Promoting Health Equity: Mental Health of Black Canadians Initiative – Knowledge Mobilization Network

On this page:

• Section 1: Overview
• Section 2: Objectives and principles
• Section 3: Applicant capacity
• Section 4: Funding details and requirements
• Section 5: Eligibility
• Section 6: Other considerations
• Section 7: Contact us
• Section 8: Glossary of terms

Section 1: Overview

The Promoting Health Equity: Mental Health of Black Canadians Fund ("the Fund") supports Black Canadians to develop more culturally responsive knowledge, capacity and programs to address mental health and its determinants for Black Canadians, including a focus on youth and their family and community environments. Projects funded under this Fund will address gaps in current knowledge about the effective, culturally focused approaches and programs for improving mental health, and will increase understanding and help addressing its key social determinants, including but not limited to anti-Black racism, for Black Canadians.

To ensure that evidence and lessons learned are broadly shared, and to strengthen networks within and across Black communities, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)’s implementation stream of the Fund includes a commitment to knowledge mobilization and capacity building. To support these activities, an open solicitation was held to support the development of a national knowledge mobilization network for diverse Black populations in Canada, regarding mental health and its determinants. Specifically, this solicitation aims to facilitate knowledge mobilization and capacity building across all funded projects and with the broader community of Black Canadian practitioners, researchers, organizations and the people they serve.

1.1 Context

Mental health is an important component of Canadians' overall health. In its 2016 Advancing the Mental Health Strategy for Canada: A Framework for Action, the Mental Health Commission of Canada noted that "mental well-being is deeply impacted by social determinants of health, such as precarious housing, poverty, social exclusion, and racism."

In particular, Black Canadians experience significant social and economic challenges that can have negative implications for their mental health. These challenges include experiences of interpersonal, institutional, and systemic anti-Black racism and discrimination which drive socioeconomic and other disadvantages, including barriers to educational attainment, higher levels of poverty and social exclusion, and disproportionate surveillance by and interactions with law enforcement, criminal justice, and child welfare systems; a lack of access to culturally appropriate and culturally competent services; and stigma related to mental health and to accessing support services.

In response, PHAC launched the Promoting Health Equity: Mental Health of Black Canadians Fund, with the aim of supporting more culturally responsive knowledge, capacity, and programs that address mental health and its determinants for Black Canadians, including a focus on youth.

Section 2: Objectives and principles

2.1 Objectives

The objectives of the Knowledge Mobilization Network are to:

• facilitate knowledge synthesis, dissemination, exchange and application by translating knowledge, distributing knowledge products/resources and sharing project learnings in formats appropriate for various target audiences;
• support community-based project capacity through building collaborative relationships among target audiences (i.e. funded project organizations, Black Canadian communities and organizations) to create opportunities to share experiences and lessons learned through various platforms;
• enhance research capacity in the area of mental health and its determinants for Black Canadians; and
• create opportunities for Black communities to sustain momentum from the MHBC Initiative (the “Fund”) beyond the five year funding period.

In order to support these objectives, the Mental Health of Black Canadians Fund will support a national Knowledge Mobilization Network to undertake activities that align with:

• knowledge synthesis - Gathering relevant information on mental health and its determinants for Black Canadians (e.g., reviewing research evidence, publications, expert panels, etc.) and synthesizing this information to meet the needs of various target audience(s).
• knowledge dissemination - Identifying the appropriate audience(s) and tailoring the message and medium to the them;
  • translating knowledge into formats appropriate (e.g., summaries, briefings, educational sessions, etc.) for various audience(s) (e.g., Black Canadian practitioners, researchers, organizations and people they serve ); and
  • transferring or distributing knowledge products/resources (e.g., reports, publications, presentations, etc.) to identified audience(s) through the most appropriate platform(s) (e.g. online platform, social media, etc.).
• knowledge exchange - Facilitating opportunities for knowledge exchange and capacity building among decision-makers (Black Canadian practitioners, researchers, organizations and communities), such as: hosting national and regional knowledge exchange forums/events which bring together target audiences to share and discuss new knowledge/evidence in mental health promotion programming for Black Canadians; and
• facilitating information sharing, collaborative relationships and knowledge mobilization to build community and research capacity to implement promising interventions and best practices through webinars, workshops and other learning platforms.
• ethically sound application of knowledge - Putting knowledge into practice through the application of ethical principles and norms, social values and existing legal frameworks to improve the mental health of Black Canadians, such as using the knowledge produced by funded projects in supporting public health decision making and assisting in the design of mental health policies and programs for Black Canadians.

