UW CoLab for Community & Behavioral Health Policy

What UW CoLab for Community & Behavioral Health Policy does

UW CoLab for Community & Behavioral Health Policy is a university-based think tank and non-profit research organization operating within the University of Washington's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in Seattle. Founded in 2020, the organization advances youth wellness by partnering with local governments, county courts, state agencies, healthcare systems, and community-based organizations to design, evaluate, and scale behavioral health and juvenile justice policy and programs. Its portfolio includes the Youth Wellness Zones place-based initiative, the H-SYNC (Housing Stability for Youth in Courts) program now operating in six Washington counties, the CARE for Kids & Families initiative funded through Washington State legislative proviso, the Wellbeing Approach to Care framework, the Behavioral Health Workforce Collaborative (jointly launched with the UW AIMS Center and the Behavioral Health Institute in 2022), the Evidence-Based Practice Institute (EBPI), the ARC research-use measurement tool, and a library of clinical resources including TeleMental Health Guides and a free Supervision Guide.

CoLab's underlying technology is intentionally non-proprietary: there is no commercial software platform, no AI/ML pipeline, and no app. The product surface is a collection of frameworks, research publications, training programs (e.g., Embedded Clinical Coaching, Family Stabilization and Wellness Skills Program), and direct consulting/assessment services (e.g., the Pierce County Juvenile Justice Assessment, the WA Healthcare Authority adult overdose codesign pilot). Its intellectual property is methodological—particularly its policy codesign approach that combines multi-sector knowledge sharing, community engagement, and evidence synthesis.

CoLab does not sell products or charge for its resources; all reports, guides, and webinars are freely distributed. Revenue is grant- and contract-based, sourced from Washington State public appropriations (legislative proviso, Department of Commerce OHY, Healthcare Authority, Partnership Council on Juvenile Justice), county government contracts (Pierce, King, Snohomish, Kitsap, Okanogan, Spokane), and private foundations (William T. Grant Foundation). Go-to-market is community-led and relationship-driven rather than commercial, with no pricing model, sales motion, or revenue diversification outside Washington State.

Name

UW CoLab for Community & Behavioral Health Policy

Legal name

CoLab for Community and Behavioral Health Policy

Website

https://uwcolab.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UW CoLab is a non-profit, university-based think tank within the University of Washington's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences that designs, evaluates, and scales youth wellness and behavioral health policy in partnership with Washington State agencies, county governments, healthcare systems, and community organizations, funded by grants and state appropriations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Behavioral Health Policy Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health & Substance Use Program Funding (Public Health) (HLAJALAI)

Keywords

• Behavioral health policy
• Youth mental health
• Policy research
• Community engagement
• Workforce development

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant and Public/Private Funding: CoLab is funded through public and private funders at national, state, and local levels. It is housed within the University of Washington's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. The CARE project was funded through Washington State legislative proviso. No commercial revenue streams from product sales are described.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UW CoLab is a university-based think tank that conducts policy and system design, research and evaluation, training and capacity building, community engagement, and advocacy work focused on youth behavioral health and juvenile justice reform. It delivers a portfolio of named programs and resources (e.g., Youth Wellness Zones, H-SYNC, CARE, Wellbeing Approach to Care, EBPI, ARC, Embedded Clinical Coaching, clinical guides) in partnership with Washington State and county governments, healthcare systems, and community organizations, supported by public and private grant funding.

Product overview

UW CoLab for Community and Behavioral Health Policy is a university-based think tank that operates as a portfolio of interconnected programs and resources focused on advancing youth wellness. Rather than a single unified product, the organization offers multiple distinct initiatives and resources including: the Youth Wellness Zones place-based collective-impact program; the Wellbeing Approach to Care framework with its associated Blueprint; the CARE project for culturally responsive mental health; H-SYNC for housing stability; Embedded Clinical Coaching for workforce development; TeleMental Health Guides for telehealth implementation; a Supervision Guide for clinical supervisors; and the Evidence-Based Practice Institute with its annual Reporting Guidance. These offerings work together as a comprehensive ecosystem supporting youth mental health policy, system design, training, and community engagement across Washington State.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Evidence-Based Practice Institute (EBPI): A statewide resource dedicated to improving mental health care for children and youth in Washington State, housed within CoLab
• Youth Wellness Zones
• CARE for Kids & Families
• Wellbeing Approach to Care
• ARC (Accelerating Research Use in Courts)
• H-SYNC (Housing Stability for Youth in Courts)
• Supervision Guide

