The Meadow E. Goodman Foundation for Mental Health Awareness (MEG Foundation) was launched in March 2025 with an initial 3-member board who’s mission is centered around teenage suicide prevention as well as providing resources towards uncovering potential underlying mental health issues that teenagers may be experiencing. The Foundation is currently developing a 3-Year Strategic Plan centered around the following core mission objectives:

Objective 1: Maintain MeadowFest - An Annual Concert for Mental Health Awareness

Prior to the MEG Foundation’s formation, the first MeadowFest was held on August 24, 2024 as a music festival for mental health awareness. Greg Goodman, father of Meadow and founder of the MEG Foundation, worked with local area musicians and music professionals in development of the event and ultimately raised $40,000, via a gofundme with mostly personal donors, to cover all event fees. The festival was held at The Far Out in south Austin and featured multiple well-known Austin-based musical acts, as well as speakers and organizations on site who shared a mission of mental health or suicide awareness. The event drew approximately 1,000 attendees and raised $40,000 for two beneficiaries, SIMS Foundation and Out Youth Austin, both of which reflected Meadow, who was a musician and part of the queer community.

MeadowFest 2025 will be held on August 23, 2025 and will feature more musical acts and will similarly benefit SIMS Foundation and Out Youth Austin.

The MEG Foundation’s goals to support MeadowFest are to raise money throughout the year to go towards MeadowFest event expenses (versus a specific funding campaign) as well as develop an RFP process in selection of the two (2) MeadowFest beneficiaries.

Objective 2: Issue Scholarships for Suicide Prevention

The MEG Foundation is developing a plan to provide academic scholarships for college-bound, high school students who have survived a suicide attempt and are willing to share their story with other teenagers. The idea behind this is based on known research that teenagers struggling with mental health are most influenced by peer to peer accounts. The Strategic Plan will focus on how to solicit and evaluate scholarship applications in a manner that is supportive, as well as what potential scholarship amounts might be considered. The MEG Foundation’s goal is to raise money to support this objective as well as develop an application process in order to offer scholarships starting in 2026.

Objective 3: Develop MEG Foundation Fellowship Program

Objective 3 is to support an academic-based fellowship program with an educational institution that has demonstrated excellence in the field of mental health research with an emphasis on the study of teenage mental health.

The MEG Foundation’s development of achieving Objective 3 include the following:

• Conduct research on identification of universities and other academic institutions leading the field of mental health.

• Conduct interviews with identified universities and academic institutions to get specific information regarding areas of study, current funding and impact to the mental health community.

• Identify grants and other funding resources that will support development of Objective 3

• Develop a “Meadow Fellow” fellowship program to fund graduate students who are dedicating themselves towards teenage mental health research

The MEG Foundation’s goal for this objective is to identify an academic institution for a MEG Foundation Fellowship in 2027.

Objective 4: Develop an Annual Research and Technology Grants Program

Objective 4 is the MEG Foundation’s primary objective which has the potential for the greatest impact on teenage mental health. Objective 4 also represents the extent of the Foundation’s strategic plan in that it will take the longest to achieve. The Foundation’s work towards achieving Objective 4 include the following:

• Interviews with mental health practitioners and program directors regarding their treatment of teenagers with mood disorders.

• Identify grants and other funding resources that will support development of Objective 4

• Grant application development, including a notice of funding opportunity, requesting a proposed scope of study that includes novel research on teenage/child mental health disorders and/or the development of new technologies with a positive impact on teenage/child mental health.

The MEG Foundation’s goal for this objective is to issue a Notification of Funding Opportunity for a major research and technology funding grant by 2028.

Objective 5: Assemble a Mental Health Taskforce

The MEG Foundation is currently talking to State of Texas legislators, including State Representatives and Senators, in leading a multi-disciplinary Mental Health Task Force, to discuss topics centered around teenage mental health and suicide prevention. The task force should include (but should not be limited to) members of the following:

• A member or members of the State of Texas Legislature (State Senators and/or Representatives)

• Mental health professionals that cover teenagers/children

• Mental health advocacy organizations

• Members of academia in the study of mental health that include children/teenagers

• Austin Independent School District (AISD) members, which can include teachers, school counselors, principals and superintendents

• Austin-area social media marketers

The MEG Foundation’s goal for this objective is to assemble a task force and establish a regular meeting schedule for discussions on teenage mental health, ASAP.