CenterLink, April 02,2024
All News
Fort Lauderdale, FL April 2 - CenterLink, the world’s largest LGBTQ community-based association, today announced the 2024-2025 Johnson Family Foundation Mental Health Capacity-Building Initiative (JFF MHCBI) recipients. This year, five distinguished LGBTQ centers have been selected to receive crucial funding aimed at enhancing mental health services within their communities.
Since its inception in 2009, the initiative has provided over $2 million in funding to nearly 70 LGBTQ centers across the United States. The 2024-2025 grant cycle adds $200,000 to this legacy, underscoring the ongoing commitment to addressing the critical need for mental health services in LGBTQ communities.
The grantees are:
- Borderland Rainbow Center, El Paso, TX
- Charlotte Trans Health, Charlotte, NC
- Central Valley Gender Health and Wellness, Stockton, CA
- Omaha ForUs, Inc., Omaha, NE
- Sam and Devorah Foundation for Trans Youth, Chatham, NJ
These centers are part of the more than half of CenterLink's 350+ member organizations that provide mental health services. Despite their efforts, many face challenges in meeting the high demand for services, often due to limited funding. The JFF MHCBI grants will support the centers in enhancing their capacity to serve more clients effectively through various means, including infrastructure improvements, Medicaid billing eligibility, case management system implementation, and the expansion of peer support and mentoring programs.
The need for such initiatives is underscored by the disproportionate rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation among LGBTQ individuals compared to their non-LGBTQ peers, as well as significant barriers to accessing mental healthcare.
Denise Spivak, CEO at CenterLink, said, “The grantees for this award are at the forefront of the LGBTQ Center Movement, seeking to serve their local LGBTQ community in innovative, evidence-based ways. This funding will help them to grow their programs over the coming years exponentially. We're so thankful that the Johnson Family Foundation continues to believe in the life-saving work our centers do every day, and to support LGBTQ mental health at a moment where the need has never been greater.”
Dylan Hoos, Executive Director of the Johnson Family Foundation, said: “JFF is honored to continue this partnership with CenterLink to support LGBTQ centers that are enriching and ultimately saving lives through their mental health services. In this moment when anti-LGTBQ legislation and rhetoric is on the rise, we think it’s more important than ever to expand access to mental health services for LGTBQ communities. This year, we were proud to work with CenterLink to increase the average grant size and refocus on smaller organizations working around the country in the borderlands of Texas, the South, the Midwest, and on either coast.”
CenterLink and the Johnson Family Foundation are proud to support these initiatives that aim to make a significant difference in the lives of LGBTQ individuals by providing them with the mental health services they urgently need.
For more information about CenterLink and the Johnson Family Foundation Mental Health Capacity-Building Initiative, please visit www.lgbtqcenters.org/jff.
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About CenterLink:
For 30 years, CenterLink has been at the forefront of empowering LGBTQ community centers. Our mission is clear: to strengthen, support, and connect LGBTQ community centers, enabling them to effectively serve their communities across social, cultural, health, and advocacy areas. We provide essential resources, guidance, and a collective voice to our emerging and established centers. www.lgbtqcenters.org
About The Johnson Family Foundation:
The Johnson Family Foundation’s mission is to support the development of healthy, vibrant and just communities where individuals, families and the next generation of leaders will thrive. JFF funds programs to improve the health of our environment; promote equality and social progress; and support education and youth. www.jffnd.org
