Request for Proposals Addressing Access to Care

In 2016, the KTGF embarked on an initiative to improve access to mental health care for children and adolescents, especially those from families with limited supports and resources.

The principal objective of this initiative has been to fund academic research in the development of innovative models of service delivery such as those that leverage technology, non-traditional treatment settings, and professional and paraprofessional treatment providers or others (e.g. teachers, parents, primary care physicians). With COVID-19, access to mental health care has become even more challenging, especially for children of low-income families. As a result, in 2020 we will be reissuing our Request for Proposals addressing Access to Care.

Overview

• Proposals are due on January 10, 2021, 11:59 pm EST
• Applications are submitted online

Foundation Background and Mission

The Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation (“KTGF”) funds programs in children’s mental health, principally in the areas of childhood/adolescent depression and ADHD. It also funds medical student programs in child and adolescent psychiatry at select medical institutions. Through these programs, the KTGF seeks to further research in pediatric ADHD and pediatric depression, cultivate more child and adolescent psychiatrists and increase knowledge of mental health in physicians.

Five years ago, the KTGF embarked on a new initiative designed to improve access to care and prevention of mental health problems in youth. Our principal objective at that time was to develop new approaches or expand existing models to train professional and/or paraprofessional treatment providers and/or others (e.g. teachers, parents, primary care physicians, etc.) in the provision of mental health services. This approach was based on the Foundation’s interests in the research, development and dissemination of evidence-based treatment approaches which could yield a direct and immediate impact on children currently affected by or at risk for psychiatric disorders, and to enhance the capacity to provide these services through the development of new models of care.

We launched the Access to Care initiative in the Fall of 2015, with an RFP for a demonstration project for established investigators and the addition of Access to Care fellowships for young investigators.

The Access to Care initiative was prompted by the recognition by KTGF Board members, based in part on their personal experiences, that it is often difficult for parents to access appropriate and high-quality care when confronted with challenging mental health needs of their children. The Board was particularly concerned about difficulties in access to care for families with limited supports and financial resources. Recent research suggests that access to mental health care for children does not appear to be improving. As a result, we have decided to “double-down” on our earlier Access to Care initiative and expand it with this current RFP.

Goal of the Request for Proposals

We are soliciting applications for academic investigators conducting research to demonstrate the benefits of new health care delivery methods or prevention approaches. We are particularly interested in funding applications that build on promising pilot work and aim to develop larger demonstration projects.

In particular, the KTGF is most interested in improving access to mental health care for children through the use of novel models or approaches, including (but not limited to) digital technology (e.g. the internet, apps for cell phones), expanding the number of professional and paraprofessional treatment personnel who are trained to deliver mental health services, and delivering care in non-psychiatric settings (e.g., primary care, schools, home, or other novel settings). Primary outcomes should include the measurement of improved access and/or reduced time to service delivery. We are also interested in the following secondary outcomes: minimizing the burdens and maladaptive behaviors associated with mental health problems in children; decreasing the development of secondary co-morbid disorders, and the development of adverse educational, relational and health outcomes; and improving the functioning of youth and their families. Because parents can be important to the successful treatment of their children, another secondary outcome might include the enhanced ability of parents to facilitate their children’s access to treatment.

Eligibility, Guidelines and Components

Eligibility and Funding Levels

Academic researchers from universities or research institutions that provide mental and behavioral health programs for children and adolescents are eligible. Investigators can be at any stage in their career but must have collected enough pilot data to inform the development of the proposed research project and must be well enough established to lead an effort such as this. For investigators who are relatively early in their career, we recommend partnering with a more senior academic researcher who has expertise in program development and dissemination.
The foundation expects to make up to two grant awards. Each award will be in the amount of $50,000 per year over a two-year period, for a total of $100,000 per grant. The Foundation recognizes that larger scale program implementation may require additional funding. As such, identifying sources of funding for the full-scale implementation phase of the project should be part of the initial planning project. The KTGF will consider applications to extend the work of the original project after the two-year pilot implementation phase.

RFP Guidelines

The proposal should build upon promising pilot data demonstrating improved access to care and functional outcomes in youth with mental health problems. This might include augmentation and larger-scale implementation of a program initially funded by the KTGF (for example, as one of the Access to Care fellowships), or a new project never funded by KTGF.
The proposal must have potential for scaling (e.g., production of a template which can be applied in real world settings).
The proposal must include a plan to measure the effectiveness of the proposed project using established methods, and specifically in relation to the primary and secondary goals.
The proposal should clearly outline how the project will use novel approaches to improve access to mental health care for at-risk youth or youth with existing mental health problems. These novel approaches may include the use of non-professionals, health care providers other than mental health clinicians, digital technology (e.g. the internet, apps for cell phones), or other innovative methods.
After one year, and at the conclusion of the research project, the awardee will submit a report to the KTGF detailing the activities which have been conducted, recommendations to the field, and next steps required for program implementation and evaluation.
While the subject matter must address access to child and/or adolescent mental health services, it need not specifically target depression or ADHD.

Proposal Components

The program should include the following components in single spaced 12-point font:

Summary page: One-page description of the nature and scope of the project
Contact information of Principal Investigator
Background information regarding the PI’s department/agency (training programs in place, etc.)
Detailed description of the proposed research: The research plan must clearly state the objectives of the research, how they will be tested, and address any challenges or potential barriers to program implementation (Not to exceed 6 pages)
Brief bios and letters of support of key personnel
Indication of the level of institution and faculty support of the project, including letter of support from Department Chair or Division Director
Subjects recruitment letter
Timeline for project implementation and completion
Sources of potential funding for larger scale program implementation
Itemized budget: Indirect costs may be requested, but the Program limits indirect costs to 10%. Applications which wave the indirect costs will derive financial benefit of the extra funding available and will be given priority review.

RFP Addressing Access to Care

All submissions are completed online. Applications are due on January 10, 2021, 11:59 pm EST. The Foundation expects to award the grant by April 1, 2021. Funding will begin July 1, 2021, after IRB approval has been established and all relevant contracts have been put in place.

Please note: The applicant must enter their personal information when selecting Create New Account and registering. For this proposal, select “KTGF RFP Addressing Access to Care”.

Questions should be referred to info@klingenstein.org.

Application portal opens on November 2, 9:00 am EST.

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