Fifth Cohort: Mental Health Outcomes Financing Accelerator

Deadline: 02-Oct-26

Outcomes Accelerator: Funding and Technical Support for Youth Mental Health Projects

The Outcomes Accelerator supports organisations and consortia developing outcomes-based financing (OBF) models that improve mental health outcomes, particularly for young people. Selected initiatives receive flexible funding, technical assistance, and access to a global expert network to help design, test, launch, and scale financing models linked to measurable mental health outcomes.

The fifth cohort prioritises evidence-based, integrated, and community-based mental health interventions, especially those serving young people aged approximately 10 to 25. The programme seeks to mobilise public and private investment, strengthen accountability, and create sustainable pathways for integrating effective mental health services into existing systems.

What Is the Outcomes Accelerator?

The Outcomes Accelerator is an initiative designed to advance outcomes-based financing for mental health. Instead of funding being linked only to activities or services delivered, outcomes-based financing connects financial investment to measurable results.

The Accelerator focuses particularly on mental health because traditional funding models often struggle to provide sufficient resources for prevention, early intervention, and community-based services.

The programme aims to help participating organisations develop financing mechanisms that can:

• Improve measurable mental health and psychosocial outcomes.
• Attract new public and private investment.
• Strengthen accountability for mental health programmes.
• Support evidence-based interventions.
• Improve early intervention for young people.
• Integrate mental health services into schools, workplaces, healthcare systems, and communities.
• Build evidence for sustainable long-term mental health financing.

What Does the Outcomes Accelerator Support?

The fifth cohort is seeking projects that use outcomes-based financing mechanisms to improve mental health outcomes.

Priority is given to proposals that combine financing innovation with practical, evidence-based mental health interventions.

Supported approaches may include:

• Preventive mental health programmes.
• Community-based mental health services.
• Youth mental health and psychosocial support.
• Early intervention programmes.
• Integrated mental health services.
• School-based mental health initiatives.
• Workplace mental health programmes.
• Community-level prevention and support.
• Programmes that involve young people in design and governance.
• Financing models that connect payments or investment to measurable outcomes.

Projects should make mental health or psychosocial outcomes a core component of the financing model, rather than treating mental health as a secondary benefit.

Why Is Youth Mental Health a Priority?

Young people are a particular focus of the fifth cohort because early intervention can help prevent mental health problems from becoming more severe later in life.

The Accelerator encourages projects targeting people approximately 10 to 25 years old.

Youth-focused proposals may be particularly relevant when they:

• Provide preventive mental health support.
• Address psychosocial needs before crisis occurs.
• Reduce risks associated with self-harm and suicide.
• Improve access to community-based services.
• Integrate support into schools or workplaces.
• Involve young people in programme design.
• Include youth participation in governance and decision-making.
• Adapt interventions to local cultural and social contexts.

Projects should demonstrate how young people will benefit from the proposed intervention and how outcomes will be measured.

What Is Outcomes-Based Financing?

Outcomes-based financing (OBF) is a funding approach in which financial resources are connected to predefined and measurable results.

In a conventional funding model, an organisation may receive funding to deliver a specific number of activities or services. Under an OBF model, funding arrangements can instead place greater emphasis on whether those activities produce agreed outcomes.

For mental health programmes, potential outcomes could include improvements in access, wellbeing, engagement, prevention, or other measurable indicators appropriate to the intervention.

The Outcomes Accelerator helps organisations develop and test these types of financing mechanisms so that successful models can potentially attract larger-scale investment and become integrated into public systems.

Who Is Eligible?

The Outcomes Accelerator is open to different types of organisations and consortia that can contribute to the development and implementation of outcomes-based financing models.

Eligible applicant categories include:

• Outcome funding organisations: Multilateral organisations, bilateral organisations, philanthropic organisations, corporations, and government entities that can provide or mobilise outcome-based funding.
• Service delivery organisations: Non-profit and for-profit organisations that deliver mental health or related services.
• Market support providers: Deal developers, intermediaries, advisory firms, research organisations, and other entities that can support the development of financing mechanisms.
• Impact investors: Impact investment funds, development finance institutions, foundations, institutional investors, and organisations providing risk or working capital.
• Consortia: Collaborations between organisations with complementary expertise may apply where the partnership strengthens the proposed financing model.

