Fifth Cohort Mental Health Outcomes Financing Accelerator- Apply Now

Application Deadline: October 2, 2026

Applications are now open for the Fifth Cohort of the Mental Health Outcomes Financing Accelerator, an opportunity for organizations and consortia developing innovative ways to improve mental health outcomes through outcomes-based financing.

The Accelerator is particularly interested in initiatives that address the mental health needs of young people and connect funding to measurable results. This makes the opportunity especially relevant for nonprofits, social enterprises, impact investors, governments, and other organizations working to strengthen mental health systems.

For organizations in Africa and other eligible low- and middle-income settings, the opportunity could provide more than financial support. Selected initiatives can receive technical assistance, expert guidance, networking opportunities and support to develop financing models that can potentially move beyond short-term grants toward sustainable investment.

The Expression of Interest (EOI) deadline is October 2, 2026, so organizations interested in applying should begin developing their concepts early.

About the Mental Health Outcomes Financing Accelerator

The Outcomes Accelerator was established to help address barriers that prevent promising outcomes-based financing projects from moving from ideas and pilots to implementation and scale.

For its fifth cohort, the program is focused specifically on mental health outcomes, with a strong emphasis on young people. The organizers highlight the importance of early intervention because many mental health conditions emerge before adulthood and young people can face significant barriers to timely, trusted and culturally appropriate support.

The Accelerator uses outcomes-based financing (OBF) approaches, where financing is linked to defined and measurable results. Rather than simply funding activities, an OBF model can help align funders, service providers, governments and other stakeholders around the outcomes an intervention is expected to achieve.

The fifth cohort welcomes projects at different stages, from early concepts and feasibility studies to initiatives approaching launch or scale. Projects should demonstrate how mental health or psychosocial outcomes will be clearly defined and measured.

What kinds of projects are being prioritized?

The Accelerator is looking for innovative initiatives that can strengthen mental health systems and improve measurable outcomes. Examples include:

Community-based mental health and prevention programs
Youth mental health and psychosocial support
Suicide prevention and crisis-response initiatives
Mental health services integrated into schools or primary healthcare
Gender-responsive mental health programs
Mental health support in fragile or conflict-affected settings
Mental health initiatives connected to employment, skills and livelihoods
Technology-enabled mental health support
Programs that strengthen community resilience and social connection

Youth-focused projects serving people approximately 10–25 years old will receive particular attention.

Benefits of the Outcomes Accelerator

Selected projects can potentially access several forms of support designed to help move an initiative toward implementation and scale.

Key benefits include:

Seed funding to support project design and launch.
Technical assistance and expert mentoring to strengthen project development.
Access to a global network of experts working in outcomes-based financing.
Matchmaking with outcome funders and strategic partners.
Support for developing or strengthening an outcomes-based financing model.
Opportunities to generate evidence that can support future investment.
Potential pathways toward government adoption, integration and co-financing.
Support for projects at both early and more advanced stages.

The current guidance provides indicative funding levels depending on the type of support required. These include up to US$60,000–100,000 for scoping studies, up to US$300,000 for early-stage design, and up to US$200,000 for late-stage design or scale-up work. These figures are indicative rather than a guaranteed grant amount.

Who Can Apply?

The fifth cohort accepts applications from individual organizations and consortia.

Eligible applicant categories include:

Outcome funding organizations, including multilateral and bilateral funders, philanthropic organizations, corporations and governments.
Service delivery organizations, including nonprofit and for-profit organizations implementing outcomes-focused programs.
Market support providers, such as intermediaries, advisory firms, deal developers and research organizations.
Impact investors, including investment funds, development finance institutions, foundations and providers of risk or working capital.

Projects must be delivered in, or benefit, countries and territories eligible for official development assistance under the OECD-DAC framework. Priority will be given to settings with significant unmet mental health needs, limited community-based services and strong potential for government partnership.

What Makes a Strong Project?

Simply working in mental health is not enough. Applicants need to demonstrate a genuine outcomes-based financing component and clearly measurable mental health outcomes.

Projects should also show how they can:

Address a clearly defined mental health challenge.
Connect activities to measurable outcomes through a credible theory of change.
Demonstrate why outcomes-based financing is appropriate.
Engage young people and communities in program design and delivery.
Build partnerships with governments or relevant system actors.
Develop a pathway toward sustainable financing.
Generate evidence that can inform wider adoption and scale.

Projects primarily focused on specialized institutional care without prevention or system integration, as well as proposals relying mainly on pharmaceutical or medicalized approaches, are outside the stated scope.

Application Process and Key Dates

The application process has two stages.

Step 1: Expression of Interest

Applicants first submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). The EOI covers eligibility, organizational information, the project concept and general funding requirements.

Step 2: Full Proposal

Applicants that successfully pass the EOI stage will be invited to submit a more detailed full proposal. This stage requires additional information about stakeholder support, project activities, risks, staffing and the proposed budget.

Important dates:

EOI submission window: August 20 – October 2, 2026
EOI deadline: October 2, 2026
Full proposal window: November – December 2026
Due diligence and contracting: February – April 2027

Why You Should Apply

This opportunity stands out because it goes beyond conventional project funding. It is designed to help organizations think about how mental health interventions can be financed sustainably and linked to demonstrable results.

For African nonprofits and social-impact organizations, this approach can be particularly valuable. Many organizations deliver important programs but face difficulties securing long-term funding. Developing a credible outcomes-based financing model could help demonstrate value to governments, funders and investors.

The Accelerator also places considerable emphasis on stakeholder support, government engagement, sustainability and scalability. Its assessment framework allocates points for potential impact and additionality, stakeholder support and likelihood of launch, organizational capacity, and innovation and scalability.

Practical Application Tips

1. Define the problem with evidence.
Avoid broad statements about mental health. Clearly identify the population, geographic area, service gap and problem your project intends to address.

2. Make the outcomes measurable.
Explain exactly what improvement you expect to see and how it will be measured. Mental health or psychosocial outcomes should be central to your theory of change.

3. Explain why OBF makes sense.
Do not simply describe your program. Show why linking financing to outcomes could improve accountability, sustainability, efficiency or investment.

4. Build partnerships early.
Government agencies, schools, healthcare providers, funders and community organizations can strengthen your proposal. Evidence of stakeholder commitment, such as partnerships or letters of support, can be particularly valuable.

5. Think beyond the pilot.
Explain how the project could eventually be integrated into public systems, replicated in other locations or supported through longer-term financing.

6. Demonstrate delivery capacity.
Highlight relevant experience, technical expertise, previous results, team capabilities and clearly defined roles among consortium members.

7. Prepare your evidence before submitting.
Gather program data, monitoring results, beneficiary feedback, previous evaluation findings, partnership documentation and relevant financial information early.

Conclusion

The Mental Health Outcomes Financing Accelerator 2026 offers a valuable opportunity for organizations developing innovative, measurable and sustainable approaches to mental health—particularly initiatives supporting young people.

With applications closing on October 2, 2026, interested organizations should avoid waiting until the final days. Start by reviewing the eligibility criteria, defining your measurable outcomes, identifying potential partners and developing a clear explanation of why outcomes-based financing is appropriate for your project.

If your organization is working to improve youth mental health and has a strong idea for connecting measurable outcomes with sustainable financing, this could be an opportunity worth exploring.

For more information and to apply, CLICK HERE

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