Google.org has increased its US digital wellbeing fund to more than $50 million and added three initiatives focused on teen mental health, digital safety, and the use of technology in schools and communities.
Announced on June 16, the new funding supports Active Minds, the California Behavioral Health Association (CBHA), and Child Mind Institute. The projects include a national youth mental health program, a behavioral health institute in California, and a digital journaling platform that will integrate Google’s Gemma model.
Active Minds plans to extend its mental health and digital wellbeing programming to 100,000 young people and young adults across the United States. The initiative will focus on mental health literacy, peer networks, and youth-led advocacy.
CBHA is establishing a Behavioral Health Innovation Institute that will work with young people, caregivers, educators, and community partners across California. Child Mind Institute will develop Mirror, a privacy-first digital journaling platform intended for use by young people and organizations supporting them.
The organization says the next phase will place greater emphasis on teen digital safety, healthy technology use, and social isolation.
Active Minds program targets 100,000 young people
The Active Minds funding will support a national expansion of longer-term mental health and digital wellbeing programming.
Google.org says the initiative is intended to give 100,000 young people and young adults opportunities to improve their understanding of mental health, build peer support networks, and advocate for wellbeing in their communities.
The announcement does not specify how participants will be recruited, which schools or communities will take part, or when the 100,000-person target is expected to be reached.
Maggie Johnson, Global Head of Google.org, says: “Growing up today means living in a connected world, and we believe every child should be able to learn, explore and grow safely online with the help of technology.”
Google.org and Active Minds marked the new initiative with a workshop at the Eaton Fire Collaborative in Altadena, California. The event included local student representatives, Active Minds staff, and California Assemblymember John Harabedian.
California institute and Mirror project add community and AI elements
The California Behavioral Health Association will use Google.org support to establish the Behavioral Health Innovation Institute.
The institute will involve young people, caregivers, educators, and community organizations in examining how technology can support mental health, connection, resilience, and wellbeing across California.
Child Mind Institute’s Mirror initiative will focus on digital journaling and emotional reflection. Mirror is described as a privacy-first, evidence-based platform designed to help young people record their emotions and connect with support.
The project will integrate Gemma, Google’s family of open AI models. The integration will support early crisis detection and referrals, but the announcement does not provide evaluation results, technical safeguards, or details of how the system will identify and escalate potential concerns.
Mirror is expected to expand through school and community-based organizations serving populations with high levels of need. Google.org has not announced when the platform will become available or how many young people will initially use it.
Earlier programs reached students, Girl Scouts, and nonprofits
Google.org says earlier funding through the digital wellbeing fund has supported digital citizenship and youth mental health programs in the United States and internationally.
Highlights for Children has provided digital citizenship activities to one million students in second through fifth grade across the United States.
The program has included lessons covering password security, screen breaks, and behavior in online spaces. At an event in Columbus, Ohio, Google.org and Highlights for Children used games and puzzles to teach second-grade students about those topics.
Girl Scouts of the USA has also delivered digital safety activities, with 79,000 Girl Scouts participating in programming focused on navigating online spaces.
The Rare Impact Fund and Project Evident are supporting 30 youth mental health nonprofits worldwide. Google.org says the organizations are receiving digital tools intended to increase their capacity and help them reach millions of young people each year.
The fund now exceeds $50 million, but Google.org has not published a full breakdown of spending across completed and new projects. The next phase will center on the Active Minds expansion, the California Behavioral Health Innovation Institute, and development of Child Mind Institute’s Mirror platform.