Protection & advocacy for individuals with mntl illness

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded the North Dakota Protection & Advocacy Project $632,033 under the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) program on October 1, 2025.

The PAIMI program (CFDA 93.138) funds protection and advocacy for the rights of adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbance through administrative, legal, and other remedies addressing complaints of abuse, neglect, and rights violations. The award supports these activities across North Dakota for individuals in care or treatment facilities and community settings, including those at risk during admission, transport, or involuntary confinement.

The North Dakota Protection & Advocacy Project serves as the designated protection and advocacy system for individuals with disabilities in North Dakota, based in Bismarck. The organization conducts rights investigations, pursues administrative and legal remedies on behalf of vulnerable populations, and works to enhance independence, productivity, and community integration across multiple disability domains. Period of performance runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2027. Place of performance is Bismarck, North Dakota. This is a formula grant awarded directly by the Center for Mental Health Services to the state-established system as mandated under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000.