Closed
CIHR Mental Health and Substance Use Responses to COVID-19 Funding
Rapid funding for COVID-19 mental health research
Last Update: April 21, 2026
Funding available
$ 200,000
Timeline
- Receipt of requests is now closed
Location
British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan
Overview
This program provides up to CAD 200,000 per grant for one year to support rapid mental health and substance use research related to COVID-19. It funds projects on service transformation, innovative interventions, and better matching of service access to needs.
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Opportunity Score
Moderate potential, but conditions must align.
At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Develop strategic partnerships
- Conduct research and development activities
- Conduct research or evaluation activities
Eligible Funding
- Maximum amount : 200,000 $
Timeline
- Receipt of requests is now closed
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- Health care and social assistance
Location
- British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan
Legal structures
- All legal structures
Annual revenue
- All revenue ranges
Organisation size
- All organization sizes
Audience
- Indigenous Peoples
- Persons with Disabilities
- Language Minorities
- Newcomers to Canada
- Other Racialized Persons
- Black Canadians
- Rural or Northern Residents
- 2SLGBTQI+
- Canadians
- Youth (<40)
- Startups
- Women
Next Steps
1
Determine your project
2
Validate your eligibility
Activities funded
- Rapid research on COVID-19 mental health and substance use needs.
- Service transformation and implementation science projects.
- Innovation in mental health and substance use service delivery.
- Studies on matching service access to population needs.
- Projects focused on Indigenous, high-risk, or priority populations.
Documents Needed
- Research proposal
- Project summary
- CV for the nominated principal applicant and other listed participants
- Letters of collaboration
- Letters of support from funding partners, if applicable
- Indigenous research statement, if applicable
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- Canadian research institutions
- Independent researchers
- Research teams including knowledge users
- Projects involving Indigenous health research
Eligible expenses
- Knowledge user release time support, up to CAD 50,000 per grant.
- Community engagement and participation costs.
- Culturally appropriate materials and ceremonial items.
- Consultant and contract fees for knowledge translation and communication.
Eligible geographic areas
- Canada
Processing and Agreement
- Applications are first screened for relevance to the program objectives and research themes.
- Non-relevant applications are removed from the competition before peer review.
- Applications are then peer reviewed under CIHR peer review principles.
- Funding decisions are made based on ranking within each research domain and overall balance across the domains.
- Successful applicants are published on the CIHR website.
Additional information
- A linkage tool was available to facilitate collaboration, but it was not mandatory.
- Information submitted through the linkage tool would appear on a public CIHR web page.
- Applications involving Indigenous research must reflect meaningful and culturally safe practices throughout the project.
- Projects using COVID-19 funding must support rapid sharing of research data and open-access publication.
Contacts
Frequently Asked Questions about the CIHR Mental Health and Substance Use Responses to COVID-19 Funding Program
Here are answers to the most common questions about the CIHR Mental Health and Substance Use Responses to COVID-19 Funding. This section explains what the program is, how much funding is available, eligibility requirements, application deadlines, and other important details to help you determine if this grant is right for your business.
What is the CIHR Mental Health and Substance Use Responses to COVID-19 Funding?
This program provides up to CAD 200,000 per grant for one year to support rapid mental health and substance use research related to COVID-19. It funds projects on service transformation, innovative interventions, and better matching of service access to needs.
How much funding can be received?
CIHR Mental Health and Substance Use Responses to COVID-19 Funding Funds up to $200,000 of admissible expenses.
Who is eligible for the CIHR Mental Health and Substance Use Responses to COVID-19 Funding program?
To be eligible for the CIHR Mental Health and Substance Use Responses to COVID-19 Funding program, you must:
Independent researcher lead
Canadian eligible institution
Knowledge user on team
What expenses are eligible under CIHR Mental Health and Substance Use Responses to COVID-19 Funding?
Rapid research on COVID-19 mental health and substance use needs.
Service transformation and implementation science projects.
Innovation in mental health and substance use service delivery.
Studies on matching service access to population needs.
Projects focused on Indigenous, high-risk, or priority populations.
Who can I contact for more information about the CIHR Mental Health and Substance Use Responses to COVID-19 Funding?
You can contact Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) by email at COVID19MH-COVID19SM@cihr-irsc.gc.ca or by phone at none.
Where is the CIHR Mental Health and Substance Use Responses to COVID-19 Funding available?
The CIHR Mental Health and Substance Use Responses to COVID-19 Funding program is available the province of British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan.
Is the CIHR Mental Health and Substance Use Responses to COVID-19 Funding a grant, loan, or tax credit?
CIHR Mental Health and Substance Use Responses to COVID-19 Funding is a Grant and Funding