Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children's Mental Health Announces 2026 Innovation Award Winners, Including Inaugural Next Gen Leaders

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) today announced the 2026 winners of its Alliance for Children's Mental Health (the "Alliance") Innovation Awards, an initiative that funds and accelerates transformative solutions across the U.S to build a stronger mental health ecosystem for youth.

Seven nonprofits—The Defensive Line, Lay Mental Health Advocates, Letters to Strangers, NoSo Connection Collective, Only7Seconds, Project:Camp and Project Sanctuary—were chosen for their cutting-edge solutions to the youth mental health crisis and their strategies for greater impact. Three of these winners fall into the new Next Gen category, aimed at expanding the mental health talent pipeline by supporting organizations founded or led by individuals under 32 years old.

Selected from over 900 applicants, each winning organization will receive a grant to expand programming, as well as leadership training from industry experts, promotional support and networking opportunities with other nonprofits in the space.

"As the mental health challenges facing our nation's youth persist, so too does the need for bold, scalable solutions that meet young people where they are," said Joan Steinberg, President of the Morgan Stanley Foundation and CEO of the Alliance for Children's Mental Health's Advisory Board. "This year's Innovation Award winners—including our first cohort of Next Gen leaders—are rising to meet that need by reimagining how we address crises, deliver care and foster connection."

The following Next Gen Innovation Award winners will receive a $50,000 grant:

• The Defensive Line (Next Gen) seeks to end the youth suicide crisis by transforming communication and connection around mental health.
  • Suicide Prevention Workshops train youth-serving adults to recognize mental health crises and strengthen response practices in schools and youth organizations.

• Lay Mental Health Advocates (Next Gen) trains and connects young adult volunteers with youth who are seeking support navigating the mental healthcare system.
  • Mental Health Navigation trains young adults to provide emotional and care management support, helping peers access resources, stay in treatment and avoid crisis-driven pathways.

• Letters to Strangers (Next Gen) aims to destigmatize mental illness and expand access to youth-centered mental health support.
  • Chapters facilitate peer-driven therapeutic letter exchanges, educational workshops and advocacy, and the Educator Fellowship equips teachers with skills needed to better support student mental health.

The following 2026 Innovation Award winners will receive a $100,000 grant:

• NoSo Connection Collective empowers and equips young people with the tools, knowledge and practices to build a healthier tech-life balance.
  • School and Community Engagement includes youth-led workshops, presentations, peer support discussions, and mindfulness events that foster healthy digital habits and strengthen connections to support youth mental wellbeing.

• Only7Seconds addresses youth loneliness by equipping young people to build meaningful connections and foster emotional wellbeing.
  • Club7 scales peer-driven clubs that promote community, social health and digital wellness, providing youth leaders with resources and activities to spark meaningful connections.

• Project:Camp creates free, trauma-informed day camps for children impacted by disaster.
  • Pop-Up Camps provide stopgap care in the immediate aftermath of disasters and expand a national network of trained youth professionals to rapidly deliver services in affected communities.

• Project Sanctuary offers therapeutic retreats and ongoing mental health support for military and first responder families.
  • Pursuing Wellness addresses mental health needs for youth in at-risk families with a tailored curriculum, retreats and workshops to build stress management skills and emotional resilience.

Now in its fifth year, the Innovation Awards program has provided over $2.5 million in grants to 27 organizations. The winners are selected by experts from the Alliance, which brings together leaders from Morgan Stanley and distinguished nonprofits in the children's mental health space.

In addition to this year's awards, over 130 nonprofits will participate in the Alliance's Leadership Learning Series, which offers expert-led and peer-sharing sessions covering topics such as strategic development, funding for scaling and impact measurement.

To learn more about the Innovation Awards and previous winners, visit here.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in 42 countries, the Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.

About Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children's Mental Health

Launched in 2020, the Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children's Mental Health brings together key leaders in the children's mental health space and combines the resources and reach of Morgan Stanley with the knowledge and experience of its distinguished nonprofit member organizations. The Alliance helps strategically address children's mental health concerns and the far-reaching challenges of stress, anxiety, and depression. For more information about the Alliance, visit www.morganstanley.com/mentalhealthalliance.

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Carrie Hall

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