Indianapolis – The Jim Irsay family and the Indianapolis Colts today announced details on the Kicking The Stigma Action Fund, which they created to support nonprofits and organizations focusing on the education, support and advocacy of mental health and mental illnesses.
The fund includes $4.5 million raised during the first-ever Kicking The Sigma virtual fundraiser last week and will offer Kicking the Stigma Grants to Indiana-based nonprofits providing mental health treatment services or raising awareness about mental health and mental illnesses.
The timeline for application process is as follows:
- Grant applications are available now through June 23, 2021 at Colts.com/KTS.
- Decisions will be made in Summer 2021, with grants announcements made in late July.
- Project implementation should take place August 2021—July 2022. Each grant recipient will be provided a grant agreement and will be required to submit a report by the end of the implementation year or before applying for a new grant.
The Irsays launched Kicking The Stigma in late 2020 to raise awareness about mental health disorders and to remove the shame and stigma too often associated with these illnesses. The effort kicked off with several national PSAs, produced in conjunction with the band R.E.M., followed by a week-long fundraiser, featuring involvement by Carson Daly, Snoop Dogg, Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy, Rob Lowe, Mike Epps, Cameron Crowe, Reggie Wayne, Darius Leonard, Carson Wentz, Frank & Linda Reich and others.
Money raised also will support expanded programming by four leading local and national nonprofits – Mental Health America (MHA) Indiana, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Greater Indianapolis, Bring Change to Mind and Project Healthy Minds.
Friends and fans may still donate to the effort at Colts.com/KTS or by texting "COLTS" to 243725.
