Youth Mental Health
Supporting pathways to mental health and wellness
Our grants support organizations that equip young people with the tools to navigate life’s ups and downs, fostering wellness, growth, and independence.
Why mental health matters
Youth mental health in New York City has been declining for more than a decade, according to city reports. NYC teens report higher levels of depressive symptoms compared to national averages, and access to treatment is a significant issue in the city largely due to racial and socioeconomic inequities, as well as workforce shortages impacting the availability of qualified and culturally responsive staff.*
Carmel Hill Fund awards $7 million annually in grants that aim to nurture the wellbeing of youth living in New York City by making it easier for them to access high quality mental health supports, both preventive and clinical.
*Sources: The State of Mental Health of New Yorkers; Youth Mental Health & Social Media Usage
Areas of funding
In addition to our long-standing investments in research, our grantmaking may include investments in the integration of preventative and clinical mental health services in the places young people already frequent (e.g., schools, community centers, medical clinics), workforce development and efforts to ensure personal economic circumstances are not a barrier to accessing care. This may include things like:
- Capacity building for community-based mental health service providers to help meet the urgent demand for supports
- Convene grantee organizations in a professional learning community to identify and facilitate the sharing of best practices and exploration of common challenges.
- Feasibility project to explore implementing TEAM UP, an integrated, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive behavioral health care model, in New York CIty.
- Mental Health Workforce Crisis Working Group in which 12 foundations convene monthly to explore how philanthropy can help address the shortage of mental health professionals.
- Policy and advocacy campaigns led by Inseparable, Healthy Kids Healthy Minds, and NYC Youth Agenda to increase investments in mental health supports.
Grantee partner highlights
Examples of current grant partnerships include:
Inseparable is a national organization working for a future in which mental health is no longer an afterthought, but considered central to our overall health. The organization is building a social movement around mental health policy reform by mobilizing public and political support to expand access to care, improve youth mental health, and end the criminalization of mental illness.
The NYC Youth Agenda is a youth-led policy platform developed collaboratively by the Intergenerational Change Initiative (ICI), Citizens Committee for the Children of New York, Department of Community and Youth Development and YVote. New Yorkers ages 14–24 convene annually to advance recommendations on education, mental health, jobs, civic participation, etc., aiming to shape a more equitable and youth-responsive city.
Meet our program officer
Hazel Guzman, Ph.D., IMH-E Program Officer, Youth Mental Health hguzman@carmelhill.net
Words from hazel
One of my core motivations is to create opportunities for individuals and organizations that might otherwise be overlooked—the underdogs. Whether it’s funding a first-time leader with a bold vision or supporting community-rooted solutions that haven’t traditionally been resourced, I want to help level the playing field and invest in people and ideas that can catalyze change.