Corporate Social Responsibility

NYL Foundation grant funds new app to support bereaved families.

New York Life | January 10, 2019

Sad young woman holding a cell phone

The Center for Complicated Grief at Columbia University's School of Social Work has launched GriefSteps for Parents, an app designed to provide accessible, community-based support to families following the loss of a loved one.

The app was developed through a three-year $800,000 grant from the New York Life Foundation, the largest corporate funder of childhood bereavement. "Through our partnerships in the bereavement field, we've witnessed a strong need for more community resources around death and loss," said Foundation president Heather Nesle. "This new digital tool from the Center, which leverages their proven research, will help more parents and families cope with grief and improve the support they provide to grieving children."

This new digital tool from the Center, which leverages their proven research, will help more parents and families cope with grief and improve the support they provide to grieving children."

-Heather Nesle, New York Life Foundation president

Recognizing the critical need to reach bereaved parents, GriefSteps for Parents offers insights and activities backed by scientific studies to help families better understand grief and build parents' confidence in effectively supporting their grieving children. The app includes a simple grief charting activity which helps parents manage their own grief and better communicate with their children.

The app also features motivators for engagement, a space where families can share their experiences, ask and answer questions, and access self-assessment and referral materials.

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Media contact

Lacey Siegel
New York Life Insurance Company
(212