Music and Nature-based Therapy for Brain and Mental Health

 

April 2024
Deadline: July 15, 2024

Overview

TMCity is pleased to announce two new funding opportunities:

  • Music Therapy for Brain and Mental Health

  • Nature-based therapy and Access to Nature and the Outdoors for Brain and Mental Health

We believe that music and nature both hold the power to improve our capacity to deal with stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as to build resilience, foster brain development, and preserve cognitive function. While the scientific evidence for these modalities is strong, too few people are aware of the benefit of these approaches or have access to these types of resources.  

Our goal is to identify high quality and innovative organizations serving their communities by providing opportunities for people to engage in either music therapy or nature-based programming. We are particularly interested in organizations serving the Greater Boston area or Southern California. We are open to organizations serving any population, including but not limited to youth, the elderly, veterans, hospital and hospice patients, etc. Similarly, any area of brain health is welcome as a focus of a proposal, including both neurodegenerative and psychiatric conditions, as well as programs that have a preventative approach for general mental wellbeing. TMCity recently began funding in this space and are actively working to expand our partnerships to include a broader range of organizations. 

Examples of past support include:

  • Surf retreats for veterans suffering from PTSD

  • Outdoor/nature-based programming for disadvantaged youth from urban areas

  • Music therapy retreats for veterans 

  • Trauma-informed yoga classes for youth in the juvenile justice system

Applications Instructions

  • Applicants must be US-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations and must be able to accept TMCity Foundation’s standard grant conditions.

  • Applications should be for a specific program or project, and should include a proposal (5 pages max) and a line-item budget. Please see our grant guidelines for what the proposal should include.

  • TMCity Foundation will award up to 10 grants, totaling up to $250,000. Funds can be combined with other awards to carry out the proposed project or program.

  • Proposals with all related materials should be submitted to info@tmcity.org by July 15, 2024. Any questions related to this opportunity can also be sent to this address. Final decisions will be announced October 15th, 2024. Funding should be for projects or programs that commence after this date, for up to one year. 

Evaluation Criteria

  • Rigor of program/project content

  • Demonstration of population’s need and how they will benefit from the program/project

  • Track record of successful engagement with target population

  • Expertise and capacity of staff

  • Demonstration of impact through evaluation approaches, including quantitative data collection

  • Network of partners and volunteers needed to carry out programming

  • Ability to build upon previous work

  • Adherence to best practices, including trauma-informed programming and diversity of population served

  • Proposed costs

About TMCity

TMCity is a venture-minded family foundation focused on transforming mental and
neurological healthcare by providing catalytic funding for innovative approaches that address today’s mental health needs. With a focus on diversity of data, we make grants and impact investments with the dual goals of advancing our understanding of the brain and creating effective, real-world solutions that support people’s mental health and well-being.