The James Humphrey Jr. Foundation (JHJF) is committed to promoting mental health wellness and academic success among undergraduate college youth from historically marginalized communities. As a 501(c)(3) organization, our mission is to support BIPOC youth in achieving their college degrees, pursuing their post-collegiate aspirations, and thriving in their mental health and well-being. JHJF fulfills this mission by collaborating with local colleges and universities to provide mental health counseling, mission-driven mentorship coaching, and tuition support to BIPOC students during their undergraduate years.
Research shows that BIPOC college students face disparities in four key areas: 1) access to and utilization of mental health services, 2) academic achievement and retention, 3) lack of mentorship opportunities, and 4) financial burdens. These disparities are compounded by deficiencies in social determinants of health, affecting their academic success, social-emotional well-being, physical health, and post-college aspirations. The JHJF addresses these challenges through its M4 collegiate program, which integrates mental health therapeutic counseling, mentorship coaching, monetary tuition assistance, and mission-driven goal setting. The JHJ Foundation M4 program centers around the unique needs of BIPOC students who often face systemic barriers and cultural stigma around accessing support. This program takes the fiscal and coordination burden of identifying service providers off the student by offering these services in a combined program free of charge, allowing them to focus on their studies with wraparound support from licensed therapists, professional mentors, and other community-based supports.
The program is overseen by a Community of Practice (CoP) coalition consisting of representatives from mental health, social services, and community-based service organizations. This coalition acts as a steering committee and meets monthly to plan activities that dismantle inequities impacting BIPOC students.
The JHJ Foundation received a research grant through the Systems Alignment Innovation Hub from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to test the acceptability of its M4 program which is currently under pilot study in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Your generous support will allow us to expand our reach and help more college students in this region.
Mental Health & Wellbeing
The JHJ Foundation was established to address the mental health and wellbeing needs of BIPOC college youth from marginalized communities. There are many stressors that a college student faces while trying to balance all the requirements of being a successful college student and the JHJ Foundation aims to ensure their mental health wellbeing is supported during their undergraduate journey. Licensed BIPOC therapists provide participants of the JHJ M4 program with individual therapeutic touch points and group therapy sessions throughout each semester of their undergraduate career. Research shows that members of BIPOC communities respond better and have better outcomes when provided care services by a member of like background to that of themselves. This approach reduces stigma from those participating in treatment, increasing feelings of trust, and adherence to care recommendations. Student participants commit to attend at least 2 scheduled therapy sessions and 1 peer support group meeting per semester, as well as scheduled focus groups and the completion of questionnaires upon request. Commitments to the M4 program are year to year, allowing students to reapply or opt-out the following year.
JHJ Foundation believes that if you cannot see it, it is very difficult to be it. That is why the JHJ Foundation focuses on mentorship as part of its M4 program. The mentor coaching program of JHJ Foundation is unique in that its mentors are members of the BIPOC community and work with the student participants on a strengths-based, mission-driven, student led approach to create a life plan for the student to use to help them thrive in their undergraduate career and achieve their post-collegiate goals. Each participant of the M4 program must commit to attend 2 sessions per semester with a mentor coach to work on their plan and discuss their progress. The goal is for each participating student to complete their life plan draft by the end of their first year in the program. Commitments to the M4 program are year to year, allowing students to reapply or opt-out the following year.
Mentorship Coaching
Tuition Assistance
JHJ Foundation understands that the financial landscape of college can change year to year. With that in mind, JHJ Foundation aims to support college students who participate in the M4 program and demonstrate financial loss or need with tuition support. Participants of the JHJ Foundation program will have access to tuition assistance after the completion of one semester in good academic standing (3.0 grade point average or above). The amount of the tuition support may vary year to year based on available funding. That is why your support is so important. Your generous donations allow us to help more students each semester of every year.
JHJ Foundation activities are governed by a community of practice made up of community-based organization members who work in the areas of health, education, mental health, legal, civic/political, social services, and public health. The CoP acts as a steering committee for JHJ Foundation initiatives, meets monthly to discuss the progress of the JHJ M4 program, and to strategize and plan a community-based approach to dismantling systemic barriers that impact BIPOC youth. This group works to create activities that engage the community to get involved and create solutions to reduce barriers and create opportunities for BIPOC youth that enhance their path to success during college and post-graduation. The coalition works to partner with community organizations to provide internships, job opportunities, mentorship, mock interviews, financial literacy, business etiquette coaching, business apparel assistance, conflict resolution training, upward mobility navigation training, and other career and life-after-college preparation skills, services, and supports to BIPOC college youth.
Community of Practice
Building a better future through collaboration and alignment
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