The Broadway Mental Health Foundation is the performing arts industry’s first free, systemic clinical infrastructure. Founded by Executive Director Emerson Valentina, BMHF operates on a model of radical democratization to actively dismantle the abusive practices, toxic ideologies, and exploitation that have historically impacted gig-economy workers. For generations, the theatrical community has been forced to operate under abusive and exploitative practices, leaving artists vulnerable to burnout and untreated crises without employer-sponsored recourse. BMHF steps in to disrupt that narrative, operating on the firm belief that clinical care and psychological safety are fundamental human rights, and that healthy artists make better art.
BMHF provides barrier-free mental health education, programming, resources, and support groups to all theatrical workers, entirely for free. Our infrastructure is powered by our highly vetted Affiliate Networks — including the Clinical Affiliate Network (C.A.N.) and the Educational Affiliate Network (E.A.N.). Through these partnerships, we connect artists with trauma-informed, industry-literate, and LGBTQIA+/BIPOC affirmative care. We are fiercely anti-diet culture and deeply attuned to the unique stressors of the theatrical gig economy, ensuring that no artist has to sacrifice their creative career to receive support.
We are a resource connector and we are actively building systemic change. By forging unified national coalitions like the Arts Evolution Alliance, we equip theaters and arts nonprofits with the free crisis blueprints they need to protect their workforce. Simultaneously, our Creative Care Continuum develops direct, expedited clinical referral pipelines so artists navigating severe crises can access higher-acuity care without falling through the cracks of standard waitlists.
We are rewriting the industry’s social contract from the ground up. At BMHF, we demand that humanity always comes before productivity. We are here to heal the arts and change Broadway forever.
Join the movement that will change Broadway forever by following us on social media: @mentalhealthbway. Visit www.mentalhealthbway.org to learn more or send us a message at [email protected].