In today’s fast-changing world, young people face a growing array of stressors, and data on their mental health outcomes show the urgent need for better support. The Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children’s Mental Health (the “Alliance”) aims to help address this crisis, expanding on work that has illustrated the scope of the problem and brought together the people and organizations delivering innovative, scalable solutions.
To advance this important work, Morgan Stanley has committed $50 million to youth mental health since the Alliance’s launch in February 2020. We are also providing new multi-year grants to our Alliance members to expand programming and impact.
The need is urgent. According to a 2024 report from Mental Health America, 1 in 5 youth experienced a major depressive episode that year, and nearly 3 million did not receive treatment. Suicide remains the second leading cause of death for children and young adults.
The Alliance was launched in early 2020 as an initiative of the Morgan Stanley Foundation, which had worked for decades to promote children’s health. We entered the children’s mental health space to further the mission of the Morgan Stanley Foundation in a moment when few corporate funders were in the field. We teamed up with leading nonprofits and formed an experienced Advisory Board to guide our work and tackle the challenge together.
The first chapter of the Alliance’s work opened our eyes to how dire the situation is. There are no easy solutions, but as daunting as the task may seem, we are moving forward—supporting the many innovative solutions that are being brought to the youth mental health field.
The Next Chapter
While there is growing awareness and discussion around mental health challenges, the sector remains vastly underfunded, and we believe that the private sector has a critical role to play. Many children and families lack access to mental healthcare, and demand is at an all-time high, especially in underserved communities. Morgan Stanley’s $50 million support for the Alliance aims to strengthen the delivery of results-driven programming and research, advance transformative solutions through our Innovation Awards program, and expand our reach and collaboration to drive more impact for kids of all ages.
We are thrilled to provide new multi-year grants to the following Alliance members to support greater reach and impact:
● The American Academy of Pediatrics will strengthen the preparedness of pediatricians to identify and address the immediate mental health needs of children in the U.S.
● The Child Mind Institute will scale training for educators and school-based clinicians to provide evidence-based mental health support to students across the U.S.
● The Columbia University Department of Psychiatry will research smartphone interventions to improve clinical outcomes for depressed adolescents and expand community-based mental health care to young people in New York City.
● The Jed Foundation (JED) will expand its work with Pre-K-12 school districts and high schools, guiding them on how to enhance systems of support for student mental health across the U.S.
● Sesame Workshop will expand its early childhood mental health initiative to focus on early detection and prevention, helping young children and their circle of care address issues early in the U.S.
● The Steve Fund will provide resources, support and new platforms for U.S. college students, families, nonprofits and educators to drive mental health, academic persistence and career success.
● Place2Be will deliver mental health support, train counselors and pilot innovative services to improve the emotional wellbeing and life prospects of children and young people in London, UK.
● Mind HK will increase public knowledge of mental health and provide young people with mental health literacy training and psychological support for depression and anxiety in Hong Kong.
About the Alliance
The Alliance collaborates with leading nonprofits to find evidence-based solutions to the youth mental health crisis. We scale promising solutions, advance innovative initiatives, and drive research and awareness.
● Meeting young people where they are: Parents, caregivers and educators are on the front lines as they face mental health challenges with their kids, and they need our support. Through our work with Alliance members, we bring resources and education to these groups and help build systems at schools and colleges, early education centers and physician’s offices enabling them to better address the needs of youth and drive positive change. To date, our work has reached over 52 million children, caregivers and educators globally.
● Enormous needs and exciting innovation: There are tremendous needs in underserved communities and among service providers across the U.S. That much is clear from the thousands of Innovation Award applications we have received over the years. We are delighted to see the numerous great ideas that are being pursued, and we’re pleased to play a role in supporting transformative solutions. The groups we have supported so far serve children and youth in local communities, schools and barber shops, on sports teams, in hospitals and through digital platforms. In addition to the grants we have provided to early-stage nonprofits, we launched a Leadership Learning Series in 2024 to help more mental-health focused charities build capacity for greater impact.
● Increased stressors for kids and families: We are all learning more every day about the mental health crisis and its far-reaching repercussions. The COVID pandemic has affected children in many ways, as have increased screen time and interactive digital environments. Parents are affected by their children’s mental health and increased internet usage in families. While “stigma” is often blamed for young’s people reluctance to seek help, bigger barriers exist. It is crucial to have additional research and ongoing dialogue to understand emerging trends, discuss what is and isn’t working, and provide actionable insights for children and their trusted adults.
Collaboration Is Key
The youth mental health crisis is too large for any individual or group to tackle alone. Real and meaningful change will come about in this space only through collaboration. The Alliance’s work is rooted in that principle, and we will continue in partnership to address systemic and emerging issues and bring about change.
Our commitment is just one piece of many that need to come together to create significant change. As the Alliance enters its next chapter, we need more urgent action across the public, private and nonprofit sectors to help address the immense need.
I encourage others to join the effort to reduce the substantial funding gap in this space—and to advocate for the mental well-being of countless children and youth. Timely intentional effort can help to create a healthier world for our children and young adults, today and into the future.
