Youth Safe Spaces (Round 2)

The Youth Safe Spaces grant, administered by the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH), provides funding to support non-clinical, community-based programs designed to improve the mental wellness of youth and young adults aged 12–24 across New York State. This initiative responds to findings from Governor Hochul’s 2023 Youth Mental Health Listening Tour, which identified critical challenges faced by youth, including social isolation, lack of culturally responsive support systems, and limited access to community-based mental health resources. The program aims to fill these gaps by creating welcoming, youth-led environments where participants can build social connections, learn wellness strategies, and advocate for community-level change. The funding opportunity, referred to as Round 2, offers two distinct options for applicants. Option 1 funds the establishment of new, standalone Youth Safe Spaces, with annual awards of $500,000. Option 2 supports the enhancement of existing youth-serving spaces—such as libraries, recreational centers, or youth clubhouses—with grants of $250,000 annually. Regardless of the option, all funded programs must be located in zip codes without existing OMH Youth Safe Spaces or OASAS Youth Recovery Clubhouses, as detailed in the exclusion list provided. Only one award will be issued per county per Economic Development Region (EDR). Preference is given to rural counties, Long Island, and EDRs not funded in the previous round. Grantees are expected to deliver a range of services, including peer-led mental wellness activities, advocacy and skill-building workshops, access to essential needs (such as food and transportation), and recreational programming. Option 1 grantees are also required to offer workforce and educational support, as well as laundry and shower facilities. Each program must maintain a minimum staff-to-youth ratio of 1:10 during program hours and employ at least two full-time Youth Peer Advocates. Option 1 requires a full-time Program Manager, while Option 2 mandates a 0.75 FTE. Programs must also establish a rotating Peer Advisory Board comprising at least 51% youth or community members and formalize partnerships with behavioral health providers. Applications must be submitted via the Statewide Financial System (SFS) by February 19, 2026, at 2:00 PM EST. The portal opened on December 11, 2025. Prequalification through SFS is mandatory for all not-for-profit applicants prior to submission, and OMH encourages early registration to ensure timely processing. A Bidders’ Conference was held on December 19, 2025, with a recording made available on the OMH website. Other key milestones include a January 9, 2026 deadline for questions and a public posting of answers on January 29, 2026. Award notifications are anticipated by March 26, 2026, with the contract start date set for July 1, 2026. Contracts will run for five years. Evaluation of proposals includes both technical and financial components. Applications are scored on a 100-point scale, with a minimum of 75 points required for funding consideration. Key criteria include demonstration of community need, service design, implementation readiness, youth engagement strategies, equity practices, and quality improvement plans. Programs must also align with OMH’s values of diversity, inclusion, and trauma-informed care. Proposals that meet eligibility requirements but fail to adhere to required submission formats or timelines will be disqualified. For inquiries, the designated contact for this RFP is Jeremy Rossello, Contract Management Specialist 2 at OMH. He can be reached via email at OMHLocalProcurement@omh.ny.gov. Applicants must refrain from contacting other OMH personnel to avoid being deemed non-responsive. The full RFP and submission guidelines can be accessed through the OMH procurement site. Applicants are advised to review all eligibility restrictions, especially those pertaining to zip code exclusions and EDR funding limits, prior to submitting a proposal.

Proposals scoring below 75 are not considered; ensure youth-led design and strong local partnerships; follow formatting rules strictly or risk disqualification