Kate Spade New York Announces It Will Donate Over $1 Million to Mental Health Causes

Following designer Kate Spade’s recent death, the Kate Spade New York brand announced this morning via Instagram that it will donate more than $1 million to mental health causes and suicide prevention. Spade sold all of her shares of the company she founded alongside her husband Andy Spade in 2006.

“In honor of our company founder, Kate Spade, we’re donating to mental health awareness causes. We’ll match your donations, too,” the brand wrote in classic Kate Spade script. The first donation from the total $1 million is a generous $250,000 to Crisis Text Line, a not-for-profit organization that provides crisis intervention via text message. Through the free service, texters are anonymously connected to a crisis counselor expertly trained to “bring texters from a hot moment to a cool calm through active listening and collaborative problem solving.”

The donation to Crisis Text Line is only the first to be announced, and the remaining $750,000 in funds will go exclusively to other mental health awareness and suicide prevention causes. And from June 20 to 29, the Kate Spade New York Foundation will match public donations made to Crisis Text Line, up to $100K.

On the day of her passing, Kate Spade New York posted the following message on Instagram in honor of its legendary founder.

“Kate Spade, the visionary founder of our brand, has passed. Our thoughts are with her family at this incredibly heartbreaking time. We honor all the beauty she brought into this world,” the brand wrote. Family, friends, and the fashion industry alike remember Kate Spade for her whimsical personality and analogous designs. Her brand represented the modern woman, who is steadfast in her career while also celebrating a sort of champagne spirit.

To speak with a Crisis Text Line counselor, text “HOME” to 741741. Or, make a Kate Spade New York-matched donation to Crisis Text Line here.