foundation), an independent charitable organization whose mission is to improve global health, launched a grant program called the New Jersey Safety Net Innovation Proposal (NJ SNIP).

New Jersey Safety Net Innovation Proposal

The NJ SNIP, launched in 2023, is a grant program funded by the BMS Foundation to strengthen the health care safety net in New Jersey, providing grants to nonprofit, community based mental health service providers caring for individuals living with serious mental illness (SMI). To ensure proper expertise, assistance, and oversight, the BMS Foundation provides funding to the Camden Coalition, a national leader in improving care for people with complex health and social needs, to serve as an implementation partner supporting the grantees within the program.

Awardees of the NJ SNIP grants receive funding for two years to address community and/or strategic capacity-building needs and increase access to quality health care for individuals living with SMI. The Camden Coalition provides tailored, organization-specific support for project management and implementation, as well as other informational and training resources.

Read the full article about expanding behavioral health access by Margaux Bigelow, Sheryl Mathis, and Mark Humowiecki at Grantmakers In Health.