Opportunity Overview
The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) has issued MH263038 – LGBTQIA+ Youth and Young Adult Crisis Line, cross-referenced in the New York State Contract Reporter as CR 2138598, a statewide grant procurement to secure a dedicated 24/7/365 crisis line for LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults. The selected organization must already operate an established LGBTQIA+ crisis service using call, chat, and text and must create a distinct New York State routing experience, New York-focused referrals, reporting, outreach, and coordination with the statewide crisis-response system.
Funding and Contract Term
OMH will make one award of $1.8 million for the first fiscal year. That first-year amount includes a one-time $600,000 training investment for specialized training of New York State 988 crisis counselors. Funding is then $1.2 million annually for the following four years, producing a five-year applicant-relevant total of $6.6 million, subject to the grant contract and State funding. The contract term is five years.
No mandatory applicant match or cost-share requirement is identified in the controlling RFP.
Deadline and Procurement Schedule
The RFP was released September 10, 2026. A bidder conference is scheduled for September 24, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM; the RFP does not separately state a time zone for the conference. Questions are due October 1, 2026, OMH expects to post questions and answers on October 22, 2026, and proposals are due through the Statewide Financial System by November 12, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST. Anticipated award notification is December 17, 2026, with an anticipated contract start date of July 1, 2027.
Who Can Apply
Eligible applicants are 501(c)(3) not-for-profit agencies that operate an LGBTQIA+ hotline with 24/7/365 availability covering all 50 states and territories. Not-for-profit applicants must be registered and prequalified in the New York Statewide Financial System (SFS) by the proposal deadline. The RFP states that applicants failing the eligibility or prequalification requirements will be disqualified.
Program Requirements
The successful provider must provide immediate, confidential crisis support by call, chat, and text; culturally responsive and affirming crisis intervention; safety assessment and planning; referrals and follow-up; New York-specific routing and resource connections; and reporting on New York contacts and outcomes. The training component serves approximately 600 employed and volunteer crisis counselors across New York’s fourteen 988 Contact Centers, plus future counselors through asynchronous learning modules.
The technology rules are unusually specific. The provider may not use automated answering services, cellular telephones for incoming calls, automated attendants or telephonic systems, artificial-intelligence services, or interactive voice response messages for incoming communications. The provider should maintain a secure database that protects caller information and tracks call data, quality metrics, resources, scheduling, and workflow.
Budget and Allowability Controls
The proposal must include a five-year budget. The indirect cost/administrative overhead rate is capped at 15%. Federal Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreements are not allowable. Travel costs must conform to New York State reimbursement rates. Providers must follow Consolidated Fiscal Report Ratio-Value guidance, which excludes equipment/property from the direct cost base used for that calculation.
Submission Package
Applications must be submitted through SFS. Mailed, delivered, or emailed proposals are not accepted. Applicants must use the official proposal template. The proposal template and supporting attachments, other than the budget, must be combined into one continuous PDF and uploaded under SFS Q1. The budget must remain in Excel format and be uploaded under Q2. The applicant checklist also requires proof of notification to the applicable Local Government Unit, a completed Provider Contact form, the Sexual Harassment Prevention Certification, and the Gender-Based Violence and the Workplace Certification. A workplan is not required at application stage.
Official Contact and Amendments
The designated issuing officer is Jeremy Rossello, New York State Office of Mental Health, Contracts and Claims, 44 Holland Avenue, 7th Floor, Albany, NY 12229. Procurement questions must be sent to OMHLocalProcurement@omh.ny.gov by the questions deadline using the opportunity title in the subject line. OMH states that any addendum will be posted on the OMH procurement website and the New York State Contract Reporter, and applicants are responsible for monitoring both sources.
Atlas Fit Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 98/100. This is a newly released, high-value statewide behavioral-health procurement with unusually narrow but verifiable prime-applicant eligibility and a clear five-year operating model.
N9+ Fit Score: 0/100. The Nonagon N9+ remote physical examination platform is not a legitimate fit for this crisis-line procurement. The funded service is crisis counseling, routing, training, data, and coordination, and the RFP specifically restricts technologies used for incoming communications. Atlas should not force N9+ into this opportunity.
QC Healthcare Fit: 0/100 as direct applicant. The prime must already operate the required nationwide LGBTQIA+ crisis hotline. Dr. Miltie, LLC and QC Healthcare should not be presented as direct applicants absent independently verified evidence that they meet that controlling threshold.
Next Action
Potential applicants should first confirm the all-50-states-and-territories operating requirement, current SFS prequalification, and their ability to implement New York-specific routing, data, training, and coordination. They should then attend the bidder conference, submit any eligibility or program questions by October 1, monitor OMH and the Contract Reporter for addenda, complete the required SFS forms and attachments, and submit the full package by November 12, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST.
Official source: New York State Office of Mental Health – MH263038.