UPLIFT Youth Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing research-based programs rooted in movement, mindfulness, and peer connection to support youth mental wellbeing, build community, and develop leadership and workforce readiness skills. We partner with schools and community organizations across Southern California to help students strengthen emotional resilience, reduce stress and anxiety, improve self-confidence, and build practical wellness tools for everyday challenges. In 2025, UPLIFT served more than 5,100 youth across 50+ schools and community partner sites, delivering 570+ program hours — with 97% of participants reporting improved mental wellness after participating. Will you help us expand our reach even further this 2026–27 school year?
Every young person deserves the tools to support their mental health and wellbeing.
Today's youth are navigating stress, anxiety, social pressure, relationships, and an increasingly complex world. Yet many young people are never given practical tools to understand and care for their mental health. And access isn't equal.
UPLIFT Youth Foundation is working to close that gap.
We bring research-based mental health and wellness programming directly to youth, meeting them where they already are, in schools and community spaces. Through movement, mindfulness, peer connection, and practical skill-building, UPLIFT gives youth tools to:
- Manage stress and regulate emotions
- Build resilience, confidence, and self-awareness
- Navigate challenges at school, work, and in everyday life
- Develop the skills they need to grow as leaders
Reaching youth. Making a lasting impact on mental health.
UPLIFT currently serves more than 5,100 youth annually across 50+ schools and community partners in Orange County, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Diego. We serve youth across all communities while prioritizing Title 1 and under-resourced schools, helping ensure that more young people have access to mental health and wellness tools regardless of their circumstances.
Our programs range from school-wide wellness assemblies and workshops to sustained 15- and 30-week programs, giving youth opportunities to learn, practice, and carry these skills forward over time.
And the impact is clear:
97% of participants in 2025–26 reported improved mental wellness.
100% reported gaining new mental health tools they continue to use daily.
Built on connection. Carried forward by youth.
UPLIFT is shaped by leaders, mentors, and young people with lived experience navigating many of the same challenges youth face today. Some of our mentors even return to the schools and communities they once attended, creating authentic connections, building trust, and showing youth what is possible. This is how change takes root: one connection, one skill, and one young person at a time.
Help us bring UPLIFT to more youth.
Every young person deserves access to tools that support their mental health, wellbeing, and future. Your gift this Igniting Potential Giving Day can help us bring UPLIFT directly to more schools and communities, especially where resources may be limited. Your support helps more youth learn how to manage stress, navigate challenges, build resilience, strengthen relationships, and develop the confidence to move forward. Together, we can close the access gap and help more youth build the tools they need to thrive.
Give today. Help a young person find their UPLIFT.
To learn more or get involved, please contact Amanda De La Torre, Fundraising Director, at amanda@upliftyouth.org
More ways to connect:
UPLIFT Youth Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 20-3934093). Contributions are tax-deductible.