Behavioral Health Equity for Every Community

The North Carolina Behavioral Health Initiative (NCBHI) is a grant program that supports practice, systems and policy changes to improve behavioral health outcomes in historically marginalized communities across North Carolina. Community behavioral health is shaped by access to care, social connections, economic conditions, and supportive environments. It emphasizes prevention, healing, and recovery through local resources, culturally-rooted practices, and coordinated efforts across schools, health systems, faith organizations, and neighborhoods. When communities are supported in these ways, people are more likely to thrive together.

The initiative focuses on collaborating with community partners to address the social and environmental conditions that shape health—such as exposure to harmful products like alcohol and tobacco, community cohesion, civic participation, access to affordable housing, access to culturally-responsive care, the neighborhood and built environment and more.

NCBHI invests in community-based teams and their resident partners working to tackle behavioral health challenges at the neighborhood level. Together, we can build healthier communities and expand opportunities for all North Carolinians to thrive.