It’s a proud day for our Psych Central family. Today, we officially announced the creation of the Psych Central Community Connection, Psych Central’s new non-profit arm.

What is the Psych Central Community Connection?

The Connection is our non-profit that makes micro grants (also called personal grants) available to Psych Central members in emergency financial need. These micro grants (of $500 or less per individual) are for immediate personal/family need that might make the difference between homelessness and staying in one’s home, heat in the winter or freezing cold, or keeping the electricity turned on.

They were previously referred to as “Community Fund Drives” and, indeed, we will continue to rely on our community of kind-hearted members to offer matching funds for every micro grant we provide. Since their inception in 2005, we’ve raised and handed out over $7,000 to individual members in need.

Imagine, for instance, being in the middle of winter and facing the unexpected cost of repairing one’s furnace, all the while racking up hundreds of dollars in increased electricity bills just to keep some heat in one room. This is a real-life example by one of our members that has used a past personal grant.

Psych Central membership is free and open to all, but as you can see, being a Psych Central member has real-world privileges.

The Psych Central Community Connection is 501(c)(3) public charity in the U.S. The non-profit designation is retroactive and covers any donations made to us during the entire 2009 calendar year. Generally, donations made to a 501(c)(3) are tax-deductible for most individuals, but check with your tax professional to be certain. Online donations are accepted via PayPal.

The Psych Central Community Connection has no administrative staff nor administrative fees, so every dollar you donate to this non-profit goes directly to those in need. An application process ensures that money is used for legitimate expenses.

Learn more about the Psych Central Community Connection here.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 12 Jan 2010
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.