Collectiva, a Rhode Island-based non-profit will launch a public Mental Health Fund in the Fall of 2025. Seed funding will be directly given to mental health providers to support and sustain access to live giving, culturally competent care in private practice settings.

Collectiva has a mission to build small, sustainable mental health ecologies- within which clinicians and clients can mutually thrive. Taking an ecological approach to support whole system healing begins with building communities of practice invested in new business strategies for structuring & sustaining the wellness of providers within them. Collectiva is founded on the principle of an honorable harvest. Harvesting what you need, and always leaving some for the next cycle. In a healthcare system that is thriving on greed and extractive labor practices for unlicensed clinicians- mental health workers are often left under-included in the development of the systems within which they work. Clients are left out of important and necessary (and challenging) conversations about equity, access and the barriers that private practice fees create.

Collectiva is led by a board of directors who are mental health clinicians and community stakeholders with lived experience. Collectiva was visioned originally by Dr. Amelia Ortega, a queer Chicanx clinician through dialogues with new graduates, clinicians seeking licensure hours and colleagues throughout the past 20 years of practice as a social worker. Dr. Ortega, like many licensed clinicians - received low pay in a fee-for-service setting while accruing their hours. They have watched countless students graduate from clinical track programs that offer no training or information about navigating the world of private practice or ethics regarding the management of group practice. Many new graduates enter the field- without support from family or social work community, face a multitude of systemic barriers to licensure, negotiating liveable wages in fee-for-service settings, and no little knowledge of how to open their own private practices ethically. Collectiva will offer not only direct funds for accessing care to communities most impacted by the rising need for support, but also training, education and community building for providers.

Collectiva Seed Funding Days

Supporting New Energy and Growth for Collectiva