Grants and Contributions:

Up to 15 funded projects develop and adapt population health interventions to promote positive mental health and well-being among children, youth and their caregivers. In the immediate and medium term, projects increase multisectoral engagement and collaboration, strengthen knowledge and skills, and report positive changes in behaviour, protective factors and participant well-being. Over the longer term, most funded projects demonstrate readiness for scale-up to reach more people and contribute to sustained systems change. The program also generates evidence to inform public health policy and practice and supports the broader application of effective approaches across Canada.

The Mental Health Promotion Innovation Fund (MHPIF), which replaced the Innovation Strategy in 2019–20, funds community-based interventions to promote positive mental health among children, youth, their caregivers and communities, while addressing systemic barriers in Canada. Using a multi-phased approach, the program supports the development, testing and delivery of innovative interventions that advance health equity, strengthen protective factors and address underlying determinants of health at the population level. Knowledge generated through evaluation is applied to public health policy and practice to accelerate impact. The program also funds a Knowledge Development and Exchange Hub to support collaboration, share lessons learned, engage stakeholders and apply evidence to broader policy and systems change.