For older children, adolescents, and young adults, the disruptions to schooling, community connections, and pathways to adulthood have put a generation of young people at risk. Youth and young adults have been vulnerable to increased psychological stress from COVID-19 restrictions and physical distancing measures.[2] Marginalized youth (e.g., foster youth, immigrant youth, LGBTQ+ youth, low-income youth) are among those that have disproportionately borne the weight of pandemic-related loss and trauma, such as the death of a family member and reduced family income. Donors can help teens and young adults by enhancing mental health, resilience, and life skills; providing educational support for earning high school diplomas and moving to post-secondary education; and providing mentorship and vocational training so that young people can successfully enter the workforce.

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lock-down restrictions and economic recession negatively affected mental health outcomes for many, and created new barriers for those already living with mental illness. In 2019, 1 in 10 U.S. adults experienced anxiety and depressive disorder. In 2020, that number rose to 4 in 10 American adults.[3] Globally, there was an additional 53 million cases of major depressive disorder, an increase of 28%, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [4] Donors can support mental health and well-being by funding efforts that engage community caregivers to expand mental health care, rebuild connections among people and communities, make mental health care affordable and accessible for all, and reinvent the mental health crisis system.

As the COVID-19 pandemic moves into its third year, people around the world continue to face high rates of hardship. Globally, the economy is recovering unevenly: In low-income countries, per-capita GDP is expected to remain below pre-COVID-19 levels for the next few years.[5] In the U.S, as of October 2021, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that 20 million adults reported difficulty getting enough food, and 12 million Americans are behind on rent.[6] Donors can help meet basic needs by funding efforts that provide cash directly to those who urgently need it, expand access to benefits for eligible households, support affordable housing, and ensure community safety.

The COVID-19 pandemic produced economic struggles for people and households around. In the U.S. low-paid workers have taken the hardest hit: the lowest-paying industries accounted for 30% of all jobs but 56% of the jobs lost from February 2020 to September 2021.[7] Around the world, women and girls have faced much more economic consequences as a result of the pandemic. Women make up almost 2/5 of the global labor force but have suffered more than half of total job losses from the crisis. That’s left them 1.8 times more vulnerable to the pandemic’s impact than men.[8] By funding efforts that make high-quality child, elder, and family care available and training and retraining workers, donors can help those excluded from the workforce secure livelihoods needed to provide for themselves and their families.

Gold Sponsor

Fidelity Charitable is an independent public charity that has helped donors support more than 328,000 nonprofit organizations with $51 billion in grants. Established in 1991, Fidelity Charitable launched the first national donor-advised fund program. The mission of the organization is to grow the American tradition of philanthropy by providing programs that make charitable giving accessible, simple, and effective.