“Organizations like Boston GLASS, Powerful Voices, Homeless Children’s Network, and FAN are providing mental health and well-being programs at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the already-critical need among adolescents who are of color and/or LGBTQ+,” said Solomé Tibebu, Director of The Upswing Fund.

According to a new poll from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, youth mental health has worsened dramatically because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The four grant recipients were selected from the organizations that applied to The Upswing Fund’s October 2020 request for proposals. In the last year, these organizations have continued to respond to a growing need for community-based support for mental health and well-being.

• Boston GLASS (Boston, MA)

Boston GLASS is a program of the Justice Resource Institute’s Health division serving LGBTQ+ youth of color through a continuum of services including a drop-in center where youth have access to computers, support groups, food and supplies, and social events.

• Powerful Voices (Seattle, WA)

Powerful Voices creates brave spaces with girls and gender non-conforming youth of color to take charge of their own power as leaders and primarily provides non-clinical services through group cohort sessions, one-on-one support, self-care resources, and youth-led grassroots organizing and activism.

• Homeless Children’s Network (San Francisco, CA)
HCN empowers children, youth, and families towards a bright future by decreasing the trauma of homelessness and domestic violence via clinical and non-clinical services including direct mental health treatment, youth leadership development, case management, and the Ma’at Program- an innovative program connecting Black therapists with Black adolescents applying Afri-centric therapy.

• Fihankra Akoma Ntoaso (Washington, D.C.)

FAN provides youth impacted by the child welfare system opportunities to nurture their interests and talents, acquire new skills, and gain a sense of personal and group recognition in an atmosphere of hope.

As a collaborative fund, The Upswing Fund pools philanthropic support to provide critical resources to front-line organizations that provide the services that young people rely on. These grants leverage new philanthropic investments by Hopelab and MindRight Foundation in support of The Upswing Fund’s focus on the mental health and well-being of adolescents of color and LGBTQ+ youth.

“We are proud to partner with Hopelab and MindRight Foundation, which has enabled us to support more of the organizations that applied to The Upswing Fund last fall and continue to lead impactful work in their communities,” said Tibebu.

485 grant submissions were received by The Upswing Fund in just six weeks upon announcement of the fund, which is a reflection of the overwhelming demand for financial support to organizations addressing these urgent needs in communities across the country as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

“Since its founding, MindRight Foundation has been committed to empowering communities of color to heal from trauma. We are happy to continue this legacy by supporting The Upswing Fund’s work with organizations that are centered on culturally responsive care for young people,” said Ashley Edwards, Founder and CEO of MindRight Foundation.

The Upswing Fund remains committed to partnering with diverse donors to support direct-service organizations that are striving to meet young people where they are to provide programs for mental health and well-being.

“With our shared commitment to advancing mental health and well-being outcomes for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ young people, we are pleased to partner with The Upswing Fund to invest in organizations that are finding innovative and meaningful ways to enable adolescents to engage in programs that support them,” said Margaret Laws, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hopelab.

Also announced today, MTV Entertainment, along with The Upswing Fund and other partners, will host a mental health youth action forum designed to empower young people to use storytelling and media to make meaningful social change on mental health, in coordination with the Biden-Harris Administration.

“The Upswing Fund looks forward to partnering with MTV to engage and amplify young people’s voices across the country so that they are inspired to improve everyday mental health for themselves and their peers,” said Gabrielle Fitzgerald, Founder and CEO of Panorama Global.

The Upswing Fund is a collaborative fund that provides timely resources to organizations that focus on the mental health and well-being of adolescents who are of color and/or LGBTQ+ in the United States—populations that face urgent needs but too often lack access to the care they need.

To learn more about the Fund and how to join as a collaborative funder, visit: www.theupswingfund.org.

About The Upswing Fund for Adolescent Mental Health
The Upswing Fund for Adolescent Mental Health is a collaborative fund seeded by Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company created by Melinda Gates to advance social progress in the United States. Further support is provided by The Klarman Family Foundation. The Fund is an initiative of Panorama Global and advised by a renowned set of mental health experts with deep clinical and research expertise and a passion to support youth and communities.

For more information, visit www.theupswingfund.org and @theupswingfund on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Panorama Global
Panorama Global is the leading platform for social change dedicated to solving some of the world’s toughest problems affecting people and the planet.

For more information, visit www.panoramaglobal.org and @PanoramaTeam on Twitter and @PanoramaGlobal on LinkedIn.

About Hopelab
Hopelab is a social innovation lab committed to supporting and improving the health and happiness of young people through the co-creation and distribution of behavior-change tech.

For more information, visit www.hopelab.org and @Hopelab on Twitter and @HopelabOrg on LinkedIn.

Media Contact
LaShondà Steward
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