Mental Health

Despite the enormous impacts of mental health issues on individuals and communities, this area has historically received inadequate attention from philanthropy. That may be changing, as increased visibility and discussion of mental health across society has prompted large gifts from major donors in recent years. Still, there are many opportunities for donors to support nonprofits that focus on mental health care and research. Giving for mental health can be wide ranging in scope and often crosses over into areas such as social services, youth programs and education. Nonprofit initiatives relating to mental health also overlap with issues such as healthcare access, criminal justice reform, medical research, homelessness and violence prevention. This brief offers advice about how donors can make a difference in the mental health sector and guidance for donors new to this space to get started with their giving.

Strategies for Impact

Nonprofits are engaged in a range of efforts related to mental health. All this work is important and could benefit from greater donor support. Below, we discuss areas where donors might focus their funding and spotlight several organizations that represent the kind of nonprofits that donors might consider supporting.

Back brain and behavior research. Psychiatric and neurological research is progressing on addiction, anxiety, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, depression, psychosis, PTSD and schizophrenia. The long-term goal of such research is to find cures. In the interim, the hope is to better understand the causes and develop new ways to treat mental illness. Donors are backing mental health research in many areas, from giving to academic research institutes to backing new research into psychedelics. The Brain and Behavior Research Foundation accepts donations in order to regrant funds to scientists advancing the field.

Focus on a specific mental health issue. Mental health is a broad umbrella term. There are nonprofit organizations working in education, prevention, treatment, research and more for specific mental health issues. Depending on your philanthropic priorities, you might focus on a single-subject mental health nonprofit such as the National Eating Disorders Association, Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance, International OCD Foundation, Anxiety and Depression Association of America or the International Bipolar Foundation.

Fund organizations that understand the communities they serve. Look for organizations that have connections to and knowledge of the communities they work in. Good signs include leaders from the community, longtime work in the community, and being trusted by the community. BIPOC-centered organizations include Asian Mental Health Project, Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective, and Sista Afya Community Care, Project Sanctuary and the Cohen Veterans Network focus on the mental health needs of military families and veterans. Active Minds, Child Mind Institute, and The Jed Foundation work with youth. The Trevor Project supports the specific needs of LGBTQ+ young people. The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the country’s largest grassroots mental health organization; it offers support, education and advocacy through 600 local affiliates in 49 states.

Give to reduce harm. Intervention services such as crisis text and telephone lines save lives and rapidly direct people at great risk to the services and resources they need. Harm reduction services are another way to meet people where they are and provide resources that can mitigate the worst harms. Some organizations working in this space include the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Crisis Text Line, Mental Health America, National Alliance on Mental Illness and Trans Lifeline.

Take a technological approach. Expansion of telehealth, internet-based remote care, and mental health apps could comprise a game changer for the mental health field. Philanthropic support for tech-based innovations in care could help an overextended mental healthcare system reach more people in need. Digital tools to train providers and online programs and apps to educate people about smart mental health practices are just some of the new technologies in the field. The nonprofit organization One Mind PsyberGuide evaluates mental health apps for credibility, user experience and transparency. The Open Path Psychotherapy Collective is a national nonprofit network of mental health professionals who offer online psychotherapy at steeply reduced rates.

Insights and Advice

In considering which impact strategies to support, donors should take into account their personal interests and outlook to find the best fit. Many families have had first-hand experience with mental health challenges and it can feel meaningful to be guided by those experiences in deciding priorities in this area. Donors should also keep an eye out for emerging opportunities to give with maximum impact in the mental health sector. Here, we offer a few insights and suggestions:

Don’t go it alone. Intermediaries and philanthropy-serving organizations can do a huge amount of the leg work of identifying opportunities in the field, and getting involved with one of these groups is a great way for donors to save time and give more effectively. Relevant groups include Mindful Philanthropy, Grantmakers in Health and the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative.

Prioritize vulnerable and under-resourced communities. Incarcerated people and unhoused people are disproportionately impacted by mental health struggles, while facing some of the greatest obstacles to accessing care. Uninsured people, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, youth and veterans are other groups that are impacted in particular ways by mental health issues. Donors can focus on increasing access to care through advocacy efforts, funding direct-service organizations in underserved communities, or giving to mental health organizations dedicated to vulnerable populations.

Consider the big picture. Mental health affects not only individuals, but also communities. And like all aspects of health, it is profoundly shaped by the social, economic, political and cultural context. Efforts to address mental health increasingly address the complex interplay of multiple issues and systems, including the criminal justice system, education, poverty, housing, healthcare access and the health-insurance system, and more. Some donors are focusing on efforts to address adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), traumatic events in childhood that are associated with lifelong mental health problems. Some are backing efforts to decriminalize mental health. Some focus on policy advocacy to expand access to mental healthcare. No single donor can do it all, but when attempting to address a large and complex issue as a philanthropist, it can be helpful to consider the big picture and then choose where to focus your attention and resources.

For Donors Getting Started

While nonprofits focused on mental health are woefully underfunded, this is still a large and complicated giving area with many nonprofit organizations to consider. Donors who are new to this space should take the time to learn about the landscape.

A good place to start is by reading IP’s State of American Philanthropy brief on Giving for Mental Health. In addition, peruse recent articles that IP has published about current events in this area of philanthropy. Another way to dive more deeply into this funding space is through the resources on offer from groups like Mindful Philanthropy. Grantmakers in Health has a behavioral health section on their website that offers news, insights and opinions on mental health matters.

To find more local nonprofit organizations in the mental health sector that are well-respected, Charity Navigator is a reputable place to search for worthy organizations around the country.

But the best way to get started giving for mental health is to make some initial gifts, learn from the groups you’re supporting, and connect early with a funding intermediary that can help you learn more about this giving area and increase your giving in a thoughtful way.

Have suggestions for improving this brief? Please email us at editor@insidephilanthropy.com.