Hello, my name is Ashley McNamara and I am the co-director of The Icarus Project, a grassroots website and support organization by and for people struggling with mental illness, and bipolar disorder in particular. We are requesting a grant of $90,000 over 2 years to help us develop and disseminate nationwide The Icarus model of peer-based mental health support groups for youth and other underserved populations.

According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, it is estimated that up to 22% of the US population (approximately 44.3 million people) struggle with mental illness, and between 1.5 and 3% of the US population (up to 5 million people) struggle with bipolar disorder in particular. Nonetheless, there is very little public discussion of these conditions, leaving an astonishing number of people feeling isolated and silent in their daily struggles. Youth are particularly underserved. Like many mental illnesses, bipolar disorder (also known as Manic Depression), is most frequently diagnosed in the late teens or early twenties, yet the available support structures for youth are quite limited. Too often, the only alternatives are institutionally based settings that unilaterally endorse a medical model of "disorder" and "disease." This clinical, stigmatizing language, combined with a narrow vision of treatment, alienates many who are seeking help, and offers no real and creative alternatives for people who are struggling to shape full and meaningful lives.

The Icarus Project offers real alternatives. Through our website, publications, and outreach programs, we provide a framework for exploring the experience of mental illness that is full of hope, insight, and creativity. While we encourage the idea that bipolar disorder in particular can be a dangerous gift rather than a pathological dysfunction, we also recognize the serious need for people with these diagnoses to learn how to take care of themselves and manage the potentially lethal extremes of their behavior. Our approach creates room for conventional pharmaceutical treatment and non-traditional approaches to coexist, and encourages informed self-determination rather than allegiance to any one model. Over the last 2 years, this vision has been resonating with thousands of people who have joined our website, attended our workshops, and purchased our publications.

This March we published the pilot edition of our first book, Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness; A Reader and Roadmap of Bipolar Worlds, and subsequently took our vision of mental health on the road. We completed two speaking tours in which we led discussions about mental illness and mental health at colleges and community centers all across America. The tremendous positive response has made it clear to us that there is an overwhelming need for dialogue and support structures that actually reach out to people who tend to feel alienated by the mainstream discourse around mental health"” particularly young and highly creative people, and those who identify with alternative cultures.

The Icarus Project has developed a compelling model. Our peer-based approach"”which combines thought-provoking questions, personal stories, and artful, inspiring publications"”has proven exceptionally effective at bringing people together and beginning the process of building community. Members of our website have informed us that our presentations have inspired ongoing discussion in several of the communities we've visited. Support groups are starting to form in Manhattan, Minneapolis, Madison, and Seattle. Our community-based website, theicarusproject.net, has attracted over 1000 members to a place where they can continue the discussions begun in our workshops and by our book.

After two years of developing our vision, The Icarus Project has arrived at an exciting threshold; our model of peer-based communication has the potential to fill a gaping void and incubate effective, inspiring support groups in colleges and communities across America. In recognition of our model's potential to reach youth and other marginalized populations, Fountain House, the country's first mental health clubhouse and one of the most well-respected models of community support and psychiatric rehabilitation in America, has initiated a partnership with The Icarus Project. Over the coming years Fountain House has offered to provide The Icarus Project with technical assistance, office space in Manhattan, and both in-kind and monetary support to make sure this vital work continues. In addition, the Dobkin Family Foundation, a consistent funder of our work, has committed to continue offering financial support and helping fundraise additional money to match the Ittleson grant. We believe that the financial support and technical assistance of the Ittleson Foundation could be the catalyst that allows our organization to step up to the next level and attract the funding that will sustain our project into the future. The Icarus Project is poised at the vanguard of mental health activism and support; we are on the cusp of disseminating a truly groundbreaking model that may soon help change thousands of lives. By supporting us the Ittleson Foundation would be taking a visionary lead by sending a clear message that our approach represents a real alternative in the support of the mentally ill. We believe we are an excellent choice to continue the Ittleson Foundation's tradition of seeding innovative programs that address underserved needs. We look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you so much for your consideration,

Ashley McNamara, co-director