2.2 Principles

This solicitation is being pursued under the Implementation Stream of the Fund and based on the overall objectives and principles of the Fund. An overarching principle of the fund is addressing anti-Black racism at systemic, institutional, interpersonal or individual levels, and its intersections with other types of social exclusion that affect Black Canadians (e.g., sexism, homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, ableism, class exclusion, etc.). The key principles of the fundintegrate efforts to bring awareness to and reduce anti-Black racism and its consequences in Canada. Applicants must apply and demonstrate all of these Principles to their proposals when submitting a Funding Request Form:

• leadership by Black Canadians: Projects are led by, or developed in close collaboration with, Black Canadian community groups, not-for-profit organizations, and/or researchers that have experience and expertise serving Black Canadian populations. Project leads have a strong understanding of the unique barriers to and social determinants of mental health for Black Canadians, and safe and sensitive approaches for working with these communities. Projects are delivered in, and are of primary benefit to, Black Canadian community members. Projects seek to build capacity in Black communities and foster co-creation and co-delivery by leveraging the cultural wealth of Black communities and organizations in project design and delivery.
• evidence-based: Projects are anchored in meaningful data and evidence that demonstrate the potential of the proposed program to have a positive impact on mental health among Black Canadians.^{Footnote 1} Funding applications must include robust project evaluation and knowledge translation plans to assess the outcomes and impact of planned activities, and contribute to the evidence base about effective interventions and approaches to improve mental health. Partnerships with academics or other researchers are encouraged to support this work when conducted by a community-based organization. Where there is a lack of evidence, projects should seek to contribute to building the evidence base and filling knowledge gaps.
• social determinants of health approach: Projects address one or more social determinants of mental health for Black communities, such as anti-Black racism (internalized, interpersonal, institutional/systemic), education, housing, policing and criminal justice systems, poverty, and/or social exclusion. Projects may be undertaken in a range of settings related to these determinants of mental health for Black communities, including schools and post-secondary institutions, workplaces, community health care settings, community centres, police departments, and detention and correctional institutions.
• health equity lens: Projects integrate a health equity lens throughout their design, implementation and evaluation that considers and addresses unfair and avoidable differences in determinants of health, health outcomes, and reach and impact of interventions for various subgroups with diverse Black Canadian populations, as well as differences with general Canadian population. For example, it recognizes and responds to differences based on sex and gender, sexual orientation, age, ethnic/cultural backgrounds, migration histories, geographic locations, and socioeconomic status.^{Footnote 2}
• cultural competence and safety: Where applicable, projects recognize and challenge unequal power relations between researchers, program providers, and participants by building equitable, two-way relationships characterized by respect, shared responsibility, and cultural exchange. Project participants and target audiences must have their culture, values, and preferences taken into account in the provision of services in order to create safe spaces that facilitate participation and to increase effectiveness of programming.
• partnerships and collaboration: Projects are informed by, and benefit from, in-kind and/or financial support provided by partners from various sectors (e.g., not-for-profit sector, academic/research sector, private sector, organizations within and outside of the health sector, and other levels of government).

Section 3: Applicant capacity

Applicants must demonstrate in their application the following organizational capacities and expertise:

• Black leadership and engagement in the development, design and implementation of the project
• experience working with Black Canadian organizations and communities in a safe and culturally responsive manner
• expertise and experience in knowledge mobilization and effective approaches for reaching diverse audiences, that take into account culturally-informed approaches and considerations, and potential stigma associated with mental illness, Blackness, or other issues
• experience developing and facilitating collaborative networks with representation from diverse sectors (e.g. community-based organizations, academics, government, identity groups facing health and social inequities), and racialized communities, with the goal of translating evidence and knowledge into policy and practice
• experience in applying a social determinants of health approach to mental health for diverse groups of Black Canadians

Section 4: Funding details and requirements

4.1 Funding process

As part of the Implementation Stream, applications submitted under the Knowledge Mobilization Network solicitation must include rigorous plans for evaluation and knowledge translation. Applicants must demonstrate sufficient existing financial and human resource capacity to support the project’s implementation and evaluation.

