The Background

The AAKOMA Project, a research nonprofit founded and led by Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble, came to Afton Bloom seeking expertise in strategy development to optimize their existing programming in service of a bold and powerful mission and vision. Despite its size and nascence in the mental health nonprofit world, AAKOMA takes on an enormous role in addressing gaps in how society meets the mental health needs of intersectional Youth of Color. They do this through: (1) bringing the needs of diverse youth and communities from the margins of mental health conversations to the center, (2) developing and leveraging their rigorous, culturally responsive research to inform policy and advocacy, and (3) engaging directly and consistently through programming.

Through authentic engagement with Youth of Color and their families, and by creating opportunities for Youth of Color to come together in community and discuss mental health, AAKOMA continues to solidify their place as an authentic voice for diverse youth, families, and communities at a critical moment in time. As AAKOMA has grown, Afton Bloom has guided their strategy by creating a plan to enable the team to focus on growth and scale, and developing connections to the right partners and funders.

Our Approach

Dr. Alfiee and AAKOMA have received notable recognition for their work and, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, have seen growing demand for their service from diverse partners and funders focused on youth mental health. They came to Afton Bloom at this critical juncture in AAKOMA's development to craft a strategy that would strengthen and streamline the organization's programming and align their work to critical mental health outcomes for youth of color.  
 
To craft a strategy, Afton Bloom held a series of team workshops and one-on-one discussions with senior leadership and team members to identify synergies and excitement around AAKOMA's infrastructure, future goals, and current programing. With a strategy in place, Afton Bloom continues to partner with The AAKOMA Project to help identify key metrics for learning and evaluation, to provide guidance on strategic goals for fundraising, to land on fiscal targets and goals, and to uncover characteristics of optimal partners and funders for their work. 

The Result

The AAKOMA Project continues to grow and establish themselves as a premiere voice in the current national conversation on youth mental health, amplifying the voices of those frequently marginalized and forgotten.

They have done so in part by launching a groundbreaking study in 2022 to examine the state of mental health among youth and young adults of color. In addition, they have collaborated multiple times with the White House and the Surgeon General's Office to promote youth of color mental health. AAKOMA has developed and solidified partnerships with leading edge nonprofit organizations aligned by vision and mission including the Born This Way Foundation, The Mental Wealth Alliance, Project Healthy Minds, Asians for Mental Health, Mental Health America, and others. Finally, AAKOMA's subject matter experts and Dr. Alfiee participated in multiple press days and virtual events as part of the expert board of partners for Sound it Out, a program created by the Ad Council and Pivotal Ventures focused on the power of music to support parents and caregivers in starting conversations with their middle school children about emotional wellbeing, promoting mental health, and reducing the stigma around mental illness.

With support from Afton Bloom, The AAKOMA Project has solidified a forward-thinking and mission-aligned strategic plan, set targets for fundraising and development, and developed a rubric for assessing partnerships. This will serve as a roadmap for the team as they look to build toward their five-year goals and help the team measure and capture their progress towards the core outcomes.