Press Release – NEW YORK (May 30, 2018) – The U.S. HBC Foundation, the charitable arm of Hudson’s Bay Company, has awarded three grants to mental health programs as part of a $6 million (CAD)* commitment to mental health initiatives across North America by 2020. The HBC Foundation is dedicated to making mental health a priority in every community by increasing understanding and improving access to care.
The grants, awarded through the Foundation’s HEADFIRST program, were announced at the #1in5 cocktail fundraiser held at the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City. The #1in5 event, named in recognition of the 1 in 5 Americans who will be impacted by mental illness in their lifetime, raised $1.5 million for the HBC Foundation’s HEADFIRST mission through the support of our vendor community.
“Mental illness is one of the most pervasive and misunderstood challenges we face,” said Richard Baker, HBC Governor and Executive Chairman. “As one of the first major retailers to focus on this cause, we have an extraordinary opportunity to change the conversation around mental health. The entire HBC organization is rallying around this cause.”
The U.S. HBC Foundation has granted a total of $500,000 (USD) to three nonprofit partners: the National Alliance on Mental Illness New York (NAMI New York), the Jed Foundation and Bring Change to Mind (BC2M).
“I am extremely excited and proud to be awarding these HEADFIRST grants to three very deserving charitable partners,” said Helena Foulkes, HBC Chief Executive Officer. “The HBC Foundation has a goal to reach half a million people with mental health services, support and education by 2020. These grants have been awarded to best-in-class charities who will help us accomplish this mission.”
NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for Americans affected by mental illness. The HBC Foundation supported their NAMI Walks New York City 5K event to raise awareness for mental health.
The Jed Foundation is a nonprofit that exists to protect emotional health and prevent suicide for our nation’s teens and young adults. The grant to the Jed Foundation will be used to launch the HBC Foundation Campus Scholarship Fund to ensure more colleges and universities are able to participate in the Jed Campus program. Jed Campus partners with campuses nationwide to strengthen student mental health through the Jed Foundation’s strategic, comprehensive approach.
Bring Change to Mind’s mission is to end the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness. The HBC Foundation grant will support the #TalktoAnyone PSA campaign and provide financial and in-kind resources for Student Summits in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
“More than half of those living with mental illness will not seek help because of stigma; this discrimination prevents millions of people from leading full and successful lives,” said award-winning actress Glenn Close, who is the co-founder of Bring Change to Mind. “The best way to change perception is to encourage open, honest dialogue. The HBC Foundation grant will enable us to reach more people— particularly young people—and launch a national conversation that fosters understanding about mental health.”
The HBC Foundation would like to recognize and thank our HEADFIRST Founding Members for their significant contribution, including American Express, David E. and Jacqueline S. Simon Charitable Foundation, Leonard A. Lauder, PVH Corp., Peerless, and GIII Apparel Group.
Guests at the #1in5 event were entertained by singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright.
*The U.S. and Canadian HBC Foundation together have pledged to distribute $6 million (CAD) to support mental health services across North America.
ABOUT THE U.S. HBC FOUNDATION
Launched in 2017, the U.S. HBC Foundation is the charitable arm of Hudson’s Bay Company, a diversified global retailer and the oldest company in North America. Through the recently announced HEADFIRST program, the foundation is dedicated to making mental health a priority in every community by increasing understanding and improving access to care.
ABOUT HBC
HBC is a diversified global retailer focused on driving the performance of high quality stores and their omnichannel offerings and unlocking the value of real estate holdings. Founded in 1670, HBC is the oldest company in North America. HBC’s portfolio today includes formats ranging from luxury to premium department stores to off price fashion shopping destinations, with more than 480 stores and approximately 65,000 employees around the world.
HBC’s leading banners across North America and Europe include Hudson’s Bay, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Gilt, Saks OFF 5TH, Galeria Kaufhof, the leading department store group in Germany, and Belgium’s only department store group Galeria INNO.
HBC has significant investments in real estate joint ventures. It has partnered with Simon Property Group Inc. in the HBS Global Properties Joint Venture, which owns properties in the United States and Germany. In Canada, it has partnered with RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust in the RioCan-HBC Joint Venture.
