RFP Information
SFY25 Request For Proposal (RFP)
The application process for SFY25 funding has closed. This section is now for providers who already have submitted a request for proposal for consultation and prevention (C&P) services.
The C&P budget, personnel, and C&P spreadsheet documents will be due by noon on Thursday, February 29, 2024 to proposals@starkmhar.org.
StarkMHAR reserves the right to revise budgets and fund less than the requested amount. Any agency that receives StarkMHAR funding will enter into a contract with StarkMHAR prior to any payment of allocated funds. All decisions of StarkMHAR on the allocation of funds are final and are contingent upon the receipt of allocations from the State of Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS). StarkMHAR acknowledges that Medicaid rules override any conflicted StarkMHAR policy and procedure.
Role of StarkMHAR
Stark County Mental Health & Addiction Recovery (StarkMHAR) serves as the community mental health and alcohol and drug addiction services planning entity for Stark County. The duties of StarkMHAR specifically include the evaluation, development and assessment of community mental health and alcohol and drug addiction needs, services and programs under the Ohio Revised Code. Through this work, StarkMHAR is considered a safety net for people with behavioral health needs in Stark County.
In this role, StarkMHAR is to ensure services are available for all people living in Stark County, meaning that StarkMHAR is obligated to prioritize risk to safety above all else. Within that context, priority is also given to certain populations who do not have access to alternative sources of services, and whose risk to self or others is highest. Services to reduce risk of harm are the first priority and are only limited by geographic domains.
Priority will also be given to certain populations that fall under the statutory responsibility of StarkMHAR: people with severe mental illness, children and youth with severe emotional disturbance and people with severe substance use disorders. For more about population definitions »
Funding Guidelines
Stark County Mental Health & Addiction Recovery (StarkMHAR) allocates funding throughout the State Fiscal Year 2025, which runs from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. All funding requests for services or programs must meet the following guidelines:
- The organization must be certified by OhioMHAS in order to receive funding. Additionally, the organization must be certified to provide the service or program for which they are applying. If the provider organization is not already certified by OhioMHAS at the time of RFP submission, it is required that the provider organization be in process of certification with a certification application already submitted to OhioMHAS at the time of submission. Submission of proof is required at the time of RFP submission. Certification must be attained by the time of the June StarkMHAR Board meeting.
- Funding for services and programs is based upon availability. StarkMHAR has a variety of funding sources including federal, state and local dollars. Some funding streams are mandated by the state to be used for specific purposes, and some funding streams are for specific services or programs. All other funding is based upon the priorities and needs of the local community. Funding is on a year-to-year basis.
- Applicants must have a physical brick and mortar office space in Ohio in order to submit a program proposal. Programs being proposed must be Stark County-based in order for a program to be considered for funding.
For the C&P (consultation and prevention) RFP, the priority information is as follows:
Priority Populations We are a safety net provider; which means that we must prioritize risk to SAFETY. Priority populations include those individuals eligible for indicated prevention/early intervention and selective prevention strategies.
Non-Priority Populations include individuals eligible for universal prevention strategies.
Priority Areas Chart:
| Priority Area | Target Population | Category Name | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priority 1 | Priority Populations only | Urgent risk |
Indicated prevention strategies are targeted to high-risk individuals who are identified as having minimal but detectable signs or symptoms that foreshadow mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder, as well as biological markers that indicate a predisposition in a person for such a disorder but who does not meet diagnostic criteria at the time of the intervention; exhibit life threatening behaviors. Early Intervention (previously known as Secondary Prevention) are interventions that happen after serious risk factors have already been discovered or early in disease progression soon after diagnosis. The goal is to halt or slow the progress of disease in its earliest stages. |
| Priority 2 | Priority Populations only | High Risk | Indicated prevention strategies are targeted to high-risk individuals who are identified as having minimal but detectable signs or symptoms that foreshadow mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder, as well as biological markers that indicate a predisposition in a person for such a disorder but who does not meet diagnostic criteria at the time of the intervention. |
| Priority 3 | Priority Populations Only | Serious Risk | Selective prevention strategies are targeted to individuals or to a subgroup of the population whose risk of developing mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders is significantly higher than average. |
| Priority 4 | Everyone in General Public | Important Needs | Universal prevention strategies are targeted to the general public or a whole population group that has not been identified on the basis of individual risk. The intervention is desirable for everyone in that group (IOM, 2009, p. xxix). |
Additional Instructions
- All proposals must have a completed budget that demonstrates the expenses of the program. Some restrictions may apply, depending upon the funding source.
- Funding agreements will be finalized through the use of a mutually agreed upon signed contract. It is expected that final allocations will be made at the June board meeting.
- All RFPs are reviewed by StarkMHAR staff. Recommendations for funding are reviewed by the Program and Evaluation Committee, the Finance Committee and the Executive Committee. The decision to fund a program rests with the Board of Directors.
- A scoring tool will be used to evaluate all proposals, however, the scoring tool has not been validated or objectified and is only used as a basis for internal discussion and review. The scoring tool is not the sole mechanism by which programs are recommended for funding.
Additional Questions?
All questions related to the RFP should be submitted to RFPquestions@StarkMHAR.org. Responses are guaranteed within 24 hours.