Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation and Cotton On announced their $3 million funding of 65 youth-centered organizations across 10 countries through the Kindness in Community Fund.
This is among the largest funding efforts to provide direct support for youth mental health across the world. From nominations to the initial review to selecting the shortlist, all the way to the final selection, young people in each region were engaged at each step, ensuring their input and perspectives were central to the decision-making process and reflecting their genuine needs and priorities in mental health.
The Kindness in Community Fund grantees span a wide range of focus areas, including direct mental health service providers, arts and culture, youth leadership and development, education, sports and recreation.
Morgantown’s Libera is one of the recipients — receiving $20,000 to support youth mental health and wellbeing in the community.
Libera builds brighter futures for West Virginia youth and young women so they are free to achieve their dreams. The organization provides mentorship, education and employment opportunities through the transformative power of listening, connection and hope.
Find more information at liberawv.com.
The Kindness in Community Fund, launched by Born This Way Foundation and generously supported by Cotton On, will help our organization address the evolving needs of young people in our community by providing them with resources to proactively support their own and their peers’ mental health and wellbeing. From nominations to the initial review to selecting the shortlist, all the way to the final selection, young people in each region were engaged at each step, ensuring their input and perspectives were central to the decision-making process and reflecting their genuine needs and priorities in mental health. Born This Way Foundation and Cotton On are deeply committed to addressing the mental health challenges faced by young people in our community, and the Fund ensures that our efforts remain effective. We’re so proud of the thousands of young people who shared their nominations for organizations like ours, helping us receive support and funding to enhance our programs through the Kindness in Community Fund.
By offering up to $150,000 per organization, the fund enables services that respond to the top themes young people hoped to address in their regions, including culturally competent services, LGBTQ+ rights and advocacy, gender-based violence support, de-stigmatizing mental health and migrant and refugee community care. This funding was made possible through an innovative product partnership with the Cotton On Foundation where 100% of proceeds from products designed by the collaboration were donated.
The Kindness in Community Fund offers a comprehensive approach that connects young people with a wide range of free, accessible resources and opportunities to support themselves and their peers.
“It was my daughter’s and my vision to be able to act on the research and thousands of conversations we’ve had with young people globally, where youth have asked for responsive services and programs that meet their needs and support their mental health and whole wellbeing,” said Cynthia Germanotta, president and co-founder of Born This Way Foundation and Lady Gaga’s mother. “Thanks to partners like Cotton On, Born This Way Foundation is able to scale the important work of the 2024 Kindness in Community Fund grant recipients as they support youth mental health and uplift their communities.”
