{"id":3105,"date":"2026-07-09T20:45:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T20:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3105"},"modified":"2026-07-09T20:45:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T20:45:16","slug":"billionaire-mackenzie-scott-just-donated-20-million-to-support-americas-youth-mental-health-as-a-fifth-of-teens-struggle-with-suicidal-thoughts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3105","title":{"rendered":"Billionaire MacKenzie Scott just donated $20 million to support America\u2019s youth mental health, as a fifth of teens struggle with suicidal thoughts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Active Minds, a U.S. non-profit mobilizing youth and young adults to change the culture around mental health, just received a $20 million gift from the billionaire worth $35.8 billion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Three-time Olympic canoeist\u00a0pleads not guilty to touching water in Reflecting Pool vandalism charge<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the largest donation in the organization\u2019s history, and notably, was completely unrestricted; Scott famously allows organizations to spend the money as they see fit, allowing organizations like Active Minds to expand programming, invest in long-term growth, and respond to community needs without donor-imposed restrictions. Scott has previously donated to the non-profit, having gifted $4 million in 2021.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMacKenzie Scott\u2019s investment in\u00a0Active\u00a0Minds is transformative not just in its scale, but in its validation of young people as the primary drivers of change in mental health,\u201d Alison Malmon, founder and executive director at Active Minds, tells Fortune<\/em>. \u201cUnrestricted support provides us with the flexibility to use resources where the need and opportunity are greatest, while simultaneously building our long-term capacity to meet this pivotal moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

And since receiving the gift, the non-profit says it\u2019s strategized a multi-year plan to dole out the money in scaling national infrastructure that builds community, energizes young leadership, funds youth-led solutions, and \u201ctranslates youth voices into system change.\u201d Active Mind is also looking to funnel resources into its Mental Health Advocacy Academy for high schoolers, as well as its Mental Health Advocacy Institute for college students.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile this gift secures a strong foundation and helps us navigate an uncertain philanthropic landscape, philanthropy alone cannot solve this crisis,\u201d Malmon continues. \u201cLasting progress requires sustained, cross-sector investment.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. You can call or text 998 to reach America\u2019s free and confidential Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for support. Or, you can chat online at 988lifeline.org.<\/em><\/p>\n

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America\u2019s youth is up against a mental health crisis\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Scott\u2019s donation comes at a dire time for U.S. teens\u2019 mental health.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Around a fifth of American high schoolers have seriously considered attempting suicide, according to 2023 data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), with 16% even creating a plan. During that same year, around 20% of U.S. adolescents, aged 12 to 17, reported facing feelings of anxiety within the last two weeks; another 18% reported symptoms of depression.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s an issue that\u2019s worsening over time. The proportion of young people experiencing severe anxiety shot up by 86% in the U.S. since the mid-1990s, according to a 2025 study published by mental health researchers. Severe depression also skyrocketed by 145%.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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And it\u2019s no surprise that Gen Zers seem to be struggling the most. Last year, researchers at Harvard University and Baylor University discovered that, on average, young adults aged between 18 to 29 are deeply unhappy. The young adults struggle with poor mental, physical health, negative judgments of their own personal character, finding meaning in life, financial security, and the quality of their relationships.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Altman says OpenAI made \u2018many changes\u2019 during talks with U.S.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Gen Z is so dejected that they\u2019re actively dismantling Harvard\u2019s long-established Flourishing Measure. Now, the happiness curve is flat until around age 50, when life satisfaction begins to rise again.<\/p>\n

Scott has been on a $26 billion giving spree since 2020<\/h2>\n

Scott\u2019s $20 million donation is just a drop in the bucket of her $26 billion philanthropic streak since 2020, when she started steadily donating through her foundation, Yield Giving.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The philanthropist donated a whopping $7.2 billion in 2025 alone. She\u2019s named the third most generous philanthropist in the world, having given away 46% of her net worth, according to an 2026 analysis from Forbes<\/em>. In contrast, Forbes<\/em> also estimated that Bezos and his wife, Lauren S\u00e1nchez Bezos, have donated only $4.7 billion throughout their entire lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And her philanthropic priorities often extend to causes and institutions that support vulnerable communities, like combating America\u2019s youth mental health crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Earlier this year, the early Amazon employee and ex-wife of Jeff Bezos gave a $70 million unrestricted donation to Meals on Wheels America: a leadership organization that supports nationwide charities in providing meals, social connection, and safety checks to more than two million U.S. seniors and homebound people every year. Her contribution came at a time when one in three local Meals on Wheels America providers have a wait-list, with elderly citizens having to wait an average of four months for meals and services.<\/p>\n

Scott has also shelled out 10 figures to support education. Just a few months ago, she gifted $72 million to Minnesota tribal college Red Lake Nation College. And just weeks before that, it was revealed that the 56-year-old had donated $42 million to Elizabeth City State University\u2014one of America\u2019s historically Black colleges and universities. That contribution set her at a new milestone, pushing her total giving to HBCUs over the $1 billion mark.<\/p>\n

Habitat for Humanity, a global nonprofit organization helping alleviate the housing crisis, also received $436 million in unrestricted giving from the mega philanthropist. Plus, Scott has invested in climate action, donating $90 million to the Forests, People, Climate (FPC) collaborative determined to end tropical deforestation. Even the Girl Scouts of the USA received about $84.5 million from Scott to support girls\u2019 leadership and programming.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Microsoft\u2019s emissions surged 25% in 2025 during data center boom<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MacKenzie Scott, worth $35.8 billion, just donated a record-breaking gift to the U.S. nonprofit Active Minds to support a \u201cnew era of mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3104,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[346],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-billionaires"],"yoast_head":"\nBillionaire MacKenzie Scott just donated $20 million to support America\u2019s youth mental health, as a fifth of teens struggle with suicidal thoughts - Cross Country Moving Team<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3105\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Billionaire MacKenzie Scott just donated $20 million to support America\u2019s youth mental health, as a fifth of teens struggle with suicidal thoughts - 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