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AIM bridges the gap between youth mental health research and access to care by finding, funding, and implementing evidence-based treatments and empowering youth to discover their own mental health solutions.
AIM believes in continuing to broaden our perspective of mental health and provide tools and empowerment to the community along the way.
We provide toolkits and resources on our blog monthly and bring our research insights to life through our programming.
We are building a movement with a positive, forward-thinking focus.
Our annual AIM for Awareness Design Challenge engages hundreds of youth artists each year to create display ads that can provide hope to someone struggling with mental health. The encourages youth to speak up and seek help, or an ad might encourage others to be empathetic.
Founded in 2014, AIM Youth Mental Health works at the intersection of scientific research and youth-led research to improve mental health outcomes for young people.
What makes AIM unique is the connection between these two programs. Our scientific research informs how we design programs for youth, while the lived experiences and insights of young people actively shape our research questions, priorities, and innovation. This dynamic feedback loop, where evidence and youth voice continuously inform one another, is the core strength of our organization.
AIM supports applied, evidence-based scientific research that advances practical solutions to improve mental health for young people from birth through age 26. AIM’s research investments have contributed to breakthroughs such as early interventions for anxiety in preschoolers, advances in suicide prediction and prevention, and family-centered approaches to supporting teens with eating disorders.
AIM’s Clinical Science Fellows are early-career scientists from across the United States whose research directly engages youth and families, while the AIM Research Impact Fund supports U.S.-based researchers and implementation projects with clear potential to improve real-world outcomes. Together, these efforts benefit young people, families, and the systems that support them by accelerating the translation of research into practice.
AIM’s youth-led research, advocacy, and change-making programs are open to high school students across the United States. The AIM Ideas Lab, AIM’s youth-led research program, is designed specifically for high school students and is currently available in California. AIM Ideas Lab will be implemented in Arizona and Texas in 2026, with planned expansion to additional states in 2027. AIM Ideas Lab graduates can apply to be AIM Youth Ambassadors to continue their advocacy and change-making work. While the Ideas Lab currently operates in select states, teens nationwide are welcome to volunteer with AIM – get started by signing up here. You’ll be invited to attend one of our volunteer orientations to help you get started.
AIM is expanding Spanish-language materials and programming to ensure Latino/a youth can fully participate, with the goal of offering AIM Ideas Lab entirely in Spanish by 2027.
No. AIM is not a therapy practice and does not provide clinical treatment or crisis intervention. AIM focuses on prevention, education, peer support, and strengthening connection to appropriate mental health resources. If someone is in immediate danger, we recommend contacting local emergency services or a crisis hotline. Please see AIM’s Resource Page for referral information.
Yes! AIM partners with schools and community organizations in California, Arizona, and Texas, with an intentional focus on under-resourced, rural, and diverse communities. These partnerships expand access to youth-led research, advocacy, and leadership opportunities. Reach out to us at [email protected] to help us grow in your community.
AIM is funded through a combination of institutional grants, corporate sponsors, individual donations, program fees, and partnerships. We also welcome support through fundraising efforts and connections to individuals or organizations interested in supporting or underwriting our work.
You can support AIM by donating, partnering with us, volunteering, or sharing our work with your community. Every form of support helps bridge the gap between research and the real-world supports that young people rely on every day.
Yes. Youth are central to AIM’s work and play active leadership roles across the organization.
High school students can apply to participate in AIM Ideas Lab, our youth-led research program where young people design and lead projects that improve youth mental health.
Youth can also sign up to volunteer with AIM, contributing to research, events, and community initiatives. Volunteers are invited to attend an orientation to learn more about current opportunities.
For young people interested in leadership, AIM offers a Youth Advisory Council and a Youth Ambassador program, which ensure youth perspectives directly inform AIM’s strategy, programs, and decision-making. These roles are designed to center youth voices in addressing the youth mental health crisis and to position young people as leaders both within AIM and in their broader communities.
Youth may also participate in AIM’s Design Challenge, where they develop creative, research-informed solutions to real-world youth mental health challenges.
You can reach us through the contact form on our website or by email at [email protected]. Please allow two business days for a response.
AIM’s headquarters are in Carmel, California. We fund scientific research through university and community partnerships across the United States. Our youth programs currently operate in California, with 2026 expansion to include Arizona and Texas. We are eager to grow into new communities and welcome opportunities to partner. Reach out to us at [email protected] to help us grow in your community.
1 in 5 of today’s youth have, or will have a serious mental illness.
We AIM to stop the silence around youth mental health by raising awareness and funding groundbreaking research, so we can begin to find real solutions for the youth of today.
Support AIM for Youth Mental Health.
