Join us for our 1st Annual "The Power of Us" fundraiser. The evening will bring the community together for storytelling, celebration, and collective giving to support our signature program, the UFI Black Healing Summit, and sustain our ongoing peer-led programming. We are seeking sponsorship support from aligned organizations to help offset event costs and ensure broad access.
Us First Initiatives (UFI) is a peer-run organization led by individuals with lived experience, dedicated to promoting healing, equity, and mental wellness through culturally responsive services and advocacy. While our work prioritizes the needs and strengths of Black and African American communities—who have been historically under-resourced in behavioral health—we serve all individuals impacted by mental health and substance use challenges, with a deep commitment to cultural humility, access, and inclusion.
We offer peer support services, workforce development, recovery navigation, and leadership initiatives, including our Harvard-backed “Beyond the Shop” mental health advocate training and our monthly “Just Us Healing Space” for the Black peer workforce. At the heart of our work is the belief that healing and system change must be led by those closest to the experience.