Our 2023 Impact Report

We are delighted to present the Tampa Bay Thrives 2023 Impact Report. This milestone would not have been possible without your unwavering support. Within these pages, we celebrate the significant achievements of the past year and look forward to advancing our mission within the Tampa Bay community. Read on as our President & CEO, Carrie Zeisse, reflects on the year’s accomplishments and our vision for the future.

Thanks to the tremendous support from our founders and donors, Tampa Bay Thrives made significant progress over the past year in identifying root cause issues that are creating barriers for individuals needing help for their mental health. Instead of having to build a coalition to align with our work, we were given the gift of being founded by one already committed to working together. This allowed TBT to remain laser focused on systemic change and keep true to the spirit of innovation, learning, and nimble flexibility that is the hallmark of our approach. It has been a truly impactful year.

In 2023, as our projects matured, and we collected evaluation data, our working groups identified the potential to dig even deeper to unveil critical behavioral science issues that have challenged our assumptions about why individuals continue in mental health treatment. We focused on listening first, mapping human experience to the data collected in our research, and then quickly worked with community partners in targeted pilots, storytelling, and immersive experiences to test what this iterative change could achieve.

As a result of this approach, we launched our first major anti-stigma initiative, the “If you know, you know” (#IYKYK) campaign. The real-life stories of Tampa Bay residents highlighted a variety of mental health concerns from a diverse range of voices and reached hard to target audiences (like men) thanks to the authenticity of peers sharing with each other. The expansion of the Let’s Talk navigation support line into immediate care appointments created a path to clinical care for almost 2,000 residents and provided further insight into the deeply held fears that individuals have about getting into care. This insight will be used in the expansion of the #IYKYK campaign in 2024. And lastly, our work with school-age youth saw significant growth that included several events, an in-depth research report, and the design and build of an in-school wellness space in a title one middle school.

Tampa Bay Thrives remains committed to working in partnership with our community – from leaders to the individuals who live in the neighborhoods where piloted solutions are being launched – and sharing all that we learn so that all can build upon these insights. Our Board of Directors recently adopted a new vision statement stating that “We envision an emotionally healthy community where mental health is a priority and all thrive together”. Together, we can ensure a better tomorrow.

We thank you for your commitment and support in this important work.

With immense gratitude,