Los Angeles County ARISE Community Grant Program

The Los Angeles County Advancing Resilience, Inclusion, Support, and Equity (ARISE) Community Grant Program is administered by the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA), a Joint Powers Authority established in 2009 to lead collaborative public mental health initiatives across the state. This grant program reflects CalMHSA’s continued commitment to equity-driven behavioral health innovation, emphasizing prevention and early intervention strategies that serve historically marginalized populations in Los Angeles County. CalMHSA aims to engage local community-based organizations (CBOs) that are embedded in underserved communities and capable of delivering culturally and linguistically appropriate behavioral health services. The primary goal of the ARISE Community Grant Program is to support initiatives that provide accessible, inclusive behavioral health outreach and services. Emphasis is placed on reducing the negative outcomes associated with untreated or late-treated mental health challenges. Priority populations include BIPOC youth, LGBTQIA+ individuals, immigrant communities, and people with lived experience of trauma. Target outcomes for funded programs include prevention of hospitalization, suicide, incarceration, homelessness, unemployment, and school failure, as well as enhancing family stability and community reintegration. Applicants must be Los Angeles County-based CBOs with a minimum of five years of experience in delivering prevention and early intervention (PEI) behavioral health services. Funded services must be aligned with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health’s recovery-oriented model and focus on service delivery across designated Service Areas and Supervisorial Districts. Required services include behavioral health education, stigma reduction, crisis management protocols, peer support, case management, and warm handoffs to services within 72 hours of referral. Applicants must also demonstrate capacity for outreach, linkage, and coordination with mental health, housing, substance use, and social service providers. Grantees are expected to deliver a full scope of work, including a project implementation plan, data collection framework, quarterly programmatic and financial reports, and a comprehensive final report. Specific data collection elements include demographic data, service participation, outcome indicators, and geographic reach. Additional deliverables include adherence to crisis response protocols, submission of monthly expenditure reports, and consistent participation in CalMHSA technical assistance meetings and community convenings. Services must be designed with strong equity frameworks that include inclusive staffing, lived experience representation, and culturally grounded engagement practices. Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. PST on September 5, 2025, and must be submitted exclusively through CalMHSA’s e-Procurement Portal at https://calmhsa.bonfirehub.com. Questions regarding the RFP were accepted until August 27, 2025, with answers posted on August 29. Selected applicants will be notified of intent to award by September 26, 2025. All submissions must be formatted per guidelines and must demonstrate financial viability through audited statements. The contract will be subject to CalMHSA’s standard terms, including insurance requirements and reporting obligations. Applicants must have the ability to comply with confidentiality, non-discrimination, audit, and intellectual property conditions. The ARISE Community Grant is structured to make multiple awards and encourages applications from CBOs that participated in the Transforming LA Mental Health Incubation Academy. The program prioritizes geographic equity and long-term community impact through stigma reduction, culturally responsive service delivery, and the establishment of sustainable community infrastructure to address behavioral health disparities.

Focus on culturally responsive approaches, use data-driven metrics, target specific LA County service areas, and submit through Bonfire only.