Equity Impact Zones
Addressing and closing mental health equity gaps
Equity impact zones overview
For many years, communities have used their deep understanding and experiences to overcome systemic barriers such as marginalization, poverty, and exclusion. These communities have developed innovative solutions to address their urgent needs and improve outcomes for themselves and others.
Community-led and community-designed initiatives are rooted in the identities, cultures, and languages of the communities they serve. Many of these initiatives aim to bridge the mental health and social equity gaps that exist in under-resourced spaces. However, too often, these kinds of solutions are unfunded or underfunded, and communities are left without the capacity to implement or sustain them.
Recognizing these barriers, Mental Health America have established the Equity Impact Zones grant program. This initiative is designed to uplift and amplify community-driven solutions. Through dedicated multi-year financial support and technical assistance, it aims to support long-term sustainability and break through systemic barriers that impede progress and mental health equity.
Equity Impact Zone - New Jersey
With the generous support of Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc., Mental Health America has funded two organizations serving Burlington County and the city of Trenton, New Jersey, who are addressing mental health and social equity gaps through new or existing projects, programs, or initiatives. The goal of the Equity Impact Zone - New Jersey is to improve the well-being of communities. Over time, we aim to demonstrate an evidence base for community-driven solutions to mental health equity and catalyze regional investment for sustainable scaling to close the mental health equity gap.
To learn more about this collaboration to address mental health inequities in New Jersey communities, please read our awardees announcement.
About the grantees
Young Audiences Arts for Learning
Young Audiences Arts for Learning NJ & Eastern PA (YA) is the leading arts-in-education resource in the region, offering teaching artist-led performances, workshops, residencies, and professional learning programs to schools across New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. YA intends to allocate the EIZ grant in support of their Arts Impactive Initiative program, which addresses youth mental health in schools through artmaking in various forms. Partnering schools in Burlington County and Trenton participate in workshops, performances, family programs, and professional learning for teachers to better integrate social emotional learning into their lesson plans.
The Mental Health Association in New Jersey
The Mental Health Association in New Jersey (MHANJ) is a statewide nonprofit organization whose mission is to strive for children and adults to achieve victory over mental illness and substance use disorders through advocacy, education, training and services. MHANJ, one of MHA’s 143 affiliates across the country, will use their grant to support the creation of a multi-level program at the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) to engage those using their services through access to peer navigators and treatment services, a mental health support community, and mental health equity training.