The Katz Amsterdam Foundation strives to be a catalyst for eliminating inequities, increasing access to opportunity, and improving outcomes for all. We know that everyone benefits from living in healthy and cohesive communities, but access to these benefits is unequal – a result of historical racial and social injustice. We work in partnership with communities to advance just and equitable approaches to accessing mental, behavioral and reproductive healthcare and protecting our civil rights by increasing civic engagement and participation in our multiracial democracy. We do this work by addressing systemic injustice, racial and social disparities in mental health, reproductive health and civic engagement. As a foundation, our priority is to support community-driven work that meaningfully improves the lives of all individuals and the social well-being of our communities.
1 in 5
Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. —43.8 million, or 18.5%— experiences mental illness in a given year.
People from racial/ethnic minority groups are less likely to receive mental health care. For example, in 2015, among adults with any mental illness, 31% of Blacks and Hispanics, and 22% of Asians received mental health services, compared with 48% of Whites.
18 million
As of mid-December 2023, 14 states are enforcing total bans with limited exceptions. As a result, almost 18 million people of reproductive age no longer have access to abortion care in their state of residence.
Fourteen states in 2023 passed legislation that makes it harder to vote – many in states where voters already face difficulties casting a ballot. New laws target voter registration, mail-in voting, and enforce stricter voter ID laws – all provisions that specifically burden voters of color.
In western mountain resort communities, binge drinking rates are on average 25% higher than the national average.