Our efforts to build a mentally healthy nation would be incomplete without the work of nonprofits that supply urgently needed services to minoritized communities. Each year, we recognize deserving local organizations with the Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health, which include the receipt of $5,000 in funding. Read on to meet our 2024 winners and learn what this honor means to each organization!
First Call Alcohol/Drug Prevention & Recovery (Kansas City, MO)
What they do: Reduce the impact of alcohol, drugs, and addiction by providing quality resources to individuals and families. Community education and harm reduction are pillars of First Call’s work.
How the AAMMH funds will be used: First Call has primarily used AAMMH funding to support the purchase and distribution of naloxone and substance use test strips throughout Kansas City, Missouri's urban core. Reducing overdose deaths in Kansas City and eliminating disparities in overdose deaths between White and Black residents is critical to First Call's mission. Thanks to the generosity of the APA Foundation, First Call continues to be Kansas City's largest provider of no-cost naloxone and substance use test strips.
From Emily Hage, President and CEO: "The APA's Award for Advancing Minority Mental Health has been a great cause for celebration at First Call. When discussing overdose deaths, we often hear individual stories of tragedy and loss. While these stories are necessary and powerful, they can cause us to overlook people who don't have someone to tell their story; people who are unhoused, people who have been incarcerated, and people who are overwhelmingly Black and Spanish speaking. This award will help us tell their stories, and it will help us make sure more people live to tell their own stories."
The LGBTQ+ Center Long Beach (Long Beach, CA)
What they do: Advance equity for LGBTQ+ people through culturally responsive advocacy, education, and programs. Among other resources, the Center offers health services and legal services to the local LGBTQ+ community.
How the AAMMH funds will be used: With the award funding, the LGBTQ Center Long Beach is providing LGBTQ+ individuals in the greater Long Beach area with access to mental health counseling services through in-house services and/or referrals to further resources, regardless of income or insurance coverage. The Center is also using the funding to build the capacity of mental health therapists to provide culturally affirming care to the LGBTQ+ community.
From Ellie Perez, Executive Director: "The LGBTQ Center Long Beach is deeply honored and thankful to have been a recipient of this award, which distinguishes The Center as a leader in mental health advocacy in Long Beach and beyond our city limits."
BUILD, Inc. (Chicago, IL)
What they do: Mentor youth facing systemic obstacles, helping them chart a course to a promising future. Founded in 1969, BUILD (Broader Urban Involvement and Leadership Development) is a nationally respected gang intervention, violence prevention, and youth development organization.
How the AAMMH funds will be used: BUILD is using the funding to support the work of their clinical therapists, who provide wraparound support for young people in local West Side schools impacted by violence and trauma.
From Adam M. Alonso, MSW, CEO: "Mental health care is one of the most empowering and important things we can give the young people of our West Side neighborhoods. When organizations like the APA Foundation highlight this work and make it a priority, whole generations benefit."
Hope Horizon Mental Health (Tulare, CA)
What They Do: Offer mental health counseling, sexual abuse treatment, rehabilitation services, crisis intervention, medication support services, and other programs to children and families in Tulare County.
How the Funds Will Be Used: The AAMMH enabled Hope Horizon to provide essential training for their staff on sexual abuse, including specialized sessions and a visit from the trainer, and to purchase additional gas cards to help clients overcome transportation barriers and attend their appointments.
From Nikki Cardoza, LCSW, Executive Director: “Thank you, APAF, for your generous support. At Hope Horizon we are honored to serve the children and families of Tulare County and to provide hope and healing through quality mental health care. Thank you for partnering with us in this mission!”
Family Service Center at Houston and Harris County (Houston, TX)
What they do: Offer mental health counseling, financial coaching, employment coaching, veteran support services, and other wraparound family services to the community of Harris County.
How the funds will be used: Family Houston is using the AAMMH funding to provide services to minority clients in schools and in the community by reducing barriers to care and facilitating treatment for our clients at little or no cost. Having options for treatment via in-person, telehealth or by meeting with them at a school or community site helps to reach many that would not otherwise be able to receive services. This funding also helps with cultural competency training for staff, helping them stay mindful of cultural needs and reducing stigma.
From Ken Sheirr, President and CEO: "We are deeply honored to receive this award from the American Psychiatric Association Foundation. At Family Houston, we strive to provide accessible, high-quality mental health services to all, especially those in underserved communities. This recognition inspires us to continue our mission and further our efforts in advancing mental health care for minorities."
Ser Familia, Inc. (Kennesaw, GA)
What they do: Equip Latinos with the tools and skills they need to move from crisis to thriving. Since 2001, Ser Familia has been championing Latino families by providing support groups, family workshops, and other educational programs.
