Chance the Rapper’s philanthropic work in Chicago extended beyond education, with his nonprofit organisation SocialWorks directing funding towards mental health services for communities that often struggle to access care.
One of its beneficiaries was Under the Rainbow, a youth therapy programme run by Sinai Health System that works with children, adolescents and their families affected by trauma and community violence. Based on reporting by SocialWorks, alongside coverage by ABC News and CBS News on Chance the Rapper’s mental health philanthropy, the programme was selected in December 2019 as one of six recipients of SocialWorks’ My State of Mind initiative, which was designed to improve access to mental health support and encourage more open conversations about emotional well-being.
The grant was meant to fund services for three years, including therapeutic summer camps and activities where young people and their families could connect in a safe environment outside traditional clinical settings. Continued support was especially important because nearly 85 per cent of young people in Under the Rainbow were reported to have PTSD, and all had experienced community violence.
Making mental health support more accessible
The grant formed part of a wider commitment announced by Chance the Rapper, whose real name is Chancelor Bennett, in October 2018.
Through SocialWorks, he pledged $1 million towards mental health services in Chicago, with six providers in Cook County set to receive grants of $100,000 each.As reported by ABC News and CBS News at the time, the initiative sought to address barriers to mental health care and connect residents with appropriate services. My State of Mind was developed as part of that effort, with a focus on helping people find wellness resources and making mental health support easier to navigate.The programme also reflected SocialWorks’ broader community-focused approach. Founded to empower young people through arts, education and civic engagement, the organisation has pursued projects intended to expand opportunities for Chicago residents, particularly young people from underserved communities.Under the Rainbow’s selection reflected the importance of combining professional mental health care with experiences that help families build trust and emotional connections.
For children exposed to violence, support can extend beyond appointments with therapists to include environments where they can feel safe, participate in activities and connect with others facing similar challenges.
Creating safe spaces beyond traditional therapy
The funding was expected to help Under the Rainbow continue offering activities such as therapeutic summer camps, giving children and families opportunities to engage in healing outside the traditional therapy room.
For Sinai Health System, the partnership offered a way to sustain services for young people dealing with difficult experiences while broadening the ways they could access support. SocialWorks, meanwhile, viewed the grants as an opportunity to back organisations that were already connected to their communities and were approaching mental health care through a combination of clinical treatment and community-based programmes.The initiative highlighted a central challenge in youth mental health: access to care is not only about the availability of professional services, but also about creating environments where seeking help feels acceptable and safe.By supporting Under the Rainbow, SocialWorks aimed to help preserve a programme that addressed trauma while giving young people and their families opportunities to connect, recover and build resilience. The partnership was one part of Chance the Rapper’s wider effort to invest in Chicago communities through philanthropy, with mental health support placed alongside education and youth development as areas requiring long-term attention.