Montana Mental Health Trust calls for grant proposals

Press release

Dr. Gary Mihelish, chairman of the Montana Mental Health Trust, has announced that the trust is now accepting applications for distribution of trust funds.

The trust intends to award a total of $500,000 of new grants in 2018 to help Montanans who suffer from serious mental illness.

Current trustees are Mihelish, Rebecca de Camara, Zoe Barnard, and Hon. Pat Cotter, Ret., all of Helena; Sheriff Dan Tronrud, Big Timber; Dr. Ian McGrane, Missoula, and Amber Spring, L.C.P.C., of Havre. The trust director is Hon. David Rice, Ret., of Missoula.

In 2017, the Trust paid a total of $640,499, to grantees of prior grants. Grants totaling $237,970, were awarded in 2017 and $168,378, was paid on those and prior grants in 2017 and 2018, to date. Grant Guidelines and the Grant Application Form are found on the internet at http://www.MMHT.org/.

Grant applications are to be submitted to the trust by attachment to an email sent to [email protected] in a PDF format, by Sept. 14.

The trust funds will be distributed to programs and groups which provide services and resources in several different areas. During 2018, those areas include:

• Development of evidence-based or promising programs to serve individuals with co-occurring disorders. This would include transitional youth, ages 16-24. The trust is interested in fostering creative linkages between existing entities. Community-based approaches will be more highly rated than inpatient models.

• Provision of physical, psychological, and pharmacological services to all people in Montana. This would be a distance based service to assure provision of expert advice to rural practitioners and their patients without requiring them to leave their communities.

• Provide transitional housing for all persons released from treatment/custodial facilities. Many of the mentally ill released from prison, detention, and even involuntary treatment cannot secure adequate housing upon release and often return to custody because of that problem.

• Establishment and/or continuance of community crisis systems for law enforcement agencies, community organizations, and courts to divert mentally ill person from incarceration.

The trustees are interested in innovative and thoughtful ways to assist Montanans. The trust website lists factors that will weigh favorably in considering applications.

People and organizations who want more information are asked to refer to the Trust website at http://www.MMHT.org/. For more information, or to respond to questions, applicants may contact the trust director, Judge David G. Rice, Ret., at [email protected] or P.O. Box 8666, Missoula, MT 59807, 406-399-5940.