Products and services

• Youth Wellness Zones A place-based, collective-impact program to create meaningful, positive change in youth mental wellness in Washington state, engaging young people in defining wellness and actioning place-based innovation. CoLab currently supports a learning collaborative among four Washington state zones.
• Wellbeing Approach to Care A practical framework and blueprint for integrating Wellbeing Specialists into Washington State's public behavioral health system, expanding access to culturally grounded, team-based mental health support.
• CARE (Culturally Affirming & Responsive Mental Health) for Kids & Families A coalition-led project facilitated by UW CoLab that works to expand access to culturally responsive, child mental and behavioral health services, centered on community knowledge and lived experience. Funded through Washington State legislative proviso.
• Housing Stability for Youth in Courts (H-SYNC) A prevention tool for youth homelessness developed by CoLab that uses routine practices embedded in court systems to automatically identify and refer youth and families to needed prevention/intervention services. Implemented in six Washington counties.
• Accelerating Research Use in Courts (ARC) A tool developed and tested for measuring the use of research evidence in juvenile court leaders across multiple states, addressing the research-to-practice gap in justice systems.
• Policy Codesign Services An emerging area of practice and science to improve persistent problems in policy development and implementation, involving multi-sector knowledge sharing and relationship building that sets the stage for more effective implementation.
• Embedded Clinical Coaching An innovative approach to clinical training that empowers behavioral health provider agencies to flexibly train their own workforce in evidence-based practices using asynchronous online training, skills demonstrations, and peer-led consultation groups.
• Family Stabilization and Wellness Skills Program A clinical training infrastructure fitted to the local needs and context of community behavioral health providers within Washington State, designed to be feasible and sustainable for their teams and the families they serve.
• TeleMental Health Guides Guides developed to help clinicians integrate telemental health into their clinical practice with young people according to their developmental stage from young childhood to young adults aged 24 years old.
• Supervision Guide: Supervising Clinical Mental Health Providers A free 59-page community resource providing practical and accessible information to support new and seasoned supervisors in their supervision skills, covering topics including supervision as an interpersonal practice, trauma-informed supervision, and common supervision challenges.
• Integrated Care Resources Self-directed learning tools for primary care providers looking to build their capacity for integrated care, including a checklist, resource guide, and organizational assessment tool for the integration of behavioral health care.
• Evidence-Based Practice Institute (EBPI) Reporting Guidance Annual reporting guide providing instructions for how to report research- or evidence-based practices for children's public mental health care (under 18 years of age) in Washington State.
• Pierce County Juvenile Justice Assessment An assessment intended to guide future county investments in preventing and responding to youth crime, and to inform policy discussions around the need to invest in the Juvenile Justice Court and Detention Center.
• Washington Family Mental Health Resource Hub Review An initiative that connects families with pertinent and trustworthy resources about child and adolescent mental health that have been selected and evaluated by people who have navigated mental health challenges themselves.

Quantifiable outcome

• Youth and families participating in H-SYNC were five times more likely to engage in recommended services.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Washington Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoLab is based within the UW Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UW Medicine. This is the parent academic unit providing institutional affiliation, faculty expertise, and research infrastructure.
• Washington State Department of Commerce's Office of Homeless Youth Prevention and Protection Programs (OHY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2022, OHY has funded the H-SYNC prevention program. OHY provides state-level funding and policy alignment for youth housing stability initiatives.
• Y Social Impact Center at the YMCA of Greater SeattlecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSince 2022, the Y Social Impact Center coordinates the H-SYNC program statewide. The center serves as the operational coordinator between juvenile courts and local social service providers across six Washington counties.
• Washington State Healthcare AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoLab partnered with the Washington State Healthcare Authority to assess acceptability and feasibility of a system codesign approach, piloting in Grays Harbor County.
• Seattle Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoLab facilitated a codesign process with Seattle Children's Hospital staff, leadership, and community leaders to re-design mental health services and improve access for Black families.
• UW AIMS CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe UW AIMS Center jointly launched the Behavioral Health Workforce Collaborative with CoLab and the Behavioral Health Institute in 2022 to support and expand the behavioral health workforce in Washington State.
• Behavioral Health InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Behavioral Health Institute jointly launched the Behavioral Health Workforce Collaborative with CoLab and the UW AIMS Center in 2022.
• Pierce CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoLab partners with Pierce County on the Opportunity-Based Probation (OBP) program and was contracted to conduct a comprehensive juvenile justice system assessment. CoLab is also contracted with Pierce County Juvenile Court to support ongoing youth probation reform.
• Seneca Family of AgenciesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeneca Family of Agencies participated as an agency partner in the Youth Mobile Crisis Response and Stabilization Teams consultation training program, providing panel perspectives from clinicians and supervisors.
• Frontier Behavioral HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrontier Behavioral Health participated as an agency partner in the Youth Mobile Crisis Response and Stabilization Teams consultation training program, providing panel perspectives from clinicians and supervisors.
• Washington State Partnership Council on Juvenile Justice (WA-PCJJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoLab collaborated with WA-PCJJ and the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) on the Redesigning Data to Reduce Disparities project to assess investment in data pertaining to disparities in juvenile arrest and referral.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uw-colab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UW CoLab for Community & Behavioral Health Policy