Kindergarten – 12th Grade Student Advocacy

The California Behavioral Health Services Oversight & Accountability Commission (BHSOAC) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) titled "Advocacy for Kindergarten through 12th Grade Student Population (RFP K-12-003)." This grant opportunity seeks to award $2,010,000 to a single Statewide Organization tasked with conducting advocacy, training, education, outreach, and engagement on behalf of K-12 students in California. The overarching goal is to enhance youth advocacy in behavioral health conversations at both state and local levels.

The awarded Statewide Organization will be required to partner with a local level entity (LLE) in each of the eight Commission-defined K-12 regions across California. This partnership will form a statewide youth behavioral health coalition. The coalition will establish regional youth advocacy teams that will represent their respective areas and contribute to a coordinated statewide advocacy effort aimed at strengthening the voice of K-12 students in shaping behavioral health services in schools.

Eligible applicants must be a Statewide Organization with the capacity to manage partnerships across all eight K-12 regions of California. The organization must demonstrate experience in youth advocacy, particularly in behavioral health, and must have the ability to conduct training, education, outreach, and engagement activities relevant to K-12 students. Additionally, the applicant must be capable of entering into formal agreements with local level entities in each region to form the coalition.

The application process for this opportunity follows a defined timeline. Written questions from potential applicants are due by February 25, 2025. Responses to submitted questions will be distributed by March 3, 2025. The final application is due on April 4, 2025, no later than 12:00 PM. After the evaluation process, the Notice of Intent to Award will be announced on April 24, 2025.

Applicants are required to submit proposals following the guidelines outlined in the official RFP document (RFP K-12-003). The document details specific application components, evaluation criteria, and compliance requirements. Proposals must clearly demonstrate the applicant's qualifications, proposed approach, and the ability to manage and sustain the coalition. The evaluation will focus on the applicant’s experience, approach to advocacy and outreach, capacity to engage local partners, and their plan for fostering ongoing youth leadership.

For further information, applicants may contact the Behavioral Health Services Oversight & Accountability Commission directly. The Commission serves as the primary point of contact for all inquiries and clarifications related to this funding opportunity. The application materials, including the full RFP document and responses to applicant questions, are available on the BHSOAC website.