The Loveland Foundation

What the service is

The Loveland Foundation is a national nonprofit, established in 2018, that provides direct financial assistance to Black women and nonbinary individuals seeking therapy. Founded by Rachel Cargle in response to her viral birthday fundraiser that raised over $250,000, the organization operates the Therapy Fund, which pays for therapy sessions on behalf of eligible recipients, alongside a National Resource Directory that connects people to mental health services. The foundation frames its work as addressing barriers affecting access to treatment by members of diverse ethnic and racial groups, with the explicit goal of ensuring Black women and nonbinary folks have access to high-quality, culturally competent care. Rachel Cargle, the founder and president, is a writer and entrepreneur whose work centers on reimagining womanhood, solidarity, and self-relationship. She has been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Forbes, and The New Yorker, and published "A Renaissance of Our Own" through Penguin Random House. The foundation's mission reflects her belief that if we reimagine a mental health care system accessible to Black women, we can create a system that benefits everyone.

How it works

The Therapy Fund operates by issuing vouchers that cover the cost of therapy sessions with licensed providers. Each recipient can receive a maximum of 12 vouchers, issued in batches of 4 at a time. Vouchers must be used before they expire and cannot be reissued, renewed, or replaced. Each voucher covers up to $120 per session. If a session costs $60 or less, the remaining balance can be applied to a future session, though leftover funds do not roll over between vouchers. If a session costs more than $120, the participant must cover the difference.

To request vouchers, you must first be an approved Therapy Fund participant with an active Loveland Portal Account. After creating an account, you log into your portal, navigate to the Voucher Section, and click "Request Vouchers." Vouchers typically appear on your dashboard within 1-2 business days. For your second and third requests, you need to complete a closeout survey before receiving the next batch. Crucially, you must be fully connected with your therapist on the Loveland Portal before you can request vouchers.

To find a therapist, the foundation does not match participants with providers directly; instead, it partners with several therapy directories to help you search independently. These include Psychology Today, the National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network, Black Female Therapists, Therapy for Black Girls, Open Path Collective, Zencare, and Mental Health Match. Each of these directories is designed to increase the likelihood that participants can find therapists who provide high-quality, culturally competent services to Black women and girls. The foundation will reimburse the $65 one-time lifetime membership fee for Open Path Collective if you provide proof of payment.

Loveland offers two payment options. Under the Self-Pay option, you pay your therapist upfront and Loveland reimburses you through your portal. The alternative is direct billing, where Loveland pays the therapist directly. The payment approach you choose affects the workflow: self-pay requires tracking receipts and submitting them for reimbursement, while direct billing reduces out-of-pocket costs but requires the therapist to be comfortable with Loveland's invoice process. Either way, the voucher will not cover any session that exceeds $120, and no-shows or cancellations cannot be covered by vouchers. Sessions over $120 require participants to cover the difference themselves, meaning therapy rates above the $120 threshold require supplementary funding.

What the pages prove

The company's site details eligibility and the application process. The fund is available to Black women and nonbinary individuals seeking therapy nationally. Application opens on a quarterly basis, and upon signing up, applicants can expect to receive a follow-up email within four to six weeks. Important: if you have previously participated in the program, you cannot reapply, even if vouchers were unused.

Therapy sessions covered by the fund address an affordability gap. The organization notes that therapy sessions cost an average of $80 to $200 per session. The 12-voucher limit, each covering up to $120, means how many sessions a recipient can attend on the fund depends on their therapist's rate.

Loveland vouchers may only be redeemed for services with a licensed therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, or clinician under the supervision of a licensed therapist, psychologist, and/or psychiatrist in the United States, including U.S. territories, while actively obtaining their license. Clinicians must include the name and license number or NPI number of their supervisor during the invoice process.

The foundation is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization with the IRS tax identification number 83-3421375. Its leadership includes founder and president Rachel Cargle, CEO Sharlene Kemler (previously of SK Philanthropy, an award-winning consulting firm), Director of Programs Hannah Tall, and various program coordinators and specialists. According to testimonials on the organization's site, both recipients and therapists report satisfaction with the program. One therapist notes, "This has been so helpful for so many of my clients who I was able to accept the voucher."

What it doesn't say

The site does not publish information about wait times for approval, though the four to six week response window applies after signup. It provides no data on how many people apply, how many are approved, or the approval rate. While the foundation mentions investing in the professional development of BIPOC therapists, specific details about these fellowships and residency programs are not included on the public pages. The site does not disclose how many therapists participate in the program or whether any specific therapies or specializations are prioritized. There is no published information about continuity of care; if you exhaust your 12 vouchers, the site does not explain options for ongoing support beyond pointing to the National Resource Directory. The organization does not break down the demographics of recipients or publish outcome data on how the funding affects mental health or sustained engagement with care.

Who it fits

This program fits Black women and nonbinary individuals with limited resources who want therapy but cannot afford the typical $80 to $200 per session cost out of pocket. The fund also works well for people who have insurance but face high copays or want therapy outside their network. The 12-voucher limit, each covering up to $120, provides meaningful support for starting therapy or returning to it, though it is not permanent funding; the quarterly application cycle means the fund reopens periodically rather than offering continuous enrollment.

The service is less suited to people who need ongoing therapy beyond 12 sessions without the ability to pay directly, or those outside the United States and territories. It is also not designed to work with therapists unwilling to participate in the portal system or to manage the two-step process of requesting vouchers and then using them. The requirement that you not have participated before limits access for people who have already used the fund in a previous year.