A Fort Worth mental health nonprofit launched by a real estate firm has rebranded as Soar: The M2G Mental Health Initiative, as it expands its independent fundraising and advocacy efforts. Originally started as a social impact project in 2017, the nonprofit is now stepping out under its own identity to signal the organization’s growth and mission to elevate mental health support in the region.
The rebrand reflects M2G’s expanding role in Fort Worth’s mental health philanthropic space. In December, the nonprofit raised over $520,000 at its annual fundraising gala, Art of the Mind. As of 2025, the initiative has raised over $2 million. Soar currently partners with UT Southwestern’s Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care and the Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation, which provides evidence-based suicide prevention programs in North Texas. The organization is actively seeking a third partner that offers grief and trauma counseling services, with hopes of announcing this partnership before the second half of the year.
The nonprofit’s focus on grief and trauma support was inspired by the July 4 Central Texas flooding, during which a close friend of the co-founders lost a daughter. This prompted M2G to expand its mission beyond depression research to address trauma and grief more broadly across the region and beyond.
The initiative’s founding was driven by personal tragedy. In 2017, Jessica Miller Essl’s husband experienced a mental health crisis, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and struggled to access treatment options nearby. Following his death in a car accident during a manic episode, Essl and co-founder Susan Miller committed themselves to bringing clinical research and mental health resources to Fort Worth. They partnered with UT Southwestern’s Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care in 2019 and formally established the nonprofit in 2022.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://fortworthreport.org/2026/02/15/fort-worth-real-estate-groups-mental-health-nonprofit-rebrands-to-stand-on-its-own/