About Us
Our Founder
Recording artist, actress, producer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Selena Gomez has been a leading voice in mental health for over a decade. With unflinching honesty, she shared her personal struggles in the 2022 film My Mind & Me, and consciously works to destigmatize the subject by discussing her mental health journey openly in the media. Selena’s experiences inspired her to establish her beauty brand, Rare Beauty, as a safe, welcoming community for young people everywhere. With The Rare Impact Fund, she aims to create real and lasting change.
As part of this effort, 1% of all Rare Beauty sales are donated to the Rare Impact Fund. In addition, the Rare Impact Fund raises funds from philanthropic foundations, individuals, corporate partners, and the community.
What We Do
The Rare Impact Fund is:
- Mobilizing $100 million in philanthropic dollars to distribute to trusted organizations that align with our vision and mission
- Sourcing and vetting nonprofit partners in mental health to reach more young people and inform the field
- Connecting our donor community to a growing cohort of mental health organizations to increase social capital
Raising awareness and destigmatizing youth mental health
Over 40 percent of Millennials and Gen Z gravitate toward brands and influencers who share their values, concerns, and purpose. Mental Health is among their top priorities.
With the support of philanthropic partners, the Rare Impact Fund is meeting people where they are. Our participatory approach connects corporate donors and nonprofit partners—with millions of young people globally. We are raising awareness and reducing the stigma using social media and campaigns to amplify free mental health content. This exposure has a ripple effect, improving our reach and the sustainability of our nonprofit partners.
Driving more dollars to an underfunded field
According to Mental Health America, 60% of Gen Z youth ages 12 to 17 with major depression do not receive treatment. Other studies show that around half of children and youth who need mental health care do not get it.
Recent data also tells us that global governments are allocating only 2% of their budgets toward mental health, and only 34% of responding countries indicated that their financial needs had been met.
As global governments come up short, private donations are proving to be essential. Yet just 0.5% of global health philanthropic spend went to mental health in 2021, according to WHO.
The Rare Impact Fund bridges the gap between donors and nonprofits to generate much-needed financial support for mental health. Chief among priorities is supporting nonprofits providing services to underrepresented populations as we recognize that mental health disparities among young people who are Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color (BIPOC), and LGBTQ+. are severely under resourced. The Rare Impact Fund portfolio is currently 40% BIPOC-led; globally, 20% of our nonprofit partners are managed by leaders of color.
The Rare Impact Fund is shifting donor attention to nonprofits making a tangible difference in the mental health space, ultimately changing the way they allocate funding.
Expanding access to mental health resources through data
Access to care is a challenge for Gen Z, too. A 2022 Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that almost half (47%) of young adults ages 18 to 29 did not get mental health care in the past year when they thought they might need it, with cost cited among the top barriers.
The Rare Impact Fund collects and analyzes quantitative and qualitative data from our nonprofit partners to inform our approach to delivering grants and resources.
We monitor the progress of our nonprofit partners to assess ways to optimize their impact. This approach to measurement provides donors and prospective partners insight into the most powerful ways to deploy funding. Our aim is to continue expanding access to youth mental health resources by stretching each dollar to its maximum potential.