Pinterest Supports Users' Well-Being and Six Nonprofits for World Mental Health Day

One in four people will be affected by mental health issues in their lifetime, and more than 300 million people today suffer from depression, according to the World Health Organization. In honor of World Mental Health Day on Sunday, Pinterest has launched a new campaign, “Havens: Invest in Rest” to create space on its platform for users, or “pinners,” to reflect on the global impact of mental health. Additionally, it will give more than $1 million to mental health organizations.

Pinterest has found more pinners are relying on the social media platform for community giving news, as well as inspiration, with "destressing tips" searches up 12.7 times, "Sunday rest routine" inquiries increasing seven times and "self care quotes mental health" searches quadrupling, according to Pinterest search data. In addition to the online destination, the campaign will also have an in-person art installation by local artist Dwight White in Chicago’s South Side to bring an anti-burnout oasis to life through real-life pins, immersive art and community programming this weekend.

“The idea of radical rest is a conversation that is important to have in my community as we understand boundaries and self care,” White said. “As young black professionals and entrepreneurs, one of the greatest challenges we face is putting our health before fulfilling the next request, project or commission. I was thrilled to curate an experience that encourages us to take a break, bringing this important theme of resting to life through my art for World Mental Health Day.”

To support the campaign, Pinterest has committed to donate $80,000 to three Chicago-based, community-led organizations from the Pinterest Charitable Fund, the company’s donor-advised fund administered by a donor-advised fund program. Those recipients include:

• Boundless Early Education
• Urban Juncture Foundation
• Coffee, Hip Hop and Mental Health

Additionally, Pinterest will provide more than $1 million in grants to national organizations focused on emotional well-being services and resources for underrepresented and marginalized groups. Those partners include:

• Rising Ground
• The Steve Fund
• The Trevor Project

The platform announced earlier this year it would donate $10 million over 12 months to fund organizations that are increasing awareness of mental health and well-being challenges, advancing innovations in the field, and explicitly tackling racial and other disparities in access.

“Pinterest’s social impact thesis is that emotional well-being and mental health are vital components of living a life you love,” Ari Simon, head of social impact and philanthropy at Pinterest, said in a statement. “On World Mental Health Day, we’ve chosen to focus on historically underrepresented and underserved communities — and organizations doing groundbreaking work supporting them at multiple levels. That ranges from deep place-based work in communities like Chicago and New York, to programs and advocacy efforts that are making a dramatic impact on mental health access and outcomes across the country.”