Families, advocates, and policymakers navigating severe mental illness need clear, trustworthy sources of information. The organizations below provide research, education, and advocacy at the national level. Each plays a different role — from advancing science and shaping policy to sharing lived experience and elevating voices. Together, they offer a starting point for understanding both the challenges and the solutions.
The Treatment Advocacy Center is a national nonprofit dedicated to eliminating barriers to timely and effective treatment for people with severe mental illness. Their website offers research, policy updates, and practical guides for families and policymakers.
Sandy Pruett Project & TAC
- Featured in the SMI Advocate Newsletter
- Listed as an advocacy resource on the Treatment Advocacy Center website
AwareNow
AwareNow is a media platform focused on elevating personal stories and raising awareness around social impact issues, including mental health. Through magazines, podcasts, and live events, AwareNow shares first-person narratives and creative campaigns designed to inspire understanding and change.
Mad Moms of AZ / The Angry Moms
The Arizona Mad Moms is a grassroots movement of mothers, caregivers, and family members of loved ones with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) – especially psychosis disorders. Through support, advocacy and legislation, Mad Moms is a voice to identify barriers to treatment and to hold agencies accountable. We are Moms demanding dignified and effective treatment for all seriously mentally ill.
National Shattering
Silence Coalition
The National Shattering Silence Coalition is an alliance of advocates working to improve care and outcomes for people living with severe mental illness. NSSC focuses on policy reform, public education, and amplifying the voices of families and individuals directly impacted.
Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance (S&PAA)
The Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance is a national nonprofit committed to improving lives affected by schizophrenia and related psychosis spectrum disorders. They provide education, advocacy, and community connection to advance understanding and drive systemic change.
Brett M Staples Brain Disorder Awareness Coalition
The purpose of the Brett M. Staples Brain Disorder Awareness Coalition is to address the problems associated with brain disorders and the impact they have on the individuals, families, the community, and law enforcement.
Imagine a future where everyone with a mental illness has a right to care —
a future defined by kindness, compassion and the promise of healing and hope.
Together, let’s create a stigma-free world where our care systems are designed for success and where suicide is no longer an option.
Partner: Accelerating Social Good
Cover My Mental Health
An estimated 15 – 22 million mental health and substance use disorder insurance claims are denied each year by private insurers. Cover My Mental Health supports individuals to overcome insurer obstacles to care, notably denials for “not medically necessary,” “no in-network provider” available, and other inexplicable barriers to care.
Sozosei
Foundation
The Sozosei Foundation is a philanthropic organization committed to decriminalizing mental illness and ending the use of jails and prisons as default responses to psychiatric crises. Through grants, convenings, and advocacy, the foundation supports innovative approaches that replace punishment with care.
CureSZ
The CURESZ Foundation (Comprehensive Understanding via Research and Education into Schizophrenia) is dedicated to advancing knowledge and support for schizophrenia and related disorders. They connect families with expert information, promote research, and share stories of recovery to reduce stigma and improve outcomes.
wysiwyg
NASMHPD represents the state officials who oversee public mental health systems. The organization produces research, policy reports, and data — including key statistics on psychiatric bed capacity and treatment availability nationwide.
Voices Affirming the Mission
“It’s hard to adequately express just how grateful I am for organizations that tell about the journeys of families with illness from injury or genetic predisposition or both…. Stories about our most complex organ attached to every organ and cell within our bodies, and also least understood – making the journey ever more complicated, against and yet within a system that is deeply fragmented and too imperfect. A system that is so taxing upon the practitioners and families alike…. A system where families often find wrong answers, apathy, or no answers because of life’s complexities.
A HUGE THANK YOU!!!!!”
Chris Jay
