The Youth Mental Health Fund is one of the nation's largest grantmaking funds focused on youth mental health, and one of the few dedicated to supporting culturally responsive care.

 

NEW YORK, NY (November 19, 2025) — Today, the Decolonizing Wealth Project (DWP) announced the inaugural recipients for their newly launched Youth Mental Health Fund (YMHF). The 34 grantees will receive a total of $5.07 million from Liberated Capital, DWP’s funding mechanism and donor community. The grants aim to improve the mental health and well-being of young people across the United States.‍

 

The Youth Mental Health Fund aims to break down financial, social, and institutional barriers that have historically limited access to mental health care for underserved communities. The fund supports organizations whose work advances the mental health of youth, particularly BIPOC, queer, and youth at the intersection of these identities, while building a mental health ecosystem where all individuals can receive the care they need. This fund is part of DWP’s Wellbeing funding priority and underscores the integral role of healing as outlined in the DWP’s Reparative Philanthropy™ framework. ‍

 

With support from seed funder Pivotal, a group of organizations founded by Melinda French Gates, the fund will continue to award at least $5 million annually for three years. Resources will be distributed to nonprofit organizations and Tribes in the U.S., offering mental health services tailored to the unique experiences of youth ages 12 to 24. ‍

 

Too often, decisions about youth mental health are made in rooms where young people aren't even present. YMHF changed that dynamic: An intergenerational advisory committee of 14 members, including five youth leaders alongside mental health experts, made the final funding decisions for the grants. This significant youth representation, comprising over one-third of the committee, reflects the DWP’s commitment to centering young voices in decisions that directly affect their communities.‍

 

The YMHF Advisory Committee includes the following:

* Mayra E. Alvarez, President of The Children’s Partnership,

* Dr. Monica P. Band, Licensed Trauma-Informed Therapist

* Janiah Fields, M.A.

* Student in Clinical Psychology

* Yolo Akili Robinson, Founder and Executive Director of Black Emotional And Mental Health Collective (B.E.A.M)

* Erica Rodriguez, Ph.D Student in Health Psychology and Clinical Science‍

 

"We are elated to grant the inaugural round of our Youth Mental Health Fund," said Edgar Villanueva, Founder and CEO of Decolonizing Wealth Project. “The response to this fund was truly extraordinary. We received 1,551 applications, requesting over $206 million in funding. The data is clear — the need for culturally responsive mental health support is profound. This fund will improve the lives of countless young individuals across the country, and the commitment to culturally responsive care has never been more critical. We're actively raising funds to address this urgent need.”‍

 

“This inaugural group of grantees embodies the culturally grounded, creative, and strategic approaches that define true youth mental health care,” said Rich Havard, Director of the Youth Mental Health Fund at the Decolonizing Wealth Project.

 

“These organizations care for young people in ways that honor their struggles and strengths. Through the Youth Mental Health Fund, we are investing not only in youth themselves, but in their stories, their healing, and their futures. Care, especially mental health care, can take many forms, and our fund will help ensure that youth have access to the support they need.”‍

 

In advancing culturally responsive care, YMHF provides grants and strengthens an ecosystem of organizations that deliver mental health support rooted in cultural identity, language, values, traditions, spiritual practices, and lived experiences. Rather than forcing communities to fit into existing programs, this approach empowers them to design care that works for their young people. Research indicates culturally responsive care isn’t just a feel-good approach; it is an effective one. The fund will also aim to shift perceptions of what community-centered healing and care can look like and to promote investment in methodologies with proven results. ‍

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The CPYD Coalition is honored to be one of the fifty-four 2025 Awardees! The Trickster Intertribal Youth Council is excited to utilize the funds to establish “Mno Gdenwemagnenanak” our “Good – All our Relatives” creative space for Queer, Black and Indigenous youth and young adults (ages 4-24 years) to engage in language, movement, art, music, dance, and theater as therapeutic tools to explore identity, process trauma, and build resilience. To join the Trickster Intertribal Youth Council, contact us at info@tricksterculturalcenter.org.

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DWP’s Youth Mental Health Fund is meeting the moment by addressing the unique and intersecting challenges young people face today. These challenges demand urgent, culturally responsive care, greater access to affirming spaces, and competent mental health support. Through the Youth Mental Health Fund, DWP aims to improve the wellbeing and life outcomes of youth across the U.S.

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For a full list of grantee partners and to learn more about the fund, visit: https://www.decolonizingwealth.com/initiatives/youth-mental-health-fund. 

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About the Decolonizing Wealth Project:

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Decolonizing Wealth Project’s (DWP) mission is to transform wealth into collective wellbeing. Established in 2018 and led by Edgar Villanueva, an Indigenous, award-winning author and expert on wealth, spirituality, and social justice, DWP operates through three key strategies: sector transformation, storytelling and culture, and reparative giving. DWP’s work has radically transformed the philanthropic sector, facilitating the distribution of nearly $1 billion for social justice efforts. Through Liberated Capital, DWP’s fund and donor community, it has granted over $23 million to support economic solidarity, well-being, and Earth and climate efforts, primarily led by Black and Indigenous communities.  

www.decolonizingwealth.com 

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