{"id":16845,"date":"2024-09-10T11:40:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-10T18:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/\/?page_id=16845"},"modified":"2025-09-11T04:34:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T11:34:19","slug":"grants-for-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-for-mental-health","title":{"rendered":"Mental Health Grants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-container gb-block-container\"><div class=\"gb-container-inside\"><div class=\"gb-container-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover is-light\" style=\"min-height:151px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-16807\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/funding-guide-banner-blue-dots-1.png\" data-object-fit=\"cover\"\/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e0794f0b765bdf5baa0a55975fc345ef\" style=\"color:#484848;font-size:42px\">Mental Health Grants<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"intro-box has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebeeeb\">Learn about mental health grants by exploring our curated list of top mental funders below. Members can also research funding opportunities using the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grantfinder-search\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>search tool <\/strong><\/a>for GrantFinder. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/membership\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Become a member.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-columns gb-layout-columns-1 one-column gb-background-auto gb-background-no-repeat\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/bg-radiant-dots-shortest.png);background-position:50% 0%\"><div class=\"gb-layout-column-wrap gb-block-layout-column-gap-0 gb-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\" style=\"padding-top:20px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-columns gb-layout-columns-2 gb-2-col-wideright\" style=\"padding-top:60px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:6px;background-position:80% 0%\"><div class=\"gb-layout-column-wrap gb-block-layout-column-gap-2 gb-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column ip-gf-key-funders-box gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Key Funders<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list key-funders-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-b\/ballmer-group\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ballmer Group<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-b\/bloomberg-philanthropies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bloomberg Philanthropies<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-c\/steven-alexandra-cohen-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Steve and Alexandra M. Cohen Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-d\/duke-endowment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Duke Endowment<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/h-grants\/hanley-family-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hanley Family Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-j\/robert-wood-johnson-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Robert Wood Johnson Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/m-grants\/mcknight-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">McKnight Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/n-grants\/national-institute-of-mental-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Institute of Mental Health<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/p-grants\/john-pritzker-family-fund\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John Pritzker Family Fund<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/ipfunders\/grants-s\/san-francisco-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">San Francisco Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/ipfunders\/grants-s\/silicon-valley-community-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Silicon Valley Community Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/s-grants\/stanley-family-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stanley Family Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-w\/wellcome-trust\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wellcome Trust<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"yui_3_17_2_1_1717772209643_1046\"><strong>Funding Trends for Mental Health Grants<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>More than 1 in 5 U.S. adults experiences mental illness in any given year, while 1 in 20, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nami.org\/your-journey\/individuals-with-mental-illness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Alliance on Mental Illness<\/a>, lives with a serious condition. Among children 3-17, about 9.8% have been diagnosed with ADHD, and 9.4% with anxiety (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/childrensmentalhealth\/data.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CDC<\/a>). The CDC found that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/childrensmentalhealth\/data.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">15.1<\/a>% of U.S. adolescents had a major depressive episode in the single year 2018-2019. By 2024, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called the youth mental health crisis \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/social-media-youth-mental-health-defining-challenge-time\/story?id=111196601\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the defining public health challenge of our time.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Where are mental health grants going?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Annual grant totals for mental health lag far behind giving for other health issues \u2013 well below levels commensurate with the widespread impact of mental health on individuals and communities. That said, great visibility for mental health issues have led to a significant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/state-of-american-philanthropy-pdfs\/giving-for-mental-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">increase in giving<\/a> in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Grantmaking for mental health derives from relatively small, family-run charitable foundations, often the result of a personal commitment to the issue. These smaller, more nimble givers work to advance innovations in care and policy both regionally and nationally. An increasing number of major health-focused foundations are devoting greater resources to mental health and making connections across their portfolios. In 2022, mental health was one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/static1.squarespace.com\/static\/60abe315ea00d73073029aac\/t\/665dfcfd1cfd2622ae1d51ff\/1717435652701\/11.20.23+UPDATED+FINAL+Guide_+Case+for+Philanthropic+Investment+-+Web.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">top four areas of health grantmaking<\/a>, according to Giving USA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Grantmaking for mental health overlaps with grantmaking for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-for-public-health-fundraising\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">public health<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/crime-violence-funders\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">criminal justice reform<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-brain-science-disease\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> brain research<\/a>, substance use and addiction, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-for-k-12-education\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">education<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/housing-grants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">homelessness<\/a>, and other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">issues<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<!