Behavioral Health Funders Network Meeting: Exploring Community-Based Approaches to Supporting Youth Mental Health in Summer, a briefing for funders
Youth mental health is an essential consideration for summer enrichment programs and organizations as they gear up for their 2024 programming. Staff are preparing to navigate challenges including hiring clinical staff, conflict resolution, behavior management, and more. While funding for youth mental health initiatives reached a peak during the pandemic, garnering continued interest and investment has been difficult for nonprofits whose youth continue to struggle with its mental and behavioral health impacts.
Join the Behavioral Health Funders Network and members of the Summer Fund community to discuss challenges and strategies related to youth mental and behavioral health work in summer enrichment programs. Attendees will hear about the Summer Fund’s Mental Health Grant program and portfolio as one example of a funder engaged in this work and learn where other funders can get involved. The session will feature a panel made up of a youth mental health clinician, a peer funder in this space, and a Summer Fund grant partner. The conversation will be moderated by Sean Higgins, Director of the Summer Fund.
- Sonia Erlich, Deputy Director for Workforce Development and Training, TEAM UP for Children
- Ini Udofia, Director of Community Health and Well-Being, West End House
- Janet Taylor, Charles F. and Beatrice D. Adams Charitable Trust
About the Behavioral Health Funders Network:
The Behavioral Health Funders Network (BHFN) is a state-wide network of funders working in the area of behavioral and mental health and wellness. For over 4 years the Network has been meeting regularly for peer learning, knowledge sharing, and relationship building. Key norms of this Network are trust, confidentiality, and a learning/growth mindset.
The stated goals of the Network are: 1) Improve behavioral health services by providing a space and opportunity for learning from one another, and 2) Exchange information with the potential for collaboration on projects ranging in size from large, overarching initiatives to smaller community-based projects.
About the Summer Fund:
Founded in 1971, the Summer Fund is a donor collaborative that supports summer camps and enrichment programs for underserved youth throughout Greater Boston. The Summer Fund serves as a broker between the philanthropic community and nonprofit organizations, providing direct operational support to summer programs serving youth from areas historically underrepresented in philanthropic giving. In its over-fifty year history, the Summer Fund has granted more than $40 million resources to build, sustain and strengthen a quality summer program network.
The Summer Fund also makes grants through its Mental Health Grant Program, which reflects a direct response to the needs of nonprofits. Established amidst a youth mental health crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Mental Health Grants fund on-site clinical staff, mental health-focused training and curriculum development, and resources to support staff well-being.