The Missing Link in Veteran Support: How 2 Organizations Are Partnering to Close the Gap Between Housing and Mental Health Care

Housing and mental health care are often treated as separate challenges. For veterans, they rarely are. As communities across the country look for better ways to support veterans, two Chicago organizations, both Make It Better Foundation 2026 Philanthropy Award winners, are demonstrating what a more integrated approach can look like. Rush University’s Road Home Program […]

by Alison Bowen

Therapist and Bestselling Author Vienna Pharaon Shares 10 Insights on Healing Childhood Wounds and Building Healthier Connections

Many of the behaviors that show up in adult relationships — defensiveness, emotional shutdown, perfectionism, people-pleasing, fear of conflict — often begin as survival strategies long before adulthood. At a recent conversation hosted by The Family Institute at Northwestern University — a Make It Better 2026 Philanthropy Award winner — licensed marriage and family therapist […]

by Jane Bodmer

5 Ways to Help Kids Feel Safe When Violence Feels Close

Over the last few months, it feels as if our country has repeatedly experienced the kind of public, unpredictable brutality that collapses time. From bombings to school shootings to federal agents killing civilians, current events are forcing many families to absorb the psychological weight of violence that feels both distant and alarmingly close. For parents and guardians, this comes with […]

by Robin Stern, PhD, and Diana Divecha, PhD

Overscheduled Kids May Be Missing the Long-Term Benefits of Volunteering

Across the United States, researchers are examining the impact of a quiet but consequential shift in adolescence: young people have fewer opportunities to contribute meaningfully to their communities through volunteering — particularly structured youth service. Packed schedules and constant adult oversight can crowd out experiences where youth take on real responsibility and see the tangible social […]

by Bridget Lewis

10 Holiday Movies to Help You Navigate the Season’s Rough Patches

Isn’t every holiday movie a Greater Good movie? That is to say—aren’t they all movies that highlight acts of generosity, empathy, compassion, reconciliation, or gratitude?  Alas, no. Or at least, not all of them are very insightful about human goodness or adept at conveying how we become better. We’re sure most readers are familiar with the hits, […]

by Jill Suttie, Jeremy Adam Smith, Steven Barnes, and Shanna B. Tiayon

The 2025 Better Guide to Giving

As the holidays get underway, many of us look for ways to make someone else’s season brighter. And there’s science behind why that makes us feel so good. Research shows that acts of generosity — from gift giving to financial support — increase happiness more than spending on ourselves.  At Better, we’re dedicated to simplifying […]

by Better