Our Story

Where Inspire began.

Following the suicide of his cousin in 1992, Jack Heath had a vision: to connect with young people through the media they use, providing comprehensive resources and support to improve their mental health and well-being. His vision spawned the Inspire Foundation, which in 1998 launched the Reach Out website (www.au.reachout.com) in response to Australia’s then escalating rates of youth suicide. This award winning online service has been credited with contributing to Australia’s 56 percent reduction in youth suicide rates since the website’s inception.

Could Reach Out work in the United States as well? In 2006, Jack engaged The Bridgespan Group, a U.S.-based nonprofit strategic consulting firm, to find out. Their independent assessment found no comparable service in the United States – despite the critical mental health needs of many young Americans and the staggering rates of depression and suicide.

Macquarie Group Foundation, a significant supporter of Reach Out! in Australia, has provided seed funding to help Inspire cutomize Reach Out! and other tools for young people here in the United States. Other key seed funders include News Corporation and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation.