LANSING, Mich. | September 25, 2026 — The Association for Children’s Mental Health (ACMH) is launching a new community giving initiative with a goal of raising $100,000 in unrestricted support to strengthen opportunities for youth and families across Michigan.
The initiative will officially launch in the lead-up to Giving Tuesday on December 1, 2026, a global day of generosity that encourages people to give their time, resources, skills, and attention to the causes and communities they care about.
For ACMH, the campaign is about more than reaching a fundraising number.
It is about creating the flexibility to say yes.
A global day of giving, rooted in community
Giving Tuesday began in 2012 at New York City’s 92nd Street Y as a simple idea: after a season focused heavily on shopping, create a day centered on generosity and giving back. The movement grew quickly, eventually becoming an independent nonprofit organization and a global movement involving communities in more than 110 countries.
Today, Giving Tuesday encompasses many forms of generosity. People donate, volunteer, share their skills, support local organizations, participate in community projects, and find their own ways to contribute.
That broader understanding of giving is what drew ACMH to this year’s campaign.
“Giving is about more than writing a check,” says Carla Pretto, Executive Director of ACMH. “It’s about deciding that something matters enough to invest in. We see that every day in the youth and families who bring their experiences into this work, and in the people and organizations who choose to stand alongside them.”
Building the capacity to say yes
ACMH has spent more than 35 years creating opportunities for youth and families to participate in children’s mental health across Michigan.
That work can take many forms, but at its heart is a commitment to making sure people with lived experience have meaningful opportunities to contribute to the conversations and decisions that affect them.
Unrestricted funding plays an important role in making that possible.
Much of ACMH’s work is supported through grants and contracts with specific purposes and requirements. Unrestricted contributions give the organization greater flexibility to respond to opportunities, strengthen its capacity, and invest in work that may not fit neatly into a grant budget.
A young person may bring forward an idea for a new leadership opportunity. A community partner may want to find a meaningful way to involve youth and families. A new connection may open the door to a project that could benefit people across Michigan.
Having the capacity to respond matters.
The $100,000 initiative will help ACMH build that capacity while continuing to create opportunities for youth and families to lead, connect, share their experiences, and shape children’s mental health.
An invitation to invest in what matters
ACMH is inviting individuals, families, organizations, and community partners to take part in the initiative.
Gifts of every size will contribute to the campaign, and monthly giving will provide dependable resources that ACMH can count on throughout the year.
For those who want to participate in ways beyond financial giving, ACMH also welcomes people to share the campaign, introduce others to the organization, volunteer, attend events, or find another way to become part of the community.
The initiative will build toward Giving Tuesday on December 1, when ACMH will bring the campaign to its biggest public moment.
“We know $100,000 is an ambitious goal,” says Pretto. “We also know ACMH has a community of people who care deeply about youth, families, and the future of children’s mental health. We’re inviting them to help us build something together.”
Be part of the initiative
Learn more about ACMH’s Giving Tuesday initiative and $100,000 goal, including how your gift can help create opportunities for youth and families across Michigan.
Giving is just one way to contribute. Explore other ways to get involved with ACMH →.
Giving Tuesday is December 1, 2026.
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