Courage is the defining quality of people with mental and behavioral health challenges, who brave daunting internal and external challenges to seek help. Courage is also the key ingredient in the philanthropic work America needs to overcome the mental health crisis now besetting the nation.
We interviewed representatives of 17 national, regional, and local foundations—with assets ranging from just under $1 million to $12 billion (and a mean of $2.2 billion, median of $130 million)—regarding their experiences funding mental and behavioral health projects.
An epidemic of untreated mental illness is ravaging American communities today, fueled by worsening risk factors like loneliness, isolation, addiction, and screen dependence. At one end of the problem is a persistent nationwide shortage of trained mental health professionals. At the other is the reluctance of patients — especially patients from underserved communities — to seek help at all, a factor research suggests may be an even larger contributor to our gaping access gap.
Anna Bobb joined other leaders at the American Psychiatric Association’s Mental Health Services Conference to discuss how capital can be better deployed to close the mental health access gap and promote mental well-being.
Anna Bobb joined other leaders at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building at the foot of Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. to discuss how community and faith-based organizations can play a more active role in closing the mental health access gap and promoting mental well-being.
Digital apps can bridge the gap between the fractured, unsustainable status quo to the inclusive, equitable, healthier future. By focusing on social returns while the market focuses on financial returns, philanthropy can catalyze these transformative innovations, reaching millions, even tens of millions of patients needlessly suffering without treatment, and shaping the future of both technology and mental health.