Project Purpose

Funding effective, primary prevention programs in local communities throughout Montana and enhancing communities' capacity to prevent child abuse and neglect by allocating CTF funds annually for primary and secondary child abuse and neglect prevention programs to community-based organizations. This is done by promoting family engagement, resilience, and protective factors through inclusive, community-based events during April’s Strengthening Families Month. Activities will foster positive parent-child interactions, connect families to local resources, and celebrate the importance of strong family relationships. 

Objectives 

1. Increase Family Engagement:   Host events that encourage families to spend quality time together in a safe, welcoming environment. 
2. Promote Protective Factors:   Incorporate activities that build parental resilience, social connections, and knowledge of child development. 
3. Raise Awareness:   Highlight Strengthening Families Month and share information about local resources and supports. 

Deliverables 

• Event(s):   Organize 1–2 family-friendly events during April (e.g., family game night, community picnic, cultural celebration, resource fair). 
• Outreach Materials:   Develop and distribute flyers, social media posts, and/or newsletters promoting the event and Strengthening Families Month. 
• Resource Sharing:   Provide families with information on local programs and services that support child and family well-being. 

Reporting Requirements 

• Attendance data, including approximate numbers and participant demographics
• Participant feedback, such as photos or testimonials
• A summary of activities and key outcomes 

PRTF Capacity Grant Program 

Application Criteria 

PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION IN YOUR APPLICATION. 

Youth behavioral health providers requesting funding must meet all threshold eligibility criteria in order to receive funding. Failure to meet any criteria will result in a denial of their application.  

This grant opportunity is a direct result of funding provided in Montana House Bill 2 by the 2025 Legislature and signed by Governor Gianforte. The primary goal of the funding is to increase the state's existing Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) Bed Capacity to serve Montana’s youngest and highest need youth.  

Program Description and Purpose 

Since Fiscal Year 2023, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) has experienced an uptick in cases of high acuity youth with co-occurring diagnoses requiring mental health care who are denied services in-state, leading to an increased reliance on out-of-state mental health facilities. Out-of-state (OOS) care separates youth from their families and communities. Studies have shown they are more likely to have better health outcomes close to home. The top reasons for in-state denials are maximum capacity and aggression, according to the 2025 Out-of-State Placement Monitoring and Reporting Report generated by DPHHS.  

To reduce OOS reliance, increase Montana’s ability to care for these young people, and eliminate the number of youths in an acute care facility longer than necessary, DPHHS aims to add at least 20 new Montana Medicaid and/or Healthy Montana Kids PRTF beds to the children’s mental health care system.  

Through its Children's Mental Health Bureau (CMHB), the Department is offering two-year grants to existing in-state PRTF providers to add at least 10 new Montana Medicaid and/or Healthy Montana Kids beds per provider. New beds may be for PRTF-Assessment and/or PRTF services. Please note that those requesting funds through this project must be licensed PRTFs under the Montana Office of the Inspector General in order to be eligible. The Department is particularly interested in expanding the number of available Montana Medicaid and/or Healthy Montana Kids beds for high-acuity youth who meet a PRTF Grant Clinical and Behavioral profile (described below in the Target Populations section). 

Requesters are required to demonstrate how they will guarantee service to and provide a plan for how they will report the number of youths served who fall within the PRTF Grant Clinical and Behavioral profile. Additionally, they are required to implement a specialized staff training and retention plan and increase family engagement to better meet each youth’s complex care needs. These elements will also help foster longer-term capacity improvements for the target population.  

A total of $1.237 million is available under this grant program. The Department anticipates funding two grants of $618,500 that will be distributed to the first two requesters who meet all non-competitive eligibility criteria.  

Each provider requesting funding under this grant opportunity is limited to one submission for this project and must include all new Montana Medicaid and/or Healthy Montana Kids beds proposed in its application. Retroactive eligibility is permitted for projects that commenced in 2026. 

Providers who are eligible to receive funding may elect to have 60% of funds dispersed up-front, or to have 60% of funds available for reimbursement throughout the contract period. If funds are requested up-front, rather than as reimbursement, requestors must provide relevant backup documentation such as official bids or estimates of construction costs in order to approve the upfront dispersal total.  

If they request reimbursement, requestors must provide relevant backup documentation that includes invoices, bills, or proof of payment, such as copies of checks and purchase orders.  

Remaining funds – regardless of whether the provider chooses upfront or reimbursement for earlier payment – will be distributed once a grantee has maintained a targeted increase in filled Montana Medicaid and/or Healthy Montana Kids beds for 90 days. This target number will be determined by CMHB through data gathered from each grantee’s past Average Daily Census (ADC) and a margin of +/- 3 beds to account for typical daily variations occurring in admissions and discharges. A link to a fillable ADC Table can be found here. Providers must notify and invoice the Department for verification and payment when they believe they have reached the 90-day ADC increase. Beds funded through the Residential Near-Term Initiative #2 will not be included in this count.  