How funds will be used: The multidisciplinary and culturally and linguistically proficient family programming at Ser Familia includes a full range of mental health services that include all trauma-informed treatment modalities in the native language of our clients - mostly Spanish. The overall treatment model involves comprehensively assessing and serving the entire family unit (including young children) with wraparound services through a robust case management model with aligned mental health services based on best practices, model services, and all evidence-based programming.
From Belisa Urbina, CEO: “We were so excited to attend the award ceremony at their conference in New York and so happy to establish connections with the other award winners. This recognition comes at the most critical time that we have seen in the more than 20 years that Ser Familia has been caring for our Latino community in Georgia. A record number of our kids and adults are experiencing mental health concerns, including suicidal ideation. This award gives us renewed energy to continue caring for our youth and families.”
GateWay of Hope (Olathe, KS)
What they do: Provide counseling, coaching, and other resources to women of all ages and backgrounds, helping them pursue healing and live in wholeness.
How the AAMMH funds will be used: GateWay of Hope utilizes AAMMH funding to aid Hermanas en Esperanza (Women of Hope), a Spanish mental health initiative for underserved minority women. The funds help these women access a bilingual support specialist and a licensed therapist, as well as mental health resources in Spanish.
From Vernita McMurtrey, CEO: “We believe all women should lead healthy, fulfilling lives! Winning this award not only acknowledges the crucial work GWH does for these women, but also underscores the significance of BIPOC mental health and emphasizes that BIPOC deserve the same level of care and treatment.”
A Home Within (Oakland, CA)
What They Do: Identify, recruit, train, and support licensed therapists who each provide free weekly one-on-one therapy “for as long as it takes” to an individual who has experienced foster care. The network of A Home Within volunteer clinicians stretches across 11 states and provides care to over 500 individuals who are currently or have previously been in foster care.
How the Funds Will Be Used: A Home Within is using the APA award funds to train BIPoC therapists to develop and provide continuing education trainings focused on leveraging culturally attuned interventions, supervision, and consultation to mental health providers across the nation. To date, they have provided 30 hours of trauma-informed programs to advance minority mental health.
A Client’s Experience: After spending time in therapy with a BIPoC provider, one client shared: “I didn’t expect to be in control. I didn’t expect my time in this relationship to allow me to be the expert on me, and to come into therapy being valued. My intuition and my discernment is something that is held in high regard in our work together. That’s something I wasn’t used to.”
Hispanic Unity of Florida, Inc. (Hollywood, FL)
What They Do: Offer programming on economic development, education, civic engagement, and legal assistance and immigration, providing 30+ services in four languages to South Florida’s diverse community.
How Funds Will Be Used: This generous award has allowed Hispanic Unity of Florida to provide culturally sensitive and linguistically competent services to community members. Support from the APA Foundation and this prestigious award have been instrumental in endeavors to drive positive change and break down barriers to care.
From Felipe Pinzon, President and CEO: “This award reaffirms our commitment to providing culturally sensitive and accessible mental health services, ensuring that every individual has the opportunity to thrive and live a life filled with hope and possibility. Together, we are breaking down barriers, reducing stigma, and building a healthier, more inclusive community.”
Our Minds Matter (Washington, D.C.)
What They Do: By supporting social connectedness, self-care and healthy habits, help-seeking, and prosocial skills, Our Minds Matter works towards a day when no teen dies by suicide.
How Funds Will Be Used: The AAMMH funding supports club coaching, training, and materials for our program of teen-led mental health clubs in DC Public Schools, which reach thousands of students each year.
From Lauren Anderson, CEO: “We are so honored to receive this award — and we want to share it with OMM school staff and teen leaders, who are proactively making a positive difference for mental health in their communities. Their commitment, work, and creativity makes our mission possible.”
Community Counseling and Mediation (Brooklyn, NY)
What They Do: Address the root causes and problems associated with mental illness and substance abuse. CCM proudly provides culturally rich mental health services to Brooklyn and Manhattan's impoverished and under-resourced communities.
How the Funds Will Be Used: CCM used the award funding to help support its new mental health clinic located in downtown Brooklyn, which primarily serves children and families. CCM purchased therapeutic photos, posters, books, toys and games for the team to use as they heal and treat young people who have experienced trauma.
From Douglas Brooks, LCSW-R, President and CEO: “We are honored to be recognized by the American Psychiatric Association Foundation for the work we are doing to improve the lives of New Yorkers. This accolade encourages us to uphold our standards for excellence and honors our mission – to heal old scars and present pain and problems facing New York City’s poverty-stricken youth and families.”