At the LTY Foundation, we believe that mental wellness is essential for every young person to thrive. Inspired by Lee Thomas Young's life, legacy, and advocacy, we are dedicated to increasing awareness, access, and support for mental health and emotional well-being among youth, young adults, families, and communities.
While gifted and high-achieving youth remain an important focus of our work, our mission has expanded to address the unique challenges facing young people today, including stress, anxiety, perfectionism, identity development, and emotional resilience. Through education, mindfulness-based programming, scholarships, community partnerships, and public awareness initiatives, we are helping create environments where young people can flourish both academically and personally.
We work to equip youth, parents, educators, and community leaders with the tools, resources, and knowledge needed to support mental wellness, reduce stigma, and encourage help-seeking behaviors.
LEE's Life and legacy
Lee Thompson Young came from a long line of storytellers. Born in Columbia, South Carolina, Young first picked up the family craft at the age of ten. He took on his first role, portraying Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Phyllis Wheatley Theater's original play, A Night of Stars and Dreams. Young went on to star in The Disney Channel's Famous Jett Jackson. Click here to learn more about Lee.
Mindfulness Scholarship
The Lee Thompson Young Foundation will be awarding financial assistance and emotional support to students who are entering college for the first time. They will be part of our LTYF well-being group, which will offer them peer support and access to mental health professionals. We are now taking donations for the 2027 Mindfulness Scholarship launch. Learn More →
Changing the story
Lee Thompson Young Foundation is helping to change the story around mental health through its educational awareness training, MIND. It is based on recommendations from the Child Trends policy brief and report, "Are the Children Well? A Model and Recommendations for Promoting the Mental Wellness of the Nation's Young People." Learn More →
Get involved
Approximately 1 in 5 American adults will have a mental health condition in any given year. One in five youth aged 13–18 experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life but only half of them will get treatment. Our love ones deserve better. Together, we can create sustainable and meaningful change in the mental health community. Find out how you can get involved.
Visit the Mindfulness Tab to see what is inside and how you can support LTY Foundation and enrich your mindfulness journey.
