Best mental health charities
11 mental health charities, ranked by rating. Every rating, EIN and filing was checked in October 2026.
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American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Funds suicide prevention research and runs education and survivor support programs.
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Mental Health America
Promotes mental health as a critical part of overall wellness through advocacy, education, research, and service.
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Mental Health Center of Denver
Provides comprehensive mental health care services including community mental health care and residential programs for vulnerable populations.
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Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
Funds research on psychiatric illnesses including depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
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Crisis Text Line
Provides free, 24/7 mental health support by text message.
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The Jed Foundation
Works to protect emotional health and prevent suicide among teens and young adults.
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Active Minds
Student-led network that promotes mental health awareness on college campuses.
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NAMI
Provides free mental health education, support groups and a helpline for people and families affected by mental illness.
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Mental Health Cooperative
Delivers integrated community health care and mental health services to individuals and families in Middle Tennessee.
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To Write Love on Her Arms
Supports people facing depression, addiction and self-injury and helps fund treatment and recovery.
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Jefferson Center for Mental Health
Provides comprehensive community mental health services including crisis intervention, therapy, and substance use treatment.
How to judge mental health charities
For crisis lines, look at response time, training rigor, and outcome data on caller follow-up. For treatment-focused organizations, examine evidence-based therapy modalities used, average wait times, and patient outcomes (where reported). Mental Health America and The Trevor Project publish outcome data — use that as a benchmark when evaluating others.
What these charities do
Mental-health nonprofits operate across crisis intervention, direct treatment, research, advocacy, and public-awareness campaigns. Crisis lines (text and phone) provide immediate suicide-prevention and emotional support. Treatment-focused organizations offer therapy on sliding-scale fees, expand access to psychiatric care, and integrate mental-health services into primary care. Advocacy groups work on parity laws, insurance coverage, and reducing stigma. Funding supports clinicians, crisis-counselor training, research, and policy work.
- Crisis text and phone lines providing 24/7 suicide-prevention support
- Community mental-health clinics offering sliding-scale therapy and psychiatric care
- Research into evidence-based treatments and prevention
- School-based mental-health programs and educator training
- Advocacy for mental-health parity, insurance coverage, and reduced stigma
Ways to help beyond a donation
- Recurring monthly gifts particularly help crisis lines maintain staffing predictability
- Volunteer as a crisis counselor (most organizations offer extensive training)
- Advocate for mental-health parity in insurance laws at the state level
- Share resources publicly — destigmatization is itself a major intervention
- Donate to research-focused organizations to accelerate the next generation of treatments
Frequently asked
What is the highest-rated mental health charity?
Among the 11 mental health charities in our directory, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Mental Health America and Mental Health Center of Denver share the highest Charity Navigator score, 100%. Ratings checked October 2026.
How many mental health charities have a 4-star rating?
10 of the 11 mental health charities we list hold Charity Navigator's top rating of 4 stars. Each charity's page shows its exact score, its EIN and its recent Form 990 financials.
How do I choose a mental health charity?
For crisis lines, look at response time, training rigor, and outcome data on caller follow-up. For treatment-focused organizations, examine evidence-based therapy modalities used, average wait times, and patient outcomes (where reported). Mental Health America and The Trevor Project publish outcome data — use that as a benchmark when evaluating others.
How we rank: GiveWell and Animal Charity Evaluators picks come first, then charities by Charity Navigator's overall score. Financials come from each charity's IRS Form 990, via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. More on our method.