What We Do
Billion Minds Institute (BMI) accelerates and supports work that takes seriously the social, psychological, and emotional dimensions of climate and environmental change—both their impacts and the foundational capacities needed for transformative response. Social and emotional strengths are essential to navigating the Anthropocene with humanity and care.
BMI helps others:
Build the social capabilities and collective efficacy needed to steward the planet’s climate.
Scale those capacities across climate mitigation, adaptation, and sustainability efforts.
Connect “anchor” institutions—universities, health systems, governments, corporations, philanthropies, and NGOs—to extend and strengthen this work.
Shape policies that embed and sustain these capabilities over time.
Recent Efforts
Human Sciences and Action: Co to develop participatory and deliberative methods to strengthen social trust, agency, and community mental health. Collaborations include work with Iswe in developing accessible formats for global use ahead of COP30, and with The Assembly Project (TAP) to normalize such approaches in New York City policymaking.
Deliberative Decision-Making: Advanced participatory and deliberative methods to strengthen social trust, agency, and community mental health. Collaborations include work with Iswe in developing accessible formats for global use ahead of COP30 and with The Assembly Project (TAP) to normalize such approaches in New York City policymaking.
Policy Design for Resilience: Partnered with ICLEI, NYU GSPH, Wellesley Institute, and the International Society for Urban Health to integrate psychological resilience into climate finance frameworks and to craft technical guidance helping cities worldwide expand urban adaptation planning.
Care of People x Planet (COP²): Initiated and resourced this global network and authored its Roadmap for Care and Change—announced at COP27 and completed by COP28 with the UNFCCC Champions Team. The plan outlines a path to make 4 billion people more climate-resilient, with Early Adopter initiatives now advancing the model globally.
Community Anchors for Mental Health: Supported the Friendship Bench–Brooklyn program, connecting BMI, Friendship Bench, and Maimonides Health to embed community-led mental health care across Brooklyn’s primary care network. This project demonstrates how collective psychological resilience can become a mainstream part of health system design and funding.
Youth Climate Resilience: Funded and supported a landmark US study, published in PNAS, on youth experiences of climate anxiety and opportunity. Building on these insights, BMI is developing national frameworks that strengthen resilience and leadership among climate-engaged youth through support networks and sustainable systems of care.