Community Mental Health Incubator

Every year, over 1.8 million New Yorkers experience mental illness. Yet, for decades, hundreds of thousands of those in need have not been connected to care — sometimes because of gaps in state and federal funding for a particular type of care; sometimes because care is too expensive or geographically inaccessible; and sometimes because of a lack of providers who speak someone’s language or understand their culture.

The Community Mental Health Incubator supports the strategic development of new, innovative solutions to this long-standing problem. Through the Incubator, New York City invests its own tax revenue into novel strategies designed to close gaps in mental healthcare and promote greater mental health equity. Incubator programs receive up to four years of intensive oversight from the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health (OCMH). During this period, OCMH will help the implementing agency to launch or change how they deliver services, enhance existing services, and maximize the reach and impact of new approaches. Programs that show proof of concept and function well will leave the Incubator, transition to full management by the implementing agency, and become a lasting part of how New York City government serves New Yorkers.