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Dating app Hinge has announced a fund to support people from LGBTQ and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) communities. The fund will provide $10,000 to ten aspiring therapists and counselors to help cover the cost of their education.

The purpose is to uplift therapists who will shape a more empathetic and holistic approach with LGBTQ and BIPOC clients, especially those who are seeking to build healthy relationships.

Hinge is also receiving expert input from Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective: BEAM and Inclusive Therapists, who will bolster the campaign and amplify it within their own networks, helping to reach aspiring advocates who are passionate about the initiative.

It can be difficult for people of colour and LGBTQ people to find therapists who understand their lived experiences. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, one in four mental health professionals are people of colour. Meanwhile, the Trevor Project found that close to half of transgender and nonbinary youth aren't receiving mental health care out of concerns surrounding counsellor's compassion and understanding.

Starting May 18 through June 17, current U.S. college and graduate students in the mental health field can apply for the fund via HingeAdvocatesofTomorrow.com. Applicants will be asked to complete a form and answer two prompts about the mental health and wellness needs of the LGBTQ and/or BIPOC communities. Twenty finalists will be selected for a final round, where they will be asked to create a video answering the question: “How will winning the Grand Prize support your individual education and career journey?”.

To promote the initiative, Hinge has collaborated with artist and mental health advocate Fariha Rósín. Rósín has written a forthcoming book about wellness and resources for marginalized communities.

“So many marginalized folks are wrestling with trauma, shame, lack of resources, and isolation. A lot don’t even trust therapists and I can’t blame them,” she says. “These times can be really dark and overwhelming in a lot of ways and that’s why we need mental health advocates. This initiative is helping people become the light bearers, creating generational ripple effects of healing.”

The Mental Health Advocates of Tomorrow movement comes in tandem with new prompts released on Hinge, focusing on wellness. These prompts (answering questions like "my self care routine is..." and "therapy recently taught me...") will be displayed on daters' profiles.

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