Hi folks,

If you've been a member of our community for a little while, you probably have a sense that we're a special place. One of the things that makes us special is the generosity and support of our members. And not just emotional support, but at times, a little financial support as well. You probably know that we have from time to time hosted "community fund drives" for members in need of a little financial help.

Well, the time has finally come to spin that effort on its own, and so I'm pleased to announce the launch of the Psych Central Community Connection:

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archive...ty-connection/

This is our non-profit arm that gives micro-grants (or personal grants) to individuals in need who are members here. We received our 501(c)(3) charity status from the IRS in December, and it means if you've given a gift to the fund anytime in 2009 (and any time in the future!), it's tax-deductible as allowed by law.

With the incorporation of this effort into its own organization, it also means we've had to put everything in writing, and ask that you do the same if you'd like to make a request of the organization in the future. We now have a more formalized grant application process. We also must limit grants to members residing in the U.S. (although this is in no way a reflection of our appreciation and continued support of our international members).

This is a glad day for Psych Central, and I'm very happy we're able to give back to the members of the community in this manner. Fund drives will continue to happen, they will just do so within the scope of the nonprofit. And Psych Central itself will continue to give generously to those in need (we generally do a 1:1 match of fund drives). We've already seeded the organization with some funding to get it started.

Best,
DocJohn