Toms is marking World Mental Health Day today with the launch of a new grant program.
Called 10×10, Toms is giving $10,000 grants to 10 different mental health focused organizations around the world. The goal is to help fund access to resources for people to take the “first step” into bettering their mental health, Toms said a statement.
For this initiative, Toms said its Impact team identified organizations that have significant mental health programming and an established track record in providing tangible mental health resources.
The ten organizations receiving the Toms 10×10 grants include AMAFE in Spain, Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective in the United States, Fundación Origen in Mexico, Healthy Minds Alliance by Health360 in the United States, Jack.org in Canada, The LightHouse Arabia in the United Arab Emirates, The Maya Centre in the United Kingdom, MHI Mental Health Initiative in Germany, Team Tilia in Sweden, and Together for Children in Greece.
“The earlier a mental health challenge is identified, and the more quickly a person receives care, the more attainable recovery can be,” Amy Smith, Toms chief strategy and impact officer, said in a statement. “We have learned from our impact partners that one of the primary reasons people do not seek professional help is a lack of information and resources about where to start. We are proud to give grants to these 10 organizations across the globe that support mental health programming on a local level.”
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Toms’ new 10×10 grant program is part of its rebrand last year, which saw the company introduce a new commitment to give a third of annual net profits to local community-focused organizations. This move marked a departure from its signature “One for One” giving strategy — that is, buy a pair of shoes and the brand gives a pair to a child in a developing or undeveloped country.
In its March Impact report, Toms noted that over $2 million in grants were given to 43 community-based organizations, impacting over 20 communities and 400,000 lives in 2021. Toms also noted that 44% of its funding went to boosting mental health support in 2021, with the additional 38% going to increasing access to opportunities and the final 18% going toward ending gun violence.
