Announcing the Write to Thrive Fund
Scaling an evidence-based approach to youth mental health and learning through writing.
The Write to Thrive Fund was created to invest in youth writing as prevention. By uniting research, practice, and philanthropy, the fund is building a new model for integrating writing and mental health support in schools and community programs nationwide.
The Write to Thrive Fund Will:
- Provide grants to schools and youth organizations for writing-based well-being programs.
- Train educators and mentors to foster spaces of creative expression and reflection.
- Advance shared learning and research to demonstrate writing’s impact on youth mental health.
America’s youth are powerful, brilliant, and full of potential. They are also in crisis.
Today, one in five children in the United States experiences a mental health challenge—but only 20% receive the care they need. More than 40% of teens report feeling persistently sad or hopeless. And for children of color, the suicide rate is nearly twice that of their peers. Schools and community spaces are struggling to meet the rising need for mental health support. Yet amid this crisis, one powerful tool is too often overlooked: writing.
Writing has proven to be a powerful tool for addressing this crisis. TESTING
Enabling young people to express their emotions, build resilience, and foster personal growth, research highlights that writing can reorganize brain patterns, freeing cognitive resources and serving as a restorative tool amidst trauma. Moreover, writing programs like those offered by 826 National have shown significant impact: 94% of participating students report better understanding of themselves and their lives, and 96% of educators see improvements in students’ SEL skills.
Community-based organizations and schools, as places where young people already gather and feel seen, are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap in mental-health support. By transforming them into creative hubs, we can empower underserved youth—particularly BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and low-income students—to harness their voices, tell their stories, grow creatively, and develop emotional resilience. This initiative leverages 826 National’s proven methodologies and the power of youth writing to create a scalable, impactful response to the mental health challenges facing today’s young people.
Writing has proven to be a powerful tool for addressing this crisis.
Enabling young people to express their emotions, build resilience, and foster personal growth, research highlights that writing can reorganize brain patterns, freeing cognitive resources and serving as a restorative tool amidst trauma. Moreover, writing programs like those offered by 826 National have shown significant impact: 94% of participating students report better understanding of themselves and their lives, and 96% of educators see improvements in students’ SEL skills.
Community-based organizations and schools, as places where young people already gather and feel seen, are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap in mental-health support. By transforming them into creative hubs, we can empower underserved youth—particularly BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and low-income students—to harness their voices, tell their stories, grow creatively, and develop emotional resilience. This initiative leverages 826 National’s proven methodologies and the power of youth writing to create a scalable, impactful response to the mental health challenges facing today’s young people.
Frequently Asked Questions
This grant opportunity is open to youth-serving organizations, schools, and out-of-school-time providers that are dedicated to helping young people find their voices through writing.
826 National seeks to partner with organizations that primarily serve low-income, BIPOC, and/or English Language Learner (ELL) students. On the application, we’ll ask how you measure and understand your students’ demographics so we can learn more about who you serve.
To extend 826’s reach to new communities, we are prioritizing applicants located in states without an existing 826 Chapter. Organizations and schools in California, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Washington, D.C. will be a lower priority for this opportunity. We especially encourage applications from organizations in rural, urban, and tribal communities across other states.
Students participating in the program should be in 4TH-12TH GRADE (currently enrolled, or rising if participating in summer 2026). While participating organizations may extend resources to younger learners in their programs, only students in grades 4–12 will count as official program participants.
- Facilitators will be required to run 8 SESSIONS with their student group(s), with an average run time of 60 minutes
- Facilitators will be required to attend 4 2-hour sessions with their cohorts, the first 2 of which will be in February
- Materials and learnings from these sessions will be leveraged to teach the writing lessons they choose for their students.
- Facilitator and student surveys will be required. Your experience — and those of your students!
Programs supported by this grant must engage at least 100 students directly through the 826 National-funded writing initiative during the grant period. This figure refers specifically to students participating in the supported component, not the broader local program enrollment. We’re looking for partners who can reach a meaningful number of young writers through creative, engaging, and accessible programming. (Please pad for attrition.)
Our review team will use a rubric that considers:
- Number of students expected to participate
- Student demographics and the populations served
- Access to quality writing instruction, literary arts, or similar opportunities in your community
We aim to support organizations that expand access to joyful, high-quality writing experiences for youth who might not otherwise have them.
- Grant Application Period: December 1 – January 15, 2025
- Award Notifications: By February 1, 2026
- Cohort Training: February
Program Implementation: March–June and/or during Summer 2026
Submit an application, view the application questions, and view the budget template at the links below.