As members of The Goodness Web, your family joins a diverse community of results-oriented donors and partners who pool their resources and expertise to accelerate the most promising mental health initiatives to improve lives.

Only together can we do good, better.

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CEO Corner with Dr. Celine Coggins

Adolescent Mental Health in the Age of AI Companions

Dear friends and supporters of The Goodness Web,

A couple of weeks ago, I had the mind-blowing experience of getting immersed in the world of AI companions at meeting held by The Rithm Project, part of our Young Futures portfolio of grantees. Over three days, we learned about and tested the technology while considering what the future might look like, especially as it relates to young people and the need for human connection. I left feeling like we were at another precipice moment in which kids surge ahead of their parents as a new technology explodes. My kids (now in their late teens and early 20s) were the guinea pigs of the last era, handed their first phones just as Instagram launched around 2011. I wish I knew more from the start in that era.

What did I learn about this new(ish) AI era that I wish every parent knew?

Continue reading here.

Announcing Our Newest Grantee Partner,

Koko

The Goodness Web is proud to award Koko a two-year, $600,000 grant to continue to support their widespread impact on young people online. 

Koko’s mission is to help end the youth mental health crisis by reaching young people where they are, on the platforms they already use. They’ve partnered with major digital/social media platforms to integrate their tools, allowing them to meet young people in their moment of need. They have also built a team of passionate individuals — some of whom were Koko users themselves — who are committed to scaling this vision.

Through keyword detection and targeted ad placement, Koko intercepts youth who are signaling they need help. Depression, suicidal thoughts, and eating disorders are just a few of the mental health concerns detected. Brief, automated interactions then direct youth to evidence-based interventions, providing an innovative solution that doesn’t require users to seek external help. Koko ensures that help is always free and one click away with a redirect to a number of evidence-based supports. 

Over the last few years, Koko has reached over 4 million adolescents globally, making a significant impact on their lives by helping them cope with mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicidal ideation. 

We are excited to see the positive impact Koko will continue to have on young people and families across the country!

Events and Learning Opportunities

As The Goodness Web grows, we are expanding the ways we can learn together and connect. Please mark your calendars for the following:

Investment Advisory Group, June 18. First virtual meeting on Wednesday, June 18th at 12:00 pm ET. TGW donors are invited to join us for a two-way conversation. We will share some of the possible grantees we are researching and also get your feedback on the youth mental health issues that interest you, the nonprofits you suggest we look into, and which of the grantees in our pipeline excite you most. 

• Please reach out to Jessie Shaw (jessie.shaw@thegoodnessweb.org) to secure your spot.

Youth Advisory Council, Coming Soon.  This fall, The Goodness Web will launch our first Youth Advisory Council to help us bring the perspective and voice of a diverse set of young people into our work. Applications will be available starting in July. Please let us know if there is a young person in your life who should receive one.

Grantee Spotlight

TGW is proud to support these organizations, among others, with major grants.

With the support of The Goodness Web, the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health  convened more than one hundred key stakeholders (from legislators to public health experts to insurance providers) to share their research and recommendations on implementation of the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM). At the meeting, they released this   Issue Brief addressing the escalating crisis in availability of timely, affordable, and effective treatment for mental health and substance use disorders (MHSUDs) and proposes leveraging the primary care system through implementation of CoCM. An extensive evidence base suggests that CoCM, by integrating MHSUD care into primary care, improves outcomes for patients and reduces the overall cost of treatment.

Path Forward released a suite of resources and research on the implementation of Collaborative Care across the nation. First, the Collaborative Care Heat Map is designed for policymakers, payers, and providers, to enable strategic, data-informed expansion of the model. In their words, “Our new national map reveals where the Collaborative Care Model is gaining traction—and where critical gaps remain.” Second, in collaboration with the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, they released the companion Milliman analysis, “Trends in adoption of the Collaborative Care Model”. This work received national press coverage in Axios.

Inseparable  recently achieved exciting policy wins in Washington and Georgia: through WA's recent bill, insurance carriers are now required to cover mental health and substance use disorder services that are prescribed by patients’ doctors and deemed medically necessary. In GA, schools will receive millions for student advocacy specialists and additional school social workers, which, as noted by the Inseparable team, is a “key support to help keep students safe and supported.”

In honor of mental health awareness month in May, The JED Foundation launched Mind Matters, a short video series in which YouTube creators open up about mental health, and detail “tips and tools designed to support teens’ emotional well-being as they learn, create, and thrive.”