More Details About RMC's Behavioral Health Grant Writing Training

​What Makes This Training Different

Most grant trainings focus on writing mechanics. This program focuses on fundability, timing, and sustainability — critical for behavioral health organizations navigating uncertain public funding environments.

Participants work on active grant opportunities, submit applications during the training period, and leave with tools and strategies they can immediately apply.

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Depending on grant availability and geographic eligibility, participants typically submit 2–4 grant applications over the 8-week period.

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What’s Included:​

One-on-One Behavioral Health Grant Coaching

Participants receive 8 hours of private, one-on-one consulting with Shannon Egan, Founder & CEO of Recovery Movement Consulting. These sessions are structured as working sessions, not lectures.​ Each consult focuses on reviewing the grant narratives participants drafted during their weekly homework assignments. The goal is to teach participants how to drive the grant process themselves while receiving real-time expert guidance and corrections along the way.

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During sessions, participants:

• Walk through their current drafts

• Receive direct, practical feedback on what is working and what needs to change

• Learn how to strengthen clarity, alignment, and funder language in real time

• Practice making revisions live, with guidance on how to think through edits independently

• Use AI tools strategically to refine narratives, with prompts reviewed and adjusted together

• Understand why changes are recommended, not just what to change

Sessions also include reviewing past grant denials, specific to the participant’s organization, to identify:

• Common weaknesses in narratives or structure

• Misalignment with funder priorities

• Opportunities to reframe programs or outcomes more competitively

• How to improve resubmissions or future applications

This hands-on approach allows participants to build confidence, sharpen judgment, and develop the critical thinking skills needed to write competitive behavioral health grants long after the training ends.

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12-Month Behavioral Health Grant Calendar

Each participant receives a customized 12-month grant calendar built in Instrumentl, tailored to their organization’s behavioral health services and location. This includes:

• Federal, state, local, and private funders

• Behavioral health–specific opportunities

• Key deadlines, eligibility notes, and funding ranges

• Reporting and stewardship considerations

This calendar helps organizations plan beyond emergency funding cycles and avoid last-minute scrambles.

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Real-Time Grant Identification & Submission

Throughout the training, participants:

• Identify open 2-4 behavioral health grants to work on

• Draft and refine narratives

• Develop budgets, timelines, and attachments

• Submit applications ahead of weekly review sessions

Learning is applied immediately, ensuring stronger retention and higher-quality submissions.

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Weekly Homework & Accountability

Participants are expected to dedicate approximate 1 hour minium per week outside of consult sessions. Assignments include:

• Drafting grant narratives

• Collecting service and outcome data

• Completing applications in grant portals

• Preparing documents for submission

Work is reviewed in advance so sessions focus on refinement, strategy, and funder alignment.

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Behavioral Health Narrative Development

Training includes hands-on support with:

• Organizational and program overviews

• Treatment, recovery, and support service descriptions

• Timelines, logic models, and implementation plans

• Data collection and outcome reporting

• Translating lived experience into funder-appropriate language

Navigating Federal Funding Shutdowns & SAMHSA Impacts

A core component of this training is understanding how federal disruptions affect behavioral health funding. Participants receive insight on:

• How federal shutdowns and delays impact SAMHSA and state pass-through funding

• The trickle-down effects on RCOs, treatment providers, and community programs

• Timing grant submissions during uncertain funding cycles

• Diversifying funding to reduce overreliance on federal sources

• Building resilience through private, corporate, and foundation funding strategies

These lessons are essential for long-term sustainability in behavioral health.

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Grant Portals & Systems Training

Participants receive practical guidance on:

• Navigating federal, state, and private grant portals

• Managing access, passwords, and submission workflows

• Tracking applications, awards, and reporting requirements

• Avoiding common technical and compliance pitfalls

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Ethical & Strategic Use of AI in Grant Writing

Participants learn how to use AI tools responsibly in behavioral health grant writing, including:

• Creating accurate, effective prompts

• Knowing when AI supports drafting — and when it should not be used

• Refining AI output to meet funder expectations

AI is only as effective as the grant writer guiding it. This training ensures participants understand how to think like a behavioral health grant writer first, so technology strengthens proposal quality rather than undermines it.

Who This Training Is For

• Behavioral health nonprofits

• Recovery Community Organizations (RCOs)

• Substance use and mental health service providers

• Housing, reentry, and peer support programs

• Executive Directors and Development staff

• Emerging grant writers focused on behavioral health

Ready to build grant capacity, strengthen your narratives, and submit competitive behavioral health grant applications in real time? This training is designed for organizations that want practical skills, expert guidance, and measurable outcomes — not theory.