Request for Proposals: Mental Health in California

Summary

The California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) is an independent, nonprofit philanthropy that works to improve the health care system so that all Californians have the care they need. We focus especially on making sure the system works for Californians with low incomes and for communities who have traditionally faced the greatest barriers to care. We partner with leaders across the health care safety net to ensure they have the data and resources to make care more just and to drive improvement in a complex system. For more information, visit www.chcf.org.

CHCF is seeking to identify a grantee or grantees to update our Mental Health in California report, which provides an overview of mental health statewide: mental illness prevalence, suicide rates, supply and use of treatment providers, spending, quality and outcome measures, and mental health services in the criminal justice system.

Background

The California Health Care Almanac (Almanac) provides objective information on health care costs, coverage, and delivery system that supports thoughtful planning and effective decisionmaking. The Almanac is a comprehensive online clearinghouse for data and analysis on California’s health care system.

Mental illnesses are among the most common health conditions faced by Californians According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 2022 and 2023 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, 6.3 million, or 20%, of adults in California reported having a mental illness.

California’s mental health system is in a period of rapid change. These changes include federal and state mandates for parity in coverage of mental and physical illness, expansion of Medi-Cal mental health services as a result of federal waiver approvals, state investments in health care and housing programs focused on people with serious mental illness and investments in children’s mental health. At the same time, many Californians fail to get needed mental health care. Access to accurate data on the supply, utilization and financing of California’s mental health services is important to ensure informed decision making by health plan administrators, county behavioral health administrators, policymakers, and other health care leaders.

Project Description

Mental Health in California should include, at a minimum, the following topics.

• Prevalence. Review and analysis of the prevalence of mental health disorders and diagnoses.

• Delivery Systems. Analysis of how the mental health systems are organized in California, including data on workforce.

• Spending, Utilization and Financing. Review and analysis of available data on spending on mental health services, how the services are utilized and who pays for them. 
• Quality. Review and analysis of quality and outcome measures used for mental health services and how California performs on those measures.

Where data allow, a comparison of California data to national averages, and regional and demographic differences within California should be explored. In addition, the publication should include a review of major developments affecting California mental health services, including changes to the Medi-Cal program and financing of services.

The intended audience for the report includes California policymakers, mental health administrators and providers, leaders of health care provider organizations, advocates, researchers, and the media.

The contractor selected under this RFP will be required to research and develop a “snapshot” report. The report is intended to be data-intensive and should be weighted towards charts, tables, and graphics. (Please click on the link below for sample charts used in the Almanac.) The final report shall be completely and correctly annotated. All fact-checking of data shall be the responsibility of the contractor. CHCF will oversee the production and dissemination of final research and any resulting publicity.  The contractor should anticipate several rounds of feedback from the program officer and CHCF’s editor and designer; this feedback will depend on the completeness, accuracy, and quality of the work product submitted to CHCF. Please see the  CHCF Almanac Style Guide for more information on the foundation’s publication guidelines. A copy of the template used to prepare the previous report will be provided.

Proposed Timeline

*Respondents may propose alternative deadlines to enable use of difficult-to-access data sources.

Proposal Packet

Proposals should include the following materials:

1. Project Cover Sheet. Available at www.chcf.org/grantinfo/solicited. This does not count in the six-page limit.

2. Proposal narrative. The proposal narrative should be no more than six pages, double-spaced, in a 12-point font and should include a brief description of mental health in California and significant challenges and opportunities faced by the delivery system and Californians with mental health needs.

• Description of potential topics to be included in the report, and an outline of how the topics will be organized.

• Description of the data sources that will be used for the report, including prior experience with these data sources.

• A preliminary list of analyses that will be completed for this project, including where national, regional, and/or other comparisons will be made.

• A project work plan and timeline, including a list of anticipated project deliverables and milestones with planned completion dates or date ranges.  Please explain any deviations from proposed deadlines for the draft and final reports.

3. Appendices. Appendices do not count toward the six-page limit.

• Qualifications of the organization and project staff, including prior experience conducting health care-related research projects and data analysis.

• A detailed budget for the project. The budget form, which is not included in the six-page limit, is available at www.chcf.org/grantinfo/solicited. 

Proposals must be delivered using the submission form below, no later 5:00 p.m. on August 8, 2025. If there are technical issues, proposals should be emailed in one PDF file to Diana Banki, program associate.

For More Information

For questions about the project or proposal submission process, contact Robbin Gaines.

1. Appendix:  Sample Template of Snapshot Report

The selected grantee will prepare the draft and final reports using a template provided by the California Health Care Foundation. A sample of the charts used is provided below. 

Submit a Proposal