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PAC hears IPF planning after 307 applications; staff announces intent to award 13 grantees
Summary
Staff briefed the Program Advisory Committee on round‑one outcomes for the Innovation Partnership Fund—307 applications, 13 intent‑to‑award selections—and outlined a round‑two procurement timeline targeting a February 2027 RFA and May 2027 intent‑to‑award. Staff emphasized county site visits, surveys and key informant interviews to shape solicitations.
The Program Advisory Committee received an in‑depth update on the Innovation Partnership Fund on July agenda item 5. Melissa, a commission staff lead, said the IPF is authorized in statute with a notional $20 million per year and that staff recently announced an intent to award 13 grantees after reviewing 307 applications.
"We are excited that we're able to award the full $20,000,000 and launch our first round of grantees," Melissa said, noting that the commission retained year‑one funds and is now planning round two with a timeline aimed at a February 2027 RFA release and a May 2027 intent‑to‑award. She described an outreach strategy that will include county site visits (planned in August to counties such as Imperial, Humboldt and Fresno), key informant interviews with state and county partners, and grantee and county surveys to inform RFA design.
Staff provided a preliminary analysis of the applicant pool: 62% of proposals targeted the "large" grant category (awards greater than $500,000), while 38% sought smaller grants restricted to community‑based organizations and tribal entities. Melissa told the committee that roughly 93% of applications came from community‑based organizations rather than county behavioral health departments.
On next steps, Melissa said contract execution with the 13 selected grantees is targeted to begin in October, with initial reporting expected in December and quality improvement plans to follow in March. The PAC will compile initial year‑one results into an annual report later in the year.
Commissioners asked about transparency for unsuccessful applicants. Commissioner Baer asked whether there is a public list of unfunded projects or applicant scores; Melissa replied that the commission does not routinely publish a list of unsuccessful applications and that applicants may reapply in round two. Staff said they will consider follow up steps and invited stakeholders to submit requests to the program inbox for additional information.
The committee received the presentation as an informational item; no vote was required.
