Morgan Stanley is providing an additional $20m of funding over the next five years to support its Alliance for Children's Mental Health. 

This funding has increased the total investment to $50m since the initiative's inception in 2020.  

The Alliance aims to enhance its programming and research, foster innovative solutions, and amplify its impact on the mental health of children across all age groups. 

It is now expanding the scope to further include early childhood care and paediatric workforce development by adding two new members, The American Academy of Pediatrics and Sesame Workshop.  

Representing nearly 67,000 paediatricians and specialists in the US, the American Academy of Pediatrics will focus on equipping paediatricians to meet the immediate mental health needs of children, particularly in medically underserved areas.  

Paediatricians can also leverage support from a newly established Paediatric Mental Health Education Centre that will provide essential resources and collaborative opportunities for integrating mental health support into their practices or wider communities. 

The other new member, Sesame Workshop, is expected to broaden its early childhood mental health initiatives to further concentrate on early detection, prevention, and providing support for young children and their caregivers in marginalised US communities.  

Sesame Workshop plans to collaborate with early childhood networks, such as Head Start programmes, as well as family, friend, and neighbour care providers, to improve children's emotional well-being and promote the recognition and management of emotional distress signs. 

Morgan Stanley Foundation president and the Alliance Advisory Board CEO Joan Steinberg said: “While there is growing awareness around youth mental health, further advocacy and philanthropic funding are vital as we look to improve early identification and intervention, access and equity in mental health care. 

“The mental health crisis is too big for anyone to tackle alone. We hope our announcement today will encourage others to help reduce the significant funding gap in this space and advocate for the mental well-being of countless children and youth.” 

The Alliance's current members include the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry, New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, The Jed Foundation, Mind HK, Child Mind Institute, The Steve Fund, and Place2Be.