Ittleson Foundation
OVERVIEW: The Ittleson Foundation prioritizes mental health projects and initiatives, AIDS, and the Environment.
IP TAKE: The Ittleson Foundation’s mental health funding prioritizes young and vulnerable people. This funder tends to make grants of $50,000 and under to organizations where these amounts can make a significant difference in operations. Mental health grantmaking alternates annually with the foundation’s other programs, and the next round of funding is expected in 2023. Short letters of inquiry are accepted prior to September 1 of the funding year.
PROFILE: Created by financier Henry Ittleson in 1932, the Ittleson Foundation has recognized mental health as a public health issue for nearly a century. The foundation seeks to serve “the needs of the underprivileged” and “provide funds for new initiatives and model projects that have the potential to greatly enhance public policy and the lives of fellow citizens.” Grantmaking is national in scope.
Its Mental Health grantmaking program supports the elimination of stigmas and stereotypes related to mental illness, improving access to mental health care, as well as to organizations working in preventative mental healthcare. The foundation has also supported research on mental health and wellness. Though Ittleson includes all age groups in its grantmaking, it prioritizes support for youth and adolescents, including programs for the parents, teachers and caregivers that have close contact and relationships with young people. Past mental health grantees include the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, the Carson J. Spencer Foundation, the Crisis Text Line and South Carolina’s Darkness to Light, which works to prevent child sexual abuse.
Ittleson’s mental health grants range from $5,000 to $50,000 and tend to support smaller, community-led organizations serving vulnerable young people. For additional information about past grantmaking see the foundation’s mental health grants page.
The Ittleson Foundation “annually alternates its new grantmaking between its Mental Health, AIDS and Environmental program areas.” Since mental health grants were last awarded in 2020, it is likely that the program will run again in 2023. The foundation accepts short letters of inquiry prior to September 1 of the grantmaking year. Letters should contain information about the organization’s mission, budget and tax-exempt status. The foundation’s staff will reach out with invitations to submit full proposals if the work falls into the foundation's current specific areas of interest.
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