Black Girls Smile
Lauren Carson, Executive Director
Alumni Lab
Black Girls Smile is a national nonprofit advancing mental health through culturally responsive education, healing spaces, and care access. The organization centers joy, resilience, and community, believing mental wellness is a right, not privilege.
Year Founded: 2012
Black Girls Smile’s mission is to empower the mental health and well-being of young Black women and girls by providing gender-responsive and culturally-affirming mental wellness education, resources, and support.
Black Girls Smile’s theory of change holds that when Black girls and young women have access to affirming mental health education, supportive relationships, and culturally responsive care—and when adults and systems are equipped to support that care—they build resilience, strengthen coping skills, and lead mentally healthy lives. The organization operationalizes this through early and preventive mental health education, school- and community-based programming, healing-centered group spaces, and pathways to culturally responsive therapy. Black Girls Smile also provides support for caregivers, educators, and advocates.
Black Girls Smile was founded in 2012 in New York City and officially became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2016 to expand programming, partnerships, and long-term impact. In 2018, the organization expanded programming across NYC and Atlanta. As Black Girls Smile continues to grow, its commitment remains the same: to build a future where mental health care is affirming, accessible, and rooted in the lived experiences of Black girls and young women. Black Girls Smile was previously part of our 2023 Mental Health Equity Catalyze Cohort.
Lauren Carson
Executive Director
