Youth Activity and Mental Health Grant

The City of Haverhill seeks applicants for the use of grant funds to address the educational, social, physical well-being, substance abuse, and mental health needs of Haverhill's youth.  Eligible applicants for grant funds include Haverhill-based education providers, community-based organizations and non-profits, providers of mental health services, civic groups, and the faith community.

Mayor Barrett has established a budget of $750,000.00 for the Youth Activities and Mental Health Fund (“Fund”), for fiscal year 2025, which includes funds from the City’s cannabis impact fund.  The City now seeks eligible applicants to propose educational options, socialization, enrichment and recreation activities, employment skills training, and other youth development opportunities.  It is the City’s intention that $250,000.00 of the funding be for services that provide direct mental health counseling and services to Haverhill youth.  The City further intends that a portion of the Fund be used for services that address enhanced need for the City’s services in order to offset the impact of cannabis operations in the City, such as a cannabis abuse and intervention program for school age youth grades 5 through 12.  There must be a demonstrable nexus between the actual operations of a cannabis facility in the City and the enhanced need for such services.

Last year, the Fund provided grants to 34 programs. A sample of the applications funded last year included:

• Youth Development:  Academic learning, camperships, violence intervention initiatives, and design thinking.
• Mental Health:  Direct counseling providers.  Counseling youth in areas of self-esteem and personal achievement.
• Career Development:  System-wide career awareness and career development programs, an initiative that connected youth to local companies, city government, and cultural programs.
• Education:  Partnerships between the Haverhill Public Schools and community-based sports programs to link sports with the importance of academic skills development, advancing reading in youth.
• Music & Arts:  Music production, voice training, learning crafts and painting projects tied to downtown beautification and correlated with improved behavioral or mental health outcomes.

You can download the full solicitation, including application guidelines and requirements, here.