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LAUNCHING JAKE COLLECTIVE: A CHANGE AGENT FOR NEURODIVERGENT YOUNG PEOPLE
Bold new organization seeks to transform the landscape for those with exceptional minds
who perceive their world differently
New York, NY, April 14, 2026 – Today marks the official debut of Jake Collective, a nonprofit foundation and LLC impact investment engine dedicated to improving the lives of neurodivergent young people. The aim of Jake Collective is to better understand and support neurodivergent teens and young adults so that they may share the fullness of their gifts, reduce internal stress, surmount social barriers, and find inner resilience in times of crisis.
Nearly 30 percent of Americans aged 29 and under identify as neurodivergent.* And yet, there is a troubling lack of investment, philanthropy, and research dedicated to those whose brains have developed differently, or tools to help them more effectively meet their challenges. The suicide rate for neurodivergent teens and young adults is several times higher than that of their neurotypical peers. The consequences of a lack of urgency can be fatal.
“We feel a profound responsibility to address the unmet needs of neurodivergent teens and young adults,” says Melissa Floren Filippone, CEO of Jake Collective. “‘Neurodivergence’ is an umbrella term that spans a broad range of diagnoses, from autism and dyslexia to ADHD and anxiety. No single label captures the full complexity of a person’s strengths and challenges, and labels can obscure serious vulnerabilities as much as they illuminate them. We must do better.”
Advancing Change Through Collaboration
The work of Jake Collective has already begun. During the past several months, the organization has been building partnerships with leaders in mental health, scientific research, and suicide prevention. Jake Collective has initiated multi-year strategic collaborations with mission-aligned organizations including:
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), to confront the urgent and often overlooked suicide risk among young people whose cognitive differences influence decision making, impulse control, emotional regulation, and sensitivity to rejection.
The Jed Foundation, to develop a model of wraparound social and emotional support for neurodivergent students to improve wellbeing and forestall self-harm, portable to K-12 schools and colleges and universities.
Think:Kids at Massachusetts General Hospital, to expand its program enabling children with behavioral challenges to develop coping mechanisms in collaboration with parents, therapists and educators.
CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), to provide greater access to research and resources for individuals with ADHD and their families, and to amplify their voices.
Cornell Human Ecology, to deepen the understanding of purpose as a transformative force in people’s lives.
Weill Cornell Medicine’s Precision Psychology Program, to create new treatments and diagnostic tools informed by complex variations within brain circuitry that regulate mood, decision making, and behavior.
Ampa, via an impact investment, to widen the reach of its FDA-cleared Ampa One system and accelerate emerging research on a One Day TMS program to condense a complete course of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for major depressive disorder into a single day, rather than the conventional 36-day course.
Jake Collective also lobbies for legislation that removes barriers and strengthens protections for young neurodivergent people. The organization has championed the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) in New York to enable psychologists to provide care to patients who travel outside the state.
A Tragedy that Became a Mission
Jake Collective was founded in honor of Jake Schreiber, a born scientist, a brilliant composer of electronic music, and a son and brother with the fullest of hearts. He was also neurodivergent. As a child, Jake was diagnosed with ADHD. As he grew, he began experiencing an unshakable sense of social disconnection and isolation that was not described by his diagnosis or anticipated by those who loved him, even though population data clearly show that young people with ADHD, particularly adolescents, can be at sharply increased risk for precisely this sort of painful experience. In a moment of deep personal crisis, at 19, Jake died by suicide. The staggering mismatch between the boundless promise of his future and the unanticipated crisis that led to his death, leaves a gap beyond grief.
“Jake Collective came into being because of inconceivable loss,” says Melissa Floren Filippone. “In all that we do, our aim is to provide understanding and tools to support neurodivergent teens and young adults like Jake before struggle becomes a threat to their lives.”
About Jake Collective
Jake Collective is a nonprofit foundation and impact investment engine dedicated to improving the lives of neurodivergent young people. By building a flywheel of scaled data, capital, clinical care, and human understanding, the organization works to transform how neurodivergence is seen and supported. Jake Collective is privately funded and is not soliciting or accepting donations at this time. For more information visit jakecollective.org.
Are you in a crisis? Call or text 988 or text TALK to 741741
*YouGov, 2024 U.S. adult survey on neurodivergence (n=1,148), fielded July 10–12, 2024.
Media Contact
Michele Schimmel
michele@jakecollective.org