Providers requesting funds must describe and certify that they have a plan in place to fund the entirety of their project costs, in addition to the funding amount requested through this grant opportunity.  

All applications must be submitted via Submittable. Applications will be reviewed and evaluated by DPHHS in the order they are submitted. Approval notices will be sent out to requesters via email and Submittable.      

Target Populations    Please note that DPHHS aims to add new Montana Medicaid and/or Healthy Montana Kids PRTF beds to the children’s mental health care system for youth who meet medical necessity criteria, with an emphasis on expanding the number of these beds for high-acuity youth who fall within the target population as follows (further defined under PRTF Grant Clinical and Behavioral profile):       

Target populations of focus include: 

• Youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED)  
• High-acuity behaviors  
• Aggression (see Eligibility and Application Requirements below) 
• Youth between the ages of 6 and 12 
• Discharging from a prolonged acute psychiatric stay (over 10 days) 

Required Components for Funding Requests

Requesters are required to provide an overview of the project and the number of Montana Medicaid and/or Healthy Montana Kids beds they propose creating under the grant. A minimum of 10 beds is required per requester. It is the Department’s intention to increase capacity by at least 20 beds. However, the Department encourages providers to exceed this baseline to further increase state capacity.

Proposals are required to describe how the additional beds will increase capacity to support youth within the PRTF Grant Clinical and Behavioral profile and provide a plan for reporting the number of youths within this target population they serve.

Requesters must also detail their strategies in the following key areas: family engagement, specialized staff training, and staff retention. Each will be a critical element for the successful management, treatment, and discharge of this population.   

Please include the following with your application:    

1. Overview of the project: Include the number of proposed Montana Medicaid and/or Healthy Montana Kids beds to be added, a description of how the additional beds will increase capacity to support youth within the PRTF Grant Clinical and Behavioral profile, and a plan for how you will report service of the target population to the Department. This reporting should include the specific eligibility category for each youth who falls within in the target population, and their respective admission and discharge dates. 
2. Family Engagement: Family engagement means treating the family as a partner throughout every stage of a child’s care, from the first assessment to the final transition home. It requires a process where the family's voice directly shapes the goals and decisions being made. A successful plan ensures that families are actively supported and equipped with the practical skills they need to support their child long-term. Accordingly, proposals must outline a robust plan to actively incorporate families into this treatment, stabilization, transition planning and aftercare process. 
3. Specialized Staff Training: Proposals must include a comprehensive plan for training for treating the target populations and a staff recruitment and retention plan to effectively and safely serve youth presenting with high acuity, and aggressive behaviors. Submissions should include: 

• Training models to be used 
• Training frequency/length 
• Retention strategies 

    4. A project budget, by cost item, including how the rest of the project will be funded. A budget template can be found here. 

    5. Project expected timeline, by month and task; 

    6. A completed ADC Table. The template can be found here. 

  The ADC fillable tool is intended to assist requesters in estimating their timeline for ADC and final payment. Please ensure that you have filled out the current Medicaid/HMK ADC, the target Medicaid/HMK ADC, the start date of expansion, and the estimated expansion rate (Cells B4 - B7). This information will provide the requesters’ calculated qualification payment date.       

Allowable Uses 

Allowable uses of these funds include:   

1. Construction costs associated with adding the proposed number of beds to a PRTF or PRTF-AS program;  
2. Hiring and training staff necessary to support the additional beds at the PRTF or PRTF-AS program;  
3. Costs associated with implementation of the family engagement plan; 
4. Temporary revenue supplementation to offset low census during the expansion process, if applicable. 

 Revenue supplementation cannot exceed more than 20% of the requested funds in an application. Beds funded through the Residential Near-Term Initiative #2 will not be included in this count. 

Eligibility and Application Requirements  

Providers applying for funds to expand bed capacity in a PRTF or PRTF-AS setting must demonstrate in their application how they: 

1. Serve children with SED (see more on medical necessity criteria below) in a PRTF or PRTF-AS program in Montana;   
2. Operate as existing Montana Medicaid providers;   
3. Must be currently licensed as a PRTF provider through the Montana DPHHS Office of the Inspector General.   
4. Must certify having a Safety and Environmental Plan in place that establishes the necessary staffing levels, trauma-informed physical safeguards, and resources to securely manage the specific behavioral profiles of the youth served.   

Providers must also commit to the following:  

1. All funds must be distributed by June 30, 2028. Proposed project timelines must allow for the required 90-day increase in census prior to final fund distribution.
2. All data reporting required by DPHHS as part of this program will be completed as requested in the format and timeline requested by DPHHS (specified in greater detail below).
3. Current levels of PRTF and PRTF-AS services to Montana Medicaid-enrolled individuals will be increased by the proposed number of beds provided in individual applications.
4. The funded residence must continue to serve Montana Medicaid and/or Healthy Montana Kids members in the funded beds for at least 24 months following project completion; and
5. Ensure compliance with all applicable Montana Medicaid rules and manuals (e.g. Children’s Mental Health Bureau Medicaid Services Provider Manual).      