Funding decisions for this solicitation are based on the results of a competitive proposal assessment process and available funds. Not all eligible applications will be funded.

4.2 Funding amount and duration

Proposed projects must be within funding and duration limits. The maximum funding available is $100,000 per year over two years, to a maximum of $200,000, with the possibility of an additional year of funding. Funding is available to support 1 project at the maximum level.

Section 5: Eligibility

To be eligible for funding, proposed projects must align with the Fund's Objectives and Principles, described above. Applicants must also clearly demonstrate how their funding request meets the following eligibility criteria for recipients and activities.

5.1 Eligible recipients

The following types of applicants are eligible for funding:

• not-for-profit voluntary organizations and corporations
• for-profit organizations (must apply in partnership with a not-for-profit organization)
• unincorporated groups, societies and coalitions
• provincial, territorial, local governments and their agencies
• organizations and institutions supported by provincial and territorial governments (e.g., regional health authorities, post-secondary institutions)

Priority is given to projects and organizations led by and serving Black communities in Canada. In all cases, projects must demonstrate Black leadership and collaboration with community groups, not-for-profit organizations, and/or researchers who serve the needs of Black Canadians.

Only Canadian organizations may apply for funding under this solicitation.

5.2 Eligible activities

All projects must be delivered in, and be of primary benefit to, Black communities and populations in Canada. Activities eligible for funding include:

• developing a knowledge mobilization network to generate and synthesize knowledge and mobilize that knowledge with an aim to understand, and build awareness and capacity to address the issues, barriers, challenges, strengths, and resilience that Black Canadians experience regarding mental health and its determinants.

Proposed project activities must address the following areas of action:

• knowledge synthesis
• knowledge dissemination
• knowledge exchange
• knowledge application

Activities may include, but not are not limited to: providing learning platforms and resources to support knowledge dissemination and exchange, facilitating information sharing and collaborative relationships among target audiences, developing knowledge products, tools and resources, and enhancing research capacity.

5.3 Eligible expenditures

Funding is limited to cash expenses that are pertinent, reasonable and essential to accomplish the objectives of an eligible project. The following expenses are eligible for funding:

• salaries, benefits and consultant fees directly related to the project
• rental of office space, and equipment not normally used in your organization's daily operations
• travel expenses and accommodation for project activities, including participation in project activities, within Canada, which must not exceed the rates permitted for travel on government business
• meetings, events and workshops – expenses associated with meeting space rental, transportation, accommodation, and meals must not exceed the rates permitted for government business
• dissemination, promotion and communications
• insurance (recipients must ensure that any public events funded by the Program are covered by appropriate insurance)
• third-party project evaluation and audit services
• other costs related to the approved project

A detailed budget is required as part of the application process.

No project expenses may be incurred prior to the acceptance of the funding agreement by all parties.

5.4 Ineligible expenditures

The following activities and expenses are not eligible for funding:

• provision of mental health services or clinical treatment for mental illnesses (e.g., psychological counselling)
• provision of services that are the responsibility of other levels of government
• core operating expenses, including those incurred by the organization in its normal or daily conduct of business (e.g., rent)
• capital costs or expenditures (e.g., purchase of land, buildings, vehicles)
• any type of Director's fees for volunteer members of Boards or other governing bodies
• annual general meetings or regular executive board meetings of an organization or association, including related travel
• ongoing production of newsletters, newspapers, magazines, journals, or radio and television broadcasts
• pure research in any discipline (pure research is original investigation undertaken to gain new scientific or technical knowledge and understanding, but without specific applications)
• project-related travel and hospitality expenses that exceed the National Joint Council rates
• unidentified miscellaneous costs
• in-kind expenses

Section 6: Other Considerations

6.1 Official language requirements

The Government of Canada is committed to enhancing the vitality of English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada (Francophones living outside the province of Quebec and Anglophones living in the province of Quebec), supporting and assisting their development, and fostering the full recognition and use of both official languages in Canadian society. Projects must be accessible in one or both official languages depending on the reach and audience. For additional information, consult the Official Languages Act.

