About

The Upswing Fund for Adolescent Mental Health is a collaborative fund focusing on the mental health and well-being of adolescents who are of color and/or LGBTQ+. Created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a devastating impact on young people across the United States, The Upswing Fund provides critical resources to front-line organizations that provide the services that young people rely on. In addition, the Fund supports efforts to address key systemic challenges in the adolescent mental health system such as stigma around seeking mental health support.

As a collaborative fund, The Upswing Fund aggregates philanthropic support to achieve greater impact and leverages donor giving to scale proven interventions, accelerate innovation, and advance critical efforts to create policy change to expand the availability of mental health support. Our donors share a commitment to The Fund’s strategic grantmaking as informed by our independent expert Advisory Committee.

The Upswing Fund is seeded by Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company created by Melinda French Gates to advance social progress in the United States. Further support is provided by the Klarman Family Foundation and other donors. The Fund is advised by a renowned set of mental health experts with deep clinical and research expertise and a passion to support youth and communities. The Upswing Fund is powered by Panorama, a platform for social change dedicated to solving global problems through audacious thinking and bold action.

To be eligible for grants from The Upswing Fund, organizations must serve or benefit the Fund’s target populations ages 10–18, be certified as 501(c)(3) by the IRS and meet the criteria established by the Fund.

Our Team

Jennifer Cho

Vice President, Partnerships

Gabrielle Fitzgerald

Gabrielle Fitzgerald

Founder & CEO, Panorama

Advisory Committee

The Upswing Fund named an Advisory Committee of diverse experts across a range of adolescent mental health specialties who support our work to provide resources to adolescent mental health providers and mental health policy, advocacy, and system enabling organizations. The committee, in partnership with the Fund’s founding director, defined the grantmaking priorities and criteria for awarding grants.

Anne Marie Albano photo

Anne Marie Albano, PhD, ABPP

Atlas Alvarez (they/he) is a 25-year-old non binary and transmasculine person. Atlas was born in El Centro, California and lived in their hometown, a border town known as Calexico, for 22 years until they moved away to North County San Diego to study Psychology as a transfer student. He lived, worked, and studied in North County San Diego for about a year and a half until the COVID-19 pandemic began to worsen and it became apparent that school would be online for some time. Atlas moved back to their hometown in the summer of 2020, where he finished his last three semesters of school through Zoom. Atlas graduated with a Bachelor's in Psychology in May 2021 and they are now looking forward to starting a two year MSW program in the upcoming fall at CSU Long Beach.

Atlas Alvarez

Angela Diaz Photo

Angela Diaz, MD, PhD

Teresa Halliday

Teresa Halliday, MA

Kimberlyn Leary

Kimberlyn Leary, PhD, MPA

Mark Long DSW, MSW

Joseph (Joey) Martinez

Madison McCall

Ben Miller headshot

Benjamin F. Miller, PsyD

Karissa Smith

Solomé Tibebu

Solomé Tibebu

Founding Director, The Upswing Fund

jack turban

Jack Turban, MD MHS

Ken Zimmerman

Ken Zimmerman, JD