 PRTF Grant Clinical and Behavioral profile 

Serious Emotional Disturbance and medical necessity criteria for PRTF or PRTF -AS as defined by The Children’s Mental Health Bureau Provider Manual adopted in ARM 37.87.903, and one of the following: 

1. Youth exhibit high acuity behaviors as defined below: 

Youth exhibit persistent, severe behaviors that cannot be safely managed in less restrictive environments.     

Current suicidal ideation with either clear, expressed intentions and/or past history of carrying out such behavior. Child has expressed ambivalence about carrying out the safety plan and/or family’s ability to carry out the safety plan is compromised.     

Indication or report of significant impulsivity and/or physical or sexual aggression, with poor judgment and insight, and that is/are significantly endangering to self or others (property destruction, repetitive fire-setting, or violence toward animals)        

OR Extreme deterioration in interactions with peers, adults and/or family that may include chaotic communication or assaultive behaviors with little or no provocation, minimal control over impulses that may result in abusive behaviors.   

1. If the primary presenting problem is aggressive behavior, the Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS) must be administered with a score of no less than 21 within the last 30 days. 
2. Youth between the ages of 6 and 12    
3. Youth Discharging from a prolonged acute psychiatric stay (over 10 days)     

Reporting Requirements   Providers under this program must commit to regularly sharing the following data and information with the Department through quarterly reports, which are to include:    

1. Number of Montana Medicaid youth and Healthy Montana Kids within the PRTF Grant Clinical and Behavioral profile served, including the specific eligibility category of each youth who meets the profile, and their respective admission and discharge dates;   
2. Project impact, including but not limited to:   

• a. Number of new beds / increased capacity;  
• b. Staff training models provided according to the submitted training plan and number of personnel who have successfully completed each training program.   

3. any additional data or information the Department may request during the grant period.   

 Providers participating in the PRTF Capacity Grant will be required to report quarterly to DPHHS on the three areas noted above. DPHHS will verify that each funded requester maintains current levels of service to Montana Medicaid-enrolled individuals through year-over-year claims data for 24 months post-funding.   

The State reserves the right to reduce the funding amount if there are requested costs that do not qualify based on the application criteria.   

Please find the Scoring Criteria here. 

2025 Tribal Maternal Health Mini Grant applications will be awarded on a “first come, first served” basis. The application deadline is August 1, 2025, at 11:59pm MT. For questions about this application or program, please contact Sarah Buchanan at sarah.buchanan@mt.gov.

Program Description and Purpose 

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often need life-long supports and services to ensure health and safety while also accessing and participating in their local communities. These supports and services are often provided on a day-to-day basis by Direct Support Professionals (DSPs).

There is a significant need and in turn value to investing in DSP workforce stabilization and promoting stronger capacity across the continuum to support people with IDD. Specifically, this initiative calls for piloting a DSP credentialing structure to test best practice approaches to DSP stabilization through career ladders. The DSP Workforce Capacity Grants provide one-time grants to five (1 per DDP region) service providers for, on average, 25 DSPs to become credentialed through the National Alliance for Direct Support Professional platform eBadge Academy, a web-based credentialing platform. The Developmental Disabilities Program (DDP) will pre-purchase access to the credentialing platform on behalf of selected agencies, as well as some technical assistance support from NADSP. Grant funds will cover staff time for DSPs participating in the credentialing program as well as “backfilled” staff to cover the shift time of staff enrolled in the credentialing program; payroll processing, grant reporting and tracking and other administrative costs incurred by selected provider agencies; and one-time incentive bonuses to DSPs once they reach credentialing tiers, as modeled below: 

DSP – I (Tier 1) –$1,000 

DSP – II (Tier 2)  – $1,500 

DSP – III (Tier 3) – $2,000

DSPs enrolled in the NADSP eBadge Academy must complete the following under each tier to be eligible for the one-time bonuses; a DSP may achieve all three Tiers. 

DSP-I 

To earn a DSP – I certification, the DSP must earn 15 total E-Badges, including: 

• The Code of Ethics Commitment E-Badge 
• The 50 hours of Accredited Education E-Badge 
• At least one E-Badge in Crisis Prevention and Intervention 
• At least one E-Badge in Person-Centered Practices 
• At least one E-Badge in Health and Wellness and 
• At least one E-Badge in Safety 

 DSP-II 

To earn DSP – II certification, the DSP must earn 30 total E-Badges, including: 

• The DSP-I E-Badge
• The 100 hours of Accredited Education E-Badge 
• At least one E-Badge in Evaluation and Observation 
• At least E-Badge in Communication 
• At least one E-Badge in Professionalism and Ethics and 
• At least one E-Badge in Community Inclusion and Networking 

DSP-III 

To earn DSP – III certification, the DSP must earn 50 total E-Badges, including: 

• The DSP-II E-Badge 
• At least one E-Badge in Empowerment and Advocacy 
• At least one E-Badge in Community Living Skills and Supports 
• At least one E-Badge in Education, Training, and Self-Development 
• At least one E-Badge in Cultural Competence