JACKSON, Wyo. – The Community Foundation of Jackson Hole recently awarded $1,000,000 in funding to local organizations through a pilot granting program guided by two of the Foundation’s Initiatives – Behavioral Health and Housing Solutions – which are addressing cross-cutting community issues.
“Our goal is for Initiatives’ grants to spark change specific to the behavioral health and housing demands facing our community,” Community Foundation President Laurie Andrews reflected.
This initial granting opportunity was opened in the fall to member organizations of the Teton Behavioral Health Alliance (TBHA), cross-sector housing efforts (nonprofits, private-public partnerships) and housing programs addressing the needs of community members that are disproportionately affected by the lack of safe and affordable housing (rental assistance, housing stipends and transitional housing opportunities).
The following organizations were awarded funding through the Foundation’s Initiatives’ Grants pilot program:
- Behavioral Health Awards
- Community Safety Network
- Gender Spectrum
- Mental Health and Recovery Services of Jackson Hole
- St. John’s Health Foundation
- Teton County Health Department
- Teton Youth and Family Services
“Whether related to upstream prevention, direct service treatment or innovative crisis response, each project aligns with the goal of the behavioral health initiative by addressing the gaps and inequities that exist in the behavioral health care system in Teton County,” Kate Schelbe, Backbone Leader of the Teton Behavioral Health Alliance stated. “Their combined efforts will undoubtedly move the needle to improve community members’ access to care and resources.”
Housing Solutions Awards:
- The Fund for Public Education
- Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust
- Jackson / Teton County Affordable Housing
- One22
- Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Teton Area
- Voices JH
“These awards will support housing projects and programs that advance collaborative housing solutions through innovative private-public partnerships; diverse housing support services, such as rent assistance and targeted outreach to ensure that traditionally marginalized households are registered for upcoming affordable housing opportunities; and assessments of unmet community housing needs including disability-inclusive and accessible housing,” Director of Housing Solutions Wendy Martinez said.
To better understand the scope of community needs within the behavioral health and housing sectors, the Foundation conducted a pilot f the future grants program. The Foundation plans to formally introduce funding opportunities in 2024 for projects in alignment with the strategic direction of the Behavioral Health Initiative and Housing Solutions Initiative.
About the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole:
The Community Foundation of Jackson Hole has a mission of improving lives through philanthropic leadership. This includes acting as a leader, catalyst and resource for our community. We make grants, provide excellent donor services and ensure the sustainability of our philanthropic community. We do these things well because we listen to our community. We are committed to opening our minds to possibility. This has led us to launching three community-wide initiatives that focus on the root causes of community challenges, including Behavioral Health, Housing Solutions and Education and Families. Our team is smart and flexible but that is not as important to us as our desire to create a supportive environment where we can make meaningful change with our nonprofit partners, and in turn, the community at large. We talk things through, and then we innovate and implement them. We believe in connection, collaboration, compassion and curiosity.