6.2 Gender-based analysis requirements

The Government of Canada is committed to Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+). GBA+ is an approach to help reflect on and better understand peoples’ multiple identity factors (e.g., race, gender, sexual orientation), the interactions or intersections amongst these various identity factors and how that may impact their experiences with policies, programs and initiatives. Experiences occur within and interact with connected systems and structures of power, oppression, and privilege (e.g., racism, sexism, heterosexism, and cissexism). The aim of GBA+ is to develop awareness of the differential impacts on diverse and intersecting identities in order to enable the creation of equitable policies, programs and initiatives.

Applicants are expected to demonstrate that the above considerations have been incorporated into their project, using a GBA+ framework or other critical approaches (e.g., Afri-centric perspective, Black feminism) that seek to illustrate how experiences of diverse Black Canadians intersect with locations in other social systems and structures.

6.3 Research ethics approval

All projects that include research or evaluation involving humans must be approved by a research ethics board (REB) that adheres to the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans. In addition, project leads should consult the Tri-Council Policy Statement website before the research portion of the project begins. Projects can submit to Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada’s REB if they are not in a context with existing REB infrastructure. Research is defined as an activity designed to test a hypothesis or answer a specific research question, permit conclusions to be drawn, and extend knowledge through the use of scientific methods and standardized protocols, systematic collection or analysis of data, or other types of inquiry. Evaluation is considered to be a form of research and it is anticipated that all evaluation projects will require ethics approval.

Section 7: Contact Us

For additional information about this funding opportunity, please contact: cgc.solicitations-csc@phac-aspc.gc.ca.

PHAC is under no obligation to enter into a funding agreement as a result of this invitation to submit a Letter of Intention.

PHAC reserves the right to:

• reject any submission received in response to this invitation
• accept any submission in whole or in part
• cancel and/or re-issue this invitation at any time

PHAC will not reimburse an applicant for costs incurred in the preparation or submission of a LOI in response to this invitation.

Section 8: Glossary of terms

Black Canadians

generally includes diverse individuals, populations, and communities in Canada that identify as having African or Caribbean ancestry.

Black leadership

refers to, for the purpose of this funding opportunity, the active and substantial involvement in leading the project of organizations, researchers, and coalitions whose mandate, leadership, and/or priorities include activities specifically designed to serve Black communities and benefit Black Canadians and have demonstrated understanding of the challenges experienced by these communities. Evidence that such organizations are based in, led by, and/or serve Black communities in Canada may include: organizational mission statements, operational plans, and other corporate documents; current and previous project work; and/or substantive senior organizational leadership by Black Canadians (e.g., Board governance, staff leadership).

Gender Based Analysis Plus (GBA+)

is an analytical process and intersectional approach used to reflect on how multiple identity factors of diverse groups of women, men and non-binary people may impact their experiences with policies, programs and initiatives. Experiences occur within and interact with connected systems and structures of power, oppression, and privilege (e.g., racism, sexism, heterosexism, and cissexism), related to the multiple identity factors that make us who we are (e.g., race, gender, sexual orientation, age). The "plus" in GBA+ acknowledges that GBA goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences and considers many other identity factors, like race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical (dis)ability.

Health equity

refers to the absence of unfair/unjust, systematic, and avoidable differences in health status or social determinants of health. A health equity approach seeks to reduce inequalities and to increase access to opportunities and conditions conducive to health for all. Heightened efforts to address the needs of populations that are at higher risk for poor health outcomes can help reduce health inequities between different population groups. For more information refer to the PHAC webpage on social determinants of health and health inequalities.

Knowledge mobilization

includes the synthesis, adaptation, dissemination and active exchange of knowledge.

Mental health

refers to a person's state of psychological, emotional, and social well-being. It is a necessary resource for living a healthy life and a main factor in overall health. It does not mean the same thing as mental illness. However, poor mental health can lead to mental and physical illness. Good/positive mental health allows a person to feel, think, and act in ways that help them enjoy life and cope with its challenges. Mental health can be positively or negatively influenced by factors at the individual, family, community and societal levels, including life experiences, social relationships, physical health, and social determinants of health. For more information on risk and protective factors for mental health refer to PHAC's Positive Mental Health Surveillance Indicator Framework.

Social determinants of health

are the broad range of social, economic and environmental factors that relate to an individual's place in society (such as gender, race, income, education, or employment) and that determine individual and population health. For more information refer to the PHAC webpage on social determinants of health and health inequalities.