The Sozosei Foundation Awards Grant to Enhance The Right Response Directory
A New Partnership to Improve Access to Crisis Response Services
In a significant step toward improving mental health crisis response, the Sozosei Foundation has awarded a grant to Georgetown Law’s Center for Innovations in Community Safety (CICS). This grant will strengthen the collaboration between CICS and 1 Million Madly Motivated Moms (1M4) to enhance The Right Response Directory, a critical resource connecting individuals in crisis with appropriate services.
A Commitment to Decriminalizing Mental Illness
The Right Response Directory is an essential online tool that helps individuals experiencing a mental health emergency find local, community-based alternatives to police intervention. With the latest guidelines emphasizing mobile crisis response, the directory’s development is more important than ever. The grant from the Sozosei Foundation will support improvements in user experience, navigation, and the expansion of available services.
Melissa M. Beck, Executive Director of the Sozosei Foundation, expressed enthusiasm for the initiative: “Our work with 1M4 and Georgetown Law’s CICS represents a vital step in advancing the decriminalization of mental illness and ensuring a medical response to a mental health emergency. We are delighted to support this important initiative and are excited to support the creation of an online experience that better serves those in need.”
A Human-Centered Approach
1 Million Madly Motivated Moms, a public safety and mental health organization dedicated to ending police violence in the United States by 2038, is leading the effort to make The Right Response Directory more user-friendly and accessible.
“With this new iteration of The Right Response Directory, we’re putting the focus where it belongs: on the individuals and families who rely on these resources in times of need,” said Tansy McNulty, founder of 1M4. “This directory isn’t just about providing options; it’s about making sure that each person in crisis sees themselves in the services offered and knows that there’s a path to help that’s compassionate and accessible.”
Addressing the Need for Alternative Crisis Response
The collaboration between CICS and 1M4 will provide communities with better tools to respond to mental health crises without relying on law enforcement. “About 20 percent of police killings involve someone in mental distress,” noted Tahir Duckett, Executive Director of CICS. “To meet the needs of residents experiencing issues like homelessness, addiction, and behavioral health crises without risking violence, alternative response programs, instead of armed officers, are the best solution.”
By improving The Right Response Directory, this initiative aims to ensure that individuals, families, and communities can quickly and easily find the right support in times of crisis.
About the Organizations
The Sozosei Foundation was established in 2019 as the philanthropic arm of Otsuka. Focused on increasing access to mental health care, the Foundation seeks to eliminate the inappropriate use of jails and prisons for diagnosing and treating mental illness in the U.S.
Georgetown Law’s Center for Innovations in Community Safety (CICS) works to reform policing and criminal justice systems through systemic change, with a focus on reducing racial and economic disparities.
1 Million Madly Motivated Moms (1M4) is committed to ending police violence by 2038 through community-driven solutions informed by Black maternal wisdom and leadership.
This new partnership and the enhancements to The Right Response Directory mark a meaningful step forward in creating safer, more supportive crisis response systems that prioritize care over criminalization.
Read the full press release here.