Applicants should demonstrate the ability to collaborate across financing, service delivery, research, investment, or technical areas relevant to outcomes-based mental health financing.

What Types of Projects Are Prioritised?

The strongest proposals are expected to combine measurable mental health outcomes, evidence-based interventions, and innovative financing.

Priority may be given to projects that:

• Focus on youth mental health.
• Target people approximately 10–25 years old.
• Use evidence-based interventions.
• Deliver services at community level.
• Include preventive or early-intervention approaches.
• Integrate mental health into existing systems.
• Establish clear and measurable outcomes.
• Have potential to attract public or private capital.
• Include youth in programme design or governance.
• Demonstrate cultural relevance and community trust.
• Have a credible pathway toward scale.
• Could potentially be integrated into government systems.

What Support Does the Accelerator Provide?

Selected initiatives receive a combination of financial support and technical assistance.

Support is designed to help applicants move from an early financing concept toward implementation and scale.

Key forms of support include:

• Flexible funding.
• Technical assistance.
• Business and financing model development.
• Expert guidance on outcomes-based financing.
• Access to a global network of specialists.
• Support for testing and launching OBF models.
• Assistance with scaling successful approaches.
• Opportunities to connect with potential public and private capital.
• Support for developing pathways toward government integration.
• Contribution to the evidence base for sustainable mental health financing.

The Accelerator is therefore not simply a conventional grant programme. It is designed to help organisations develop and operationalise sustainable financing mechanisms for mental health outcomes.

How Does the Outcomes Accelerator Work?

Selected projects can progress through a structured process designed to strengthen their financing model and implementation readiness.

1. Identify the Mental Health Challenge

Applicants should clearly define the mental health problem they want to address.

For youth-focused projects, this could involve challenges related to prevention, early intervention, access to psychosocial support, or community-based services.

2. Define the Target Population

Applicants should clearly identify who will benefit from the intervention.

For the fifth cohort, young people aged approximately 10–25 are a priority population.

3. Select an Evidence-Based Intervention

The proposed intervention should have a credible evidence base or a strong rationale for achieving the intended mental health outcomes.

4. Define Measurable Outcomes

Applicants should establish clear mental health or psychosocial outcomes that can be measured.

These outcomes should be directly connected to the proposed intervention and financing structure.

5. Develop the Financing Model

The project should explain how outcomes-based financing will be used to connect investment with measurable results.

This may involve outcome funders, service providers, investors, intermediaries, or other partners.

6. Test and Implement the Model

Selected teams receive technical assistance and other support to develop and test their proposed financing mechanisms.

7. Prepare for Scale

The Accelerator aims to help successful models move beyond pilots by identifying opportunities to attract additional capital and integrate effective approaches into existing systems.

Key Requirements for a Strong Application

A competitive proposal should clearly explain the relationship between the mental health problem, intervention, measurable outcomes, and financing mechanism.

Applicants should consider demonstrating:

• A clearly defined mental health challenge.
• A specific target population.
• Strong evidence supporting the proposed intervention.
• Clearly defined mental health or psychosocial outcomes.
• A credible outcomes-based financing structure.
• Appropriate roles for funders, service providers, investors, and technical partners.
• A realistic implementation strategy.
• A pathway toward scale.
• Potential for government adoption or integration.
• Meaningful youth participation where young people are the target population.
• Cultural relevance and community engagement.
• A plan for collecting and evaluating outcome data.

Why It Matters

Mental health programmes often face challenges related to fragmented funding, limited accountability for long-term outcomes, and insufficient investment in prevention.

The Outcomes Accelerator seeks to address these challenges by connecting financing with measurable results.

Its focus on young people is particularly important because early and preventive support can reduce the likelihood that mental health challenges develop into more severe crises.

The programme can also help demonstrate how innovative financing can bring together governments, philanthropic funders, investors, service providers, and communities around shared mental health objectives.

Successful models could potentially provide a pathway for governments and other funders to invest in interventions based on demonstrated outcomes rather than relying exclusively on traditional funding approaches.

What Should Applicants Consider Before Applying?

