CEO Corner with Dr. Celine Coggins

Billions in Cuts to Mental Health Reversed with Leadership by TGW Grantee Inseparable

Over the past year, policy wins have been harder to come by at the federal level, which is why we are heartened to share the great work of mental health advocates, including our grantee Inseparable, in helping reverse $2B in cuts to mental health funding coming from SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Prior to coming to The Goodness Web, I spent most of my career in the policy and advocacy space. It is a space that requires philanthropic funding to thrive, but donors more often gravitate to direct service where it easier to know how many young people were served by a specific program. In policy and advocacy, progress isn’t linear, it can take a frustratingly long time, and success isn’t always guaranteed. Donors can rightly

have questions about impact as well as where the line between nonprofit advocacy and lobbying (which does not count as charitable giving) lies.

It is an understatement to recognize that this past year has been a time of turbulence in public policy on all social issues. Many nonprofits and government services are contending with deep budget cuts. While mental health has been able to mostly maintain bipartisan support, it has not been immune to risk in this environment. Policy “wins” have been harder to come by, especially at the federal level, which is why we are

heartened to share the great work of mental health advocates, including our grantee Inseparable, in helping reverse $2B in cuts to mental health funding coming from SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

With funding from The Goodness Web and others across the country, a coalition of advocates was able to quickly mobilize with shared messaging and rallying thousands to contact Congress. Ultimately, a bipartisan group of over 100 members of Congress signed on to a letter demanding cuts be reversed. Twenty-four hours after the cuts were announced, they were restored. Read more here in the words of Inseparable Founder and CEO, Bill Smith.