The Alternatives to Jail funding area seeks to prevent people with substance misuse, mental health, and trauma needs from unnecessarily interacting with the criminal legal system.
Donor Name: Caring for Denver Foundation
State: Colorado
City: Denver
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/07/2025
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
And to support those who are involved in the criminal legal system through their recovery by providing access to a wide range of mental health and substance misuse care to prevent re-entry.
Foundation Priorities
The Foundation will prioritize funding for projects and programs that address Denver’s mental health and substance misuse challenges in at least one of the areas below:
- Inclusive Access: Helps people access mental health care and substance misuse support in ways that make sense for them, in places that feel comfortable, and at times that fit their schedules, so they are better able to participate, build skills, and apply what they have learned in their daily life.
- Attention to Fit: Ensure those providing mental health care and substance misuse support treat those seeking care and support with respect, and help them feel connected and understood—primarily through offering culturally designed and matched care options. These projects also support the mental health and substance misuse needs of those providing support, so that they can be at their best as they support others.
- Care Over Time: Improve care transitions, making them easier to navigate and more seamless for people. The goal is to minimize the starts and stops in mental health and substance misuse care that often happens when needs change, and prevent the trauma that comes when people must re-tell, or redocument their journeys, and increase stability.
Key Considerations
Grant decisions will favor programs/projects that:
- Have demonstrated trust and experience working with those at risk of entering Denver jails and prisons, or those involved with or exiting Denver jails and prisons
- Provide intensive mental health and substance misuse care that supports individuals who have high needs, including severe and persistent mental illness, and are involved or at risk of involvement with the criminal legal system
- Strengthen transition support from the criminal legal system to community-based recovery resources including residential treatment and care beds
- Support solutions that utilize peer specialists and value lived experience
- Have flexibility in programming to respond to the unique needs of people being served.
Funding Information
The total amount available for all grant awards in this funding area is $14 million.
Eligibility Criteria
- Projects and activities supported by Caring for Denver’s grantmaking must serve or support only residents of the City and County of Denver (“City”). Caring for Denver’s general definition of residency is derived from the State of Colorado Medical Services Board Rule 8.607.1(F) around Areas of Service. The following individuals will be considered City residents by Caring for Denver:
- An individual physically residing full time in the City
- An individual experiencing homelessness presenting in the City and intending to stay in the City
- An individual, under 21 years of age and in the custody of Denver Human Services (“DHS”)
- An individual, under 18 years of age and in primary legal and residency custody of a City resident
- A non-City resident who is placed in a mental health and/or substance abuse program while in a City Jail
- Applicants can be any nonprofit organization designated by the IRS as tax-exempt under IRC Section 501(c)(3), or under other sections of the U.S. tax code or fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity. If an organization does not have a 501(c)(3), has a pending 501(c)(3), is not in good standing, and/or does not have at least one year of tax returns and financial statements, it will be required to work with a fiscal sponsor. Applicants may also be an Indian or Native American entity. Government-supported entities, including schools, museums, or libraries, and City and County of Denver or State of Colorado agencies are eligible to apply.
For more information, visit Caring for Denver Foundation.
