SCRANTON, PA – In response to the region’s challenges in attracting and maintaining credentialed behavioral health providers to meet an increased need for behavioral and mental health care services, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation announces the rollout of a special grants program intended to help attract and retain these important health care professionals.
The Employee Assistance Grant Program to Support Mental & Behavioral Health is a 3-year, $1.2 million initiative offering grants to nonprofit organizations focused on delivering behavioral and mental health care in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming counties for the purpose of developing or expanding Employee Assistance programs. These grants will alleviate behavioral and mental health care professionals’ financial-related stressors, minimize employee attrition, and serve as an additional recruitment strategy, with the ultimate goal being the long-term development of a sustained behavioral health workforce for 501c3 providers in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The NEPA Healthcare Foundation is collaborating with several partnering organizations to carry out this program.
Eligible employee assistance programs to develop or expand include those that offer health insurance, regular accessibility to wellness and mental health services for employees, tuition reimbursement, financial support and debt relief, professional development support for obtaining enhanced credentials, etc.
All eligible 501c3 organizations providing mental and behavioral health services in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wayne counties are invited to apply. Organizations may submit a Letter of Intent to the NEPA Health Care Foundation’s Employee Assistance Grant Program to Support Mental & Behavioral Health starting February 15th, 2024, through the Scranton Area Community Foundation’s online grant portal (www.safdn.org/grants). All letters of intent are due by March 30th, 2024. Organizations may apply for projects starting at $25,000 per year for up to three years, subject to annual reevaluation. Only requests submitted through the grant portal will be considered.
For assistance with the grant portal, contact Frank Caputo at frank@safdn.org.
The Scranton Area Community Foundation administers the NEPA Health Care Foundation.
###
The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the people of the region and particularly those most vulnerable and most underserved of the population. The Scranton Area Community Foundation, a community foundation that has been serving the people of the Lackawanna County region since 1954, serves as the administrator of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation.