Opportunity Overview
Newly issued September 3, 2026. The New York State Office of Mental Health is accepting proposals for MH263037, Health-led Community Behavioral Health Crisis Response Pilots — Round 2. The initiative is designed to expand or create health-led crisis response models consistent with the Daniel’s Law Task Force recommendations, reduce unnecessary law-enforcement involvement, integrate people with lived experience, and improve access to timely community-based behavioral-health care.
Budget restriction: The RFP expressly states that grant funds under this appropriation may not support expenses of police law-enforcement agencies. Law enforcement remains a required systems-planning partner where applicable, but applicants should not budget police-agency expenses to this award.
Funding and Deadline
OMH has made $8,000,000 available. The RFP is internally inconsistent on award count: Sections 1.1 and 4 state that the procurement seeks to establish at least four pilot programs, while Section 5.3 states that up to four awards will be made. Funding is capped at $2,000,000 per applicant for three-year pilot operations, contingent on continued State appropriations. At least one pilot must be rural, and multi-county proposals are permitted. Applicants should monitor OMH addenda and the October 29 Q&A for any clarification of the award-count language.
The bidder conference is scheduled for September 28, 2026 at 3:00 PM. The RFP does not state a time zone for the bidder-conference time, so applicants should verify the Webex registration details before relying on a local clock conversion. Questions are due October 8, 2026, OMH expects to post official questions and answers on October 29, 2026, and proposals are due through the New York Statewide Financial System on November 19, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET.
Who Can Apply
Eligible applicants are New York 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and county-run or municipal entities with experience providing behavioral-health services in the community. An eligible lead may apply on behalf of a provider consortium. Nonprofit applicants must complete Statewide Financial System registration and prequalification before submission.
Unless the Local Governmental Unit is itself the applicant, the applicant must notify the applicable LGU and retain proof. Every application must also include the required letter of commitment from the relevant county chief elected official or delegated authority, or the New York City Mayor or delegate where applicable. A missing required commitment letter is disqualifying.
Two Pilot Models
Tier 1 — Alternative Response Pilot: an immediate non-law-enforcement first response, such as fire or EMS dispatched by 911 or another crisis line, with peer specialists integrated into the model and behavioral-health clinicians included directly or made available for assessment and treatment recommendations.
Tier 2 — Behavioral Health Provider Mobile Crisis Pilot: non-law-enforcement two-person mobile teams with at least one behavioral-health clinician and peer specialists. Traditional fire and EMS are not part of the standard Tier 2 response team.
OMH prioritizes the highest-scoring passing rural Tier 1 proposal first; if no passing rural Tier 1 proposal is available, the highest passing rural Tier 2 proposal receives the rural priority. Remaining funds are then awarded through the stated tier sequence.
Services, Telehealth and Technology
Allowable pilot services may include triage and immediate response, mental-health and substance-use assessment, peer and family support, service planning, crisis and safety planning, counseling, and care coordination. Services may be provided in person or through telehealth, including telephonic support, with OMH approval.
The RFP specifically asks applicants to explain how they will supplement crisis response with telehealth to increase access to licensed or credentialed professionals. Pilots are also expected to maintain the information-technology and data infrastructure necessary for self-monitoring and performance reporting. The solicitation does not, however, require connected physical-exam hardware or identify N9+ by name.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 99/100. This is a newly issued, high-value statewide behavioral-health opportunity with a required rural component, 24/7 health-led crisis-response expectations, peer integration, EMS/fire or clinician-led mobile models, 911/988 referral pathways, care coordination, and an explicit telehealth pathway to licensed or credentialed professionals.
N9+ Direct Vendor Fit: 82/100 conditional. The strongest defensible commercial path is a named technology subcontractor or implementation-partner role under an eligible nonprofit, county or municipal prime. Telehealth is expressly contemplated, and the program expects supporting IT/data infrastructure, but the RFP does not specifically require connected remote-exam peripherals. Any N9+ endpoint, platform, implementation, training or support scope should be tied directly to the approved crisis-response workflow and validated against OMH guidance and the October 29 Q&A before final budgeting.
QC Healthcare Fit: 78/100 conditional. Access to licensed or credentialed professionals through telehealth is expressly relevant, but the applicant’s approved crisis-team composition, clinical-governance model, Medicaid and long-term sustainability strategy, and OMH approval remain controlling. QC should be positioned only where an eligible prime can document a compliant clinical-support role.
Immediate Next Step
Qualified applicants should confirm legal and SFS eligibility, select the appropriate Tier 1 or Tier 2 model for each proposed geography, secure the required local-government commitment, design the 24/7 peer-centered response and telehealth clinical-support workflow, review the September 28 bidder conference materials, submit procurement questions by October 8, incorporate the October 29 Q&A and any addenda, and submit the complete proposal by November 19, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET.
Official source: New York State Office of Mental Health — MH263037.