Youth Mental Health Fund: Call for proposals 2024

Current status: Open

Opened November 18, 2024, and will close on January 22, 2025.

To learn more about the application process, join an upcoming virtual information session:

• December 12 from 1 to 2 pm EST: English
• December 12 from 3 to 4 pm EST: French

On this page

• About the fund
• Call for proposals
• Who can apply
• Applicant guide
• Apply today

About the fund

The Youth Mental Health Fund (YMHF), announced by the federal government in Budget 2024, aims to improve the mental health of youth and their families, and to enhance access to, and navigation of, mental health services with a particular focus on equity-deserving groups.

The fund would contribute to long-term improvements in mental health outcomes for youth and to advance the creation of a strengthened, integrated and accessible youth mental health system that addresses the needs of equity-deserving and underserved youth populations.

Specifically, the fund seeks to improve the availability, accessibility and quality of mental health supports and services for youth by:

• building capacity, or supporting the expansion of Integrated Youth Services (IYS) networks and hubs
• building capacity in community organizations providing mental health services and supports to diverse youth populations
• building capacity of mental wellness supports in Indigenous communities or in organizations that support First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth

Call for proposals

For this funding opportunity, Health Canada is seeking proposals for projects under the following Youth Mental Health Fund priority:

• Building capacity in and supporting community-based organizations that provide mental health services to youth with the goal of facilitating and strengthening linkages to the broader mental health care system, such as IYS networks to expand their reach and serve more youth.

This funding opportunity does not include the following priorities:

• Strengthening and expanding IYS networks and hubs to increase their capacity and reach more youth.
• Supporting Indigenous-specific, distinctions-based mental wellness supports and services that meet the needs of Indigenous youth. Supporting improved mental wellness supports and services for First Nations youth on-reserve, Inuit youth in Inuit Nunangat and Métis youth. This will be administered by Indigenous Services Canada and guided by Indigenous partners and communities.

All proposals should demonstrate how the project will:

• improve youth mental health
• improve access to care in community settings
• prioritize highest unmet needs
• include evaluation and measurement

Additionally, Health Canada will further prioritize projects for funding based on urgency, geographical representation, readiness for implementation, complementarity with existing initiatives, and system integration.

Who can apply

The following types of Canadian applicants are eligible for funding for this opportunity:

• Not-for-profit organizations
• Public post secondary education institutions

Note that applicants from Quebec are not eligible, as the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux is managing funds for Quebec.

Applicant guide

For more information about eligibility, application requirements and the application process, please consult the Youth Mental Health Fund: Applicant guide. Health Canada recommends you download and save a copy to your computer.

Apply today

Download the Application form. Instructions on how to complete an application package are in Annex A of the applicant guide. An application package includes the Application form and any additional attachments referred to in the Application form.

A completed application package must be electronically signed and submitted to YMHF-FSMJ@hc-sc.gc.ca by January 22, 2025.