MindCare NB handing out this year's funds from Skate to Care to 17 Saint John businesses and organizations.
Chair Pam Forsythe tells CHSJ News more people may understand mental illnesses because of increased awareness, but that doesn't mean the stigma surrounding them is gone completely.
She says they try to pick groups they think will make a real difference in the community.
Groups receiving funding include the YMCA, the Salvation Army's Centre of Hope Programs, and Horizon Health Network's Mental Health recovery services.