Introducing Our Mental Health Portfolio
We are excited to introduce a brand-new portfolio for our 2024 granting cycle: mental health. This marks our first year making dedicated grants in this space, and it comes at a critical time. One in five Americans has a mental illness, and less than half of them are getting treatment. In the last two decades, drug overdose deaths have tripled and suicide deaths have gone up by 35%. The mental health system is expansive, complex, and in many ways, broken. For too long, it has struggled to meet the rising needs of individuals facing mental health challenges, particularly young people. The opportunities for creating meaningful, lasting change are vast, and our hope is to be a small part of that change by supporting solutions that get upstream of the crisis.
Our approach focuses on early-stage interventions that equip individuals with the skills, tools, and strategies they need as they face challenges like anxiety and depression. We believe that the earlier we can provide support, the better chance we have at mitigating the long-term impacts of mental health struggles. That’s why we’ve invested in organizations focused on young people and providing early help before crises develop.
We want to highlight three of the organizations we’ve chosen to support this year:
Lenny Learning supports counselors and teachers in creating customized behavioral and mental health interventions using vetted content and brain health research. Their engaging AI tool, “Lenny,” works with educators to create lesson plans for any grade or subject on topics including emotional regulation, stress management, and resilience. We believe that by equipping kids with these tools early, Lenny Learning is making an important contribution to building a generation better prepared to navigate the ups and downs of life.
The One Mind Accelerator is accelerating the development of solutions to some of the most pressing mental health challenges. They focus on early-stage startups and entrepreneurs who are designing new approaches and tools for mental health interventions. This program nurtures innovation and helps bring groundbreaking ideas to scale, driving impact on a broad level. One Mind Accelerator aligns with our philosophy of investing in early interventions to prevent crises before they occur, and we’re excited to see what new leaders and organizations come out of this promising program.
Inseparable is a movement dedicated to closing the mental health care gap in America, advocating for policy changes that prioritize mental health. One of the reasons we chose to support Inseparable is their commitment to making mental health care accessible to everyone, especially young people. A special initiative led by Sarah Broome, in particular, stands out for its potential to unlock more Medicaid dollars for mental health supports in schools. By ensuring that schools have the resources they need to provide mental health care, Sarah and her team are working to address mental health challenges at a critical point in a young person’s life, when early intervention can have a profound impact.
This first year of dedicated mental health giving is just the beginning. We know the challenges are vast, but we are optimistic about the potential for meaningful change. By focusing on early-stage interventions and innovative approaches, we hope to make a difference in the lives of young people and support the next generation in facing mental health challenges with resilience and hope. As part of our learning over the last several years, we have decided to focus on a smaller number of organizations and try to be more impactful as partners for those we choose to work with.
Greymatter Capital is a new impact investment of Greenbridge Capital. Grey Matter is an emerging venture fund focused on investing in early-stage companies innovating in the mental health arena.