Healthline Media in partnership with the Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM) has announced the Black Trans Women’s Wellness and Mental Health Grants. The new program will award three grants of up to $10K each to Black trans women-led projects that support Black trans women’s mental health. Applications are now open, and winners will be announced in January 2022.
The grants are part of Healthline Media’s $100,000 investment in BEAM’s Black Wellness Innovation Fund, a series of innovative Black-led wellness programs designed to sustainably address unmet mental healthcare needs within Black communities and build a national movement dedicated to the healing, wellness, and liberation of marginalized communities.
“Over the last 10 years it’s become more evident to the general public that dominant mental health interventions were not built with Black people in mind. This fund fills that gap by supporting innovative culture-based mental health interventions that invite Black communities across the country to heal on our own terms,” said Yolo Akili Robinson, Founder and Executive Director of BEAM.
“At Healthline Media, we are passionate about addressing disparities in access to health and wellness,” said Laurie Dewan, VP of Brand Insights and Communications at Healthline Media. “Through our partnership with BEAM and the Black Trans Women’s Wellness and Mental Health Grants, we are furthering our vision of a stronger, healthier world by centering Black trans women innovators and making direct investments in the well-being of Black trans women.”
Black trans women currently experience the highest levels of violence and distress of any group and correspondingly high levels of anxiety, depression, and suicidality. This project aims to address disparities in mental health resources by supporting Black trans women-led projects that support Black trans women’s mental health through innovative approaches to healing and disability justice.
Winners will be selected by a panel of accomplished leaders in the Black trans community, including:
- Dominique Morgan, Executive Director, Black and Pink Inc.
- Aaryn Lang, Writer, Public Speaker & Media Personality
- Valerie Spencer, Capacity Building & Social Services Specialist
- Aryah Lester, Deputy Director, Transgender Strategy Center
“Disparities in mental health outcomes in the Black trans community deserve our attention. We are honored to continue our close work with BEAM to improve mental health outcomes by supporting leaders and mental health advocates within the Black trans community,” said Faye McCray, editor-in-chief of Psych Central, a Healthline Media brand.“Health equity is a top priority for Healthline, which is why we will continue to invest in the mental health of historically excluded communities.”
