We are so excited to announce that Our Minds Matter has been chosen as a first-round recipient of a $50,000 grant from Born This Way Foundation’s Kindness in the Community Fund. Born This Way Foundation, co-founded by Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, supports the mental health of young people and works with them to build a kinder and braver world. Through high-impact programming, youth-led conversations, and strategic, cross-sectoral partnerships, the Foundation aims to make kindness cool, validate the emotions of young people, and eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health.

The Kindness in Community Fund started in 2017 as a small, internal fund that allowed the Born This Way Foundation team to meet the needs of communities they engaged with in cities that coincided with Lady Gaga’s tour stops. The Fund expanded significantly to respond to the urgent needs created by the pandemic. 

We are so grateful for Born This Way Foundation’s support through this impactful Fund, which will allow us to deepen our work of empowering students to change school culture around mental health. This grant will go towards the expansion of our clubs in the DC-area; in the coming year, we expect to reach 1,400 teens in DC and the surrounding Maryland and Virginia counties.