-- Non-displaying inline paywall marker. Editors: please keep this code block. Position this block before the first full-width paragraph or just above the foundations list heading. -->\n<div id=\"ipInlineOffer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-container foundation-list gb-block-container\"><div class=\"gb-container-inside\"><div class=\"gb-container-content\">\n<p>Mental health grants also invest in various areas \u2013 from research to crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and community mental health resource centers and services. While funding direct services tends to lead giving trends, growing areas of funding interest include mental healthcare for youth, such as school-based programs, as well as alternatives to criminalization of mental illness. Indeed, as much as 44% percent of people in local jails and 43% of people in state prisons across the U.S. have a diagnosed mental disorder (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/research\/mental_health\/#:~:text=U.S.%20prisons%20and%20jails%20incarcerate,resulting%20in%20violence%20or%20incarceration.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Prison Policy Initiative<\/a>). Some funders make mental health grants as part of a holistic giving program focused on a particular population, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/military-veterans-funders\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">veterans<\/a> or youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>History of mental health philanthropy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As public funding gets slashed despite increasing needs,, only 1.3% of all foundation funding has gone to mental health initiatives, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mindfulphilanthropy.org\/atthecenter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mindful Philanthropy<\/a>. Grantmaking for mental health was relatively flat for many years, but that seems to be changing, as increased visibility of mental health and its interrelatedness with overall health as well as many social issues has prompted some large gifts from major donors and increasing attention to mental health from large health foundations, IP found in our report on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/state-of-american-philanthropy-pdfs\/giving-for-mental-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Giving for Mental Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Gaps in mental health funding<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While behavioral research is a leading area of grants for mental health, funding for mental health research is far below funding for research into other health issues such as cancer and heart disease, which affect similar numbers of people. Funding is also unmatched to need across a range of mental health issues. For example, the U.S. has the highest rate of death by suicide among peer wealthy nations, yet a response to this national epidemic is \u201csignificantly underfunded\u201d and \u201cheavily dependent on small-dollar grants from local funders and community foundation donors,\u201d IP\u2019s Dawn Wolfe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/2023\/12\/6\/suicide-is-at-epidemic-levels-in-the-us-philanthropys-response-has-been-underwhelming\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mindful Philanthropy <a href=\"https:\/\/static1.squarespace.com\/static\/60abe315ea00d73073029aac\/t\/665dfcfd1cfd2622ae1d51ff\/1717435652701\/11.20.23+UPDATED+FINAL+Guide_+Case+for+Philanthropic+Investment+-+Web.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reports<\/a> that there are also gaps in funding for prevention and early intervention, access to treatment, and wraparound services for lifelong recovery and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group modified-date-row is-content-justification-left is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f56a869c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p><em>Published on <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"font-style:italic;font-weight:400;\" class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2024-09-10T11:40:00-07:00\">September 10, 2024<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px;width:0px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-columns gb-layout-columns-1 one-column gb-background-auto gb-background-no-repeat\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/bg-radiant-dots-shortest.png);background-position:50% 0%\"><div class=\"gb-layout-column-wrap gb-block-layout-column-gap-0 gb-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\" style=\"padding-top:20px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-columns gb-layout-columns-2 gb-2-col-wideleft\" style=\"padding-top:60px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:6px;background-position:80% 0%\"><div class=\"gb-layout-column-wrap gb-block-layout-column-gap-4 gb-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-25180599d95e511ffa03116cedf5db8d\" style=\"color:#d79533\"><strong><strong>Additional Resources<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mindfulphilanthropy.org\/\"><strong>Mindful Philanthropy<\/strong><\/a><strong>,<\/strong> a funder collaborative launched with the Center for High Impact Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania, aims to \u201cexpand philanthropy for mental health, addiction and community wellbeing initiatives.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gih.org\/health-philanthropy-issues\/behavioral-health\/\"><strong>Grantmakers in Health<\/strong>, <\/a>the largest philanthropic affinity group in the sector, has a section of its website dedicated to behavioral health with research, opinion pieces and meeting information for interested funders.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nami.org\/Home\"><strong>National Alliance on Mental Illness<\/strong><\/a>is perhaps the best known association in the country focused on mental health concerns. Be sure to see what NAMI is up to, especially as it relates to advocacy and public policy around mental health stigma and integration with physical health.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn about mental health grants by exploring our curated list of top mental funders below. Members can also research funding opportunities using the search tool for GrantFinder. Become a member.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":470,"featured_media":0,"parent":13716,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":true,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-16845","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry"},"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/470"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16845"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16845\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":224188,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16845\/revisions\/224188"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}