$3M Jenkins Foundation Gift Ensures Future of Depression Outreach Programs

Raising awareness of the importance of mental health, reducing its stigma, and encouraging people to seek help are integral parts of the mission of the Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg and Family Depression Center. The center’s efforts in schools, on college campuses, in workplaces, and in the community are dedicated to supporting the mental health and well-being of people where they live, learn, and work.

Helping others live their best lives has long been a focus of the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Jenkins Foundation. The foundation recently made a $3 million gift endowing the Eisenberg Family Depression Center’s outreach and education programs. In recognition for its transformational support, the program will be named the Jenkins Family Community Outreach and Education Program.

“This visionary gift establishes the critical and necessary pathway for ensuring the longevity and sustainability of our vital outreach and education initiatives at the Eisenberg Family Depression Center,” said Srijan Sen, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg and Family Depression Center, Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Professor of Depression and Neurosciences, and professor in the Michigan Neuroscience Institute at the University of Michigan.

It’s a sentiment with which Marschall S. Runge, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, U-M, CEO, Michigan Medicine, McKay Professor, agrees. “Not only does the Jenkins Foundation’s gift support the Eisenberg Family Depression Center’s outreach and education efforts, it also ensures these initiatives can continue to make a positive and meaningful difference for so many individuals in our community.”

“Mr. Jenkins was truly one-of-a-kind. He was dynamic and vibrant, great with telling a story, and overflowing with energy and passion for making a difference in mental health. This gift is an incredible opportunity to expand our work in communities and to honor his legacy.” said Michelle Kees, associate professor of psychiatry and faculty lead of the Eisenberg Family Depression Center’s outreach and education initiatives.

Kees is especially excited by the many opportunities the Jenkins gift provides. “The foundation’s generosity is critical to sustaining and expanding our established programs. It will also allow us to be agile in the design and implementation of new programs so we can respond to the ever-changing mental health needs in our communities as they arise. This gift will serve as a lasting legacy of the values and vision of the Jenkins family, while inspiring others to join and support us in our mission to change the future of mental health.”

The Jenkins Foundation was founded in 2010 by Phil Jenkins with the purpose of providing funds to promote science, education, medical research, support for those in need, and other charitable, religious, educational, and scientific purposes. Today, the foundation is led by Brooke Bonilla, Phil Jenkins’ granddaughter.

“This gift is personally meaningful to me, and I know it would be to my grandfather because it addresses so many aspects of our family foundation’s mission,” said Bonilla. “We are thrilled to help ensure that the Eisenberg Family Depression Center’s life-changing and lifesaving programs will continue in perpetuity, helping future generations of people across the lifespan.”

Established in 2001, the Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg and Family Depression Center was the first of its kind to be wholly devoted to bringing depression into the mainstream of research, care, community education, and public discourse. Today, the center is focused on expanding its scope of mental health research to accelerate innovations that lead to improved outcomes across our communities.

If you are interested in learning more about supporting the Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg and Family Depression Center, please visit the Center's giving page.

About the Look to Michigan campaign

This gift is part of the Look to Michigan fundraising campaign, which aims to create transformative answers to health care’s biggest challenges for the benefit of people in our state and beyond. Building on 175 years of leadership in medicine and as part of the University of Michigan’s Vision 2034 strategic framework for impact, we are breaking new ground in patient care, research, medical and graduate education, health equity, and health care facilities. Together, we can improve and save lives. For more information, visit michiganmedicine.org/look-to-michigan.