Applicants should ensure that their proposal is genuinely suited to an outcomes-based financing model.

Before applying, organisations should consider:

• What specific mental health problem is being addressed?
• Who is the target population?
• What measurable outcomes will demonstrate success?
• How will those outcomes be independently or credibly assessed?
• What evidence supports the intervention?
• Who will provide the services?
• Who could fund or invest in achieving the outcomes?
• What role will government play?
• How will young people participate in programme design and governance?
• How can the model be scaled if the initial implementation is successful?

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid presenting a conventional mental health project without explaining how outcomes-based financing will be central to the model.

Common weaknesses may include:

• Failing to define measurable mental health outcomes.
• Treating OBF as an additional funding source rather than a core financing mechanism.
• Providing insufficient evidence for the proposed intervention.
• Focusing on activities instead of outcomes.
• Failing to explain the roles of investors, funders, and service providers.
• Providing no credible pathway to scale.
• Excluding young people from programme design when youth are the target population.
• Overlooking cultural relevance and community trust.
• Proposing outcomes that cannot realistically be measured.
• Failing to demonstrate how the model could connect with existing public systems.

How to Prepare a Strong Proposal

Applicants can strengthen their proposal by following a clear structure:

1. Define the problem: Explain the specific mental health challenge and why it requires intervention.
2. Identify beneficiaries: Clearly describe the population that will benefit, particularly young people where relevant.
3. Describe the intervention: Explain what services or activities will be delivered.
4. Present the evidence: Demonstrate why the intervention is likely to produce the desired results.
5. Define outcomes: Identify measurable mental health or psychosocial indicators.
6. Explain the financing mechanism: Clearly show how funding or investment will be connected to outcomes.
7. Identify partners: Explain the roles of service providers, funders, investors, government bodies, and technical organisations.
8. Explain measurement: Describe how outcomes will be monitored and evaluated.
9. Demonstrate scalability: Explain how the model could attract additional investment or become part of existing systems.
10. Show community relevance: Demonstrate how the project will respond to local needs and involve affected communities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Outcomes Accelerator?

The Outcomes Accelerator is a programme that supports organisations and consortia developing outcomes-based financing models for mental health. It provides flexible funding, technical assistance, and access to experts to help teams develop, test, and scale their models.

Who is the main target of the fifth cohort?

The fifth cohort places particular emphasis on youth mental health, with a preference for projects serving young people approximately 10–25 years old. Projects should address prevention, early intervention, or community-based mental health needs.

What is outcomes-based financing?

Outcomes-based financing connects financial investment to predefined and measurable results. In mental health, this means financing arrangements can be designed around achieving specific mental health or psychosocial outcomes rather than focusing only on the delivery of activities.

Can for-profit organisations apply?

Yes. Eligible participants can include for-profit service delivery organisations, impact investors, advisory firms, intermediaries, and other market support providers, alongside non-profit organisations and public or philanthropic entities.

Can organisations apply as a consortium?

Yes. Consortia can bring together complementary expertise from outcome funders, service providers, investors, research organisations, intermediaries, and other relevant partners.

What types of mental health interventions are encouraged?

The programme encourages evidence-based, integrated, and community-based approaches, including preventive interventions, early support, school- or workplace-based services, and programmes integrated into existing systems.

What is the long-term goal of the Accelerator?

The long-term goal is to demonstrate sustainable ways of financing mental health services by linking investment to measurable outcomes. The programme seeks to attract public and private capital, support government integration, scale effective interventions, and strengthen the evidence base for sustainable mental health financing.

Conclusion

The Outcomes Accelerator provides an opportunity for organisations, investors, funders, service providers, and other partners to develop innovative financing models for better mental health outcomes. Its fifth cohort places particular emphasis on young people, prevention, early intervention, community-based care, measurable outcomes, and scalable financing mechanisms.

Applicants with a strong mental health intervention and a credible outcomes-based financing model can use the programme’s funding, technical expertise, and global network to move from concept or pilot stage toward implementation and scale. The strongest proposals will clearly connect the mental health challenge, evidence-based solution, measurable outcomes, financing structure, and long-term pathway to sustainability.

For more information, visit Outcomes Accelerator.