Commission approves several grant rounds, delays statewide MHSSA evaluation; Orange County innovation plan wins funding

The Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission approved multiple funding actions on Thursday, including requests to release new grant solicitations for maternal behavioral health for ages 0–5, K–12 youth advocacy, and immigrant and refugee advocacy, and it approved Orange County’s large ‘Pivot’ innovation project to prepare for Proposition 1 implementation. The commission postponed a separate $4 million contract for the statewide MHSSA evaluation until January.

Why it matters: The awards and solicitations will direct millions to local community-based organizations, county programs and a multi‑year county innovation project intended to prepare services and administrative systems for the state’s behavioral health transformation under Proposition 1.

What the commission approved and what was deferred

Votes at a glance - Approval: Release an RFP to award $21,000,000 in Mental Health Wellness Act funds for a maternal behavioral health and 0–5 initiative. The solicitation will fund a landscape analysis, evaluation and technical assistance plus CBO‑led partnership grants sized by county (large, medium, small). (Motion approved.)

- Approval: Release an RFP for a statewide K–12 advocacy contract worth $2,010,000 (three years, $670,000/year) with subcontracts to regional partners and statewide convenings. (Motion approved.)

- Approval: Release two RFPs totaling $4,020,000 to fund one statewide and multiple local immigrant and refugee advocacy contracts (one statewide award plus seven local CBO contracts). (Motion approved.)

- Approval: Orange County ‘‘Pivot’’ innovation project — a five‑year planning and implementation package to prepare the county for BHSA implementation — up to $34,950,000. The project includes five component areas (FSP reboot, integrated complex care management for older adults, CBO capacity-building for specialty mental health, workforce initiatives, and clinic delivery innovations) and an iterative evaluation plan. (Motion approved.)

- Deferred: The commission heard and revised a draft biennial progress report on the Mental Health Student Services Act (MHSSA). Commissioners and staff agreed to table both the report approval and the proposed $4,000,000 Phase‑2 evaluation contract with WestEd until the January meeting to allow additional commissioner input and refinements to the scope and performance metrics. (Motion to pull both items: adopted.)

- Consent calendar (approved, with one item removed): The commission approved multiple innovation items on the consent calendar and removed one reallocation (an EMPATH-related reallocation) for separate discussion at a future meeting. The consent calendar package as presented included innovation spending requests from multiple counties and approvals for county participation in a multi‑county psychiatric advance directive project. (Motion approved after public comment and roll-call.)

How commissioners framed the decisions Commissioners emphasized the need for clear performance metrics and community engagement in evaluation contracts, particularly the WestEd MHSSA evaluation. Several commissioners asked staff to build deliverables and performance milestones into evaluation contracts rather than paying the full amount up front.

Budget and timing notes - The maternal/0–5 RFP total: $21,000,000 (funding and technical assistance). - K–12 advocacy RFP total: $2,010,000 (three years). - Immigrant and refugee advocacy RFPs total: $4,020,000. - Orange County Pivot innovation request: $34,950,000 over five years. - The WestEd Phase‑2 evaluation contract for MHSSA, proposed at $4,000,000, was tabled; staff will return with refinements and incorporate commissioner input on scope and performance measures at the January meeting.

Process and next steps Staff will publish the RFPs and return to the commission with final contract language, performance milestones, and a timeline for award and monitoring. Counties and community organizations invited to bid will be able to submit proposals per the stated solicitations. The commission also asked staff to work with interested commissioners to refine evaluation metrics and contract language before encumbering funds.

Ending Commissioners and staff stressed they will continue community engagement and return in January with tightened contract deliverables and additional detail as requested. The public record for each approved action is included in the meeting materials and the meeting transcript.