Foundation Launches $1.89 Million Strategic Partnerships Fund to Strengthen Mental Health Across the Region
NEW ALBANY, Ind. – The Southern Indiana Health Foundation (SIHF) today announced the launch of its Strategic Partnerships Fund, a new grantmaking program that will invest $1.89 million over the next three years to strengthen mental health across Southern Indiana.
After identifying mental health as its primary funding priority in 2025, SIHF spent several months seeking input from behavioral health providers, public health leaders, healthcare professionals, and nonprofit organizations across the region to better understand where philanthropic investment could have the greatest impact.
Two clear priorities emerged: expanding access to mental health care and investing in prevention before people reach a crisis. The data reinforce those findings. According to County Health Rankings, Clark County has one mental health provider for every 370 residents, while Floyd County has one for every 561. Both are well below the national average.
The conversations also highlighted a challenge many nonprofits face: Sustainable funding.
"Too often, nonprofits are asked to solve complex, long-term problems with short-term funding," said Jessica Staten, Executive Director of the SIHF. "The issues our community faces didn't develop overnight, and they won't be solved that way either. Philanthropy has to match the scale and timeline of the problems we're asking organizations to solve.”
Under the new model, the Foundation will make three-year commitments to a select group of nonprofit partners, giving them the stability to strengthen programs, build capacity, and adapt to changing community needs.
The Strategic Partnerships Fund will support initiatives aligned with one of two priorities:
Expanding access to mental health care, including efforts that increase provider capacity, reduce barriers to treatment, improve care coordination, and strengthen crisis response.
Prevention and upstream mental health, supporting programs that build resilience, promote emotional well-being, and address risk factors before they become crises.
The Strategic Partnerships Fund will serve as the Foundation's primary grantmaking program. Eligibility for the 2026 funding cycle is limited to current and former SIHF 501(c)(3) grantees.
Letters of Intent will be accepted August 10 through August 25, 2026. Organizations selected through the initial review process will be invited to submit full applications in September, with grant awards expected to be announced in November.
"Every person in Southern Indiana deserves access to mental health care. We also have to deal with what's causing the crisis in the first place, not just the symptoms of it,” said Senior Judge Terrence Cody, Chair of the SIHF Board of Directors. “Partnering with nonprofits for the long haul is how we make this region safer and healthier."
For more information on the Strategic Partnerships Fund visit soinhealthfoundation.org or contact Jessica Staten at jessica@soinhealthfoundation.org.
