Press Release

July 7, 2026 — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Active Minds, the nation’s leading nonprofit mobilizing youth and young adults to change the culture around mental health so that it is prioritized in society, today announced a $20 million unrestricted gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott — the largest gift in the organization’s history. The gift follows Scott’s previous $4 million gift to Active Minds in 2021, reinforcing the organization’s position as a national leader in youth mental health and its mission to create a society that forever values and prioritizes mental health. Since receiving the gift, Active Minds has been working alongside its Board, youth and young adult leaders, and school partners to identify strategic investments that will strengthen the organization's long-term impact. Through this collaborative process, Active Minds has developed a multi-year strategy focused on scaling the national infrastructure that builds community, mobilizes youth leadership, funds youth-led solutions, and translates youth voices into system change. Active Minds plans to expand investments in youth-led solutions through initiatives such as the Active Minds Mental Health Advocacy Academy for high school youth and Active Minds Mental Health Advocacy Institute for college students, increasing the number of youth and young adults who can gain the leadership, advocacy, and organizing skills needed to drive meaningful mental health change in their schools, campuses, and communities. More broadly, the funding will help expand access to Active Minds' national programs, ensuring more youth and young adults have opportunities to develop mental health literacy, strengthen peer networks, use their voices to influence change, and help build communities where mental health is valued and prioritized. While this unrestricted gift is transformational for the organization, the investment reinforces the critical need for sustained and immediate support for youth mental health. “This is a defining moment for Active Minds and for youth mental health in this country,” said Alison Malmon, Founder & Executive Director at Active Minds. “We are profoundly grateful to MacKenzie Scott for her trust in our mission and our community. This gift allows us to make bold, long-envisioned investments in youth leadership and youth-led solutions to champion a new era of mental health.” For more than two decades, Active Minds has worked to shift the culture surrounding mental health through youth and young adult leadership, peer-based connection, education, and advocacy. The organization was founded by Alison Malmon during her junior year at the University of Pennsylvania after the suicide of her older brother and only sibling, Brian. Since launching its first college chapter in 2001, Active Minds has grown into a nationwide movement reaching more than 4.5 million youth and young adults through peer-led programs, education, advocacy, and community engagement initiatives. At a time when schools, campuses, and communities are urgently seeking scalable solutions to support youth mental health, Active Minds continues to help define the national model for proven youth-led mental health programming, youth advocacy, and community-based culture change. This investment accelerates the organization’s ability to expand its proven programs, strengthen youth leadership development, deepen community engagement, and continue building a future where mental health is forever valued and prioritized.

June 16, 2026 — Active Minds, backed by $5 million from Google.org, is expanding its youth-led mental health program to equip 100,000 students across 154 high schools.

May 5, 2026 — The Campus Lifeline Act aims to expand access to campus mental health resources, and increase visibility of the 988 Lifeline among young adults.

April 2, 2026 — The newly expanded digital platform is now helping youth advocate for mental health and improve digital wellbeing in their schools, families, and communities.

March 16, 2026 — Active Minds launched the 2026 Spring SSP tour at Princeton Senior High, drawing 600+ students, expanding a new chapter, and creating more impact.

February 4, 2026 — Congress is urging SAMHSA to coordinate placing the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline on student ID cards, advancing a long-standing priority of Active Minds.

January 26, 2026 — The Summit brought together 220 high school students for a full day of connection, learning, and action around mental health advocacy.

January 23, 2026 — The first Summit introduced students to the role of mental health advocates and equipped them with practical skills to support well-being in their schools and communities.

January 14, 2026 — Acclaimed media personality joins national nonprofit to champion a new era of mental health Washington, D.C. — Today, Active Minds, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to mobilizing youth and young adults to transform mental health norms, proudly announces Jay Michael Martin Jr.—national PBS host, storyteller, and advocate—as the organization’s newest Active Minds Mental Health Ambassador. Known for creating safe spaces through vulnerability, healing, and truth, Martin has built a career inspiring audiences across digital and live platforms to transform personal pain into purpose-driven impact. Born in Buffalo, New York, and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Martin began his healing journey when unfortunately after experiencing a mental breakdown in 2017. Through therapy and storytelling, he found his voice, launching The Drive Project Podcast in 2018—a six-season series dedicated to mental wellness and motivation that featured journalists, therapists, and storytellers sharing how they overcame life’s hardest moments. By 2021, Martin transitioned from podcasting to television, becoming a local PBS host and then quickly rising to the national stage. He later created Note to Self—a motivational series for KOMO 4’s Arc Seattle reminding viewers that they are seen, loved, and capable of getting through difficult times. His storytelling has since reached wide audiences through branded campaigns for Amazon, Microsoft, Storytelling for Sonobello, Seattle Theatre Group, King County  Library Foundation  and the Telly Award–winning commercial Phillips Law Injury through Brandtegic. “Jay Michael Martin Jr. exemplifies the power of vulnerability in a way that deeply resonates with youth and young adults,” said Alison Malmon, Founder and Executive Director of Active Minds. “We are honored to welcome him as an Active Minds Mental Health Ambassador and look forward to collaborating with him to inspire the next generation to champion a new era of mental health—together.” Martin’s journey has been deeply shaped by personal loss, including the passing of his grandmother—his lifelong inspiration—and his mother, who died in early 2024 after a long battle with mental health and addiction. From that pain, he created Talks with Jay, a soul-led video series offering hope, identity, and healing in under a minute. “Storytelling saved my life,” said Jay Michael Martin Jr. “Through transparency, we give others permission to heal. My hope with Active Minds is to remind youth and young adults that their stories matter, that they are not alone, and that healing is possible.” Through the support of Ti-Shea Meadows, Vice President, Operations, Channel Planning, and Culture, with Paramount, Martin was given the opportunity at The Storytellers to showcase Cooking with Jay — a live activation blending food, conversation, and mental wellness storytelling — featuring college students and advocates from Active Minds. This is where the relationship with Active Minds began. As an Ambassador, Martin will collaborate with Active Minds to elevate mental health storytelling through various initiatives that equip youth and young adults to prioritize self-care and community support. Martin dedicates his next chapter in his career to his mother Charmaine Lynn Martin.

December 1, 2025 — Students came together for a Feelings Fair promoting creativity, connection, and emotional wellbeing, part of Urban Outfitters’ holiday campaign.

October 10, 2025 — The virtual panel discussion event explored how youth and young adults are using storytelling to create connection, fight stigma, and build authentic support networks.

September 15, 2025 — These appropriations victories acknowledge the growing role of peer-led programs and the urgent need to connect more people to life-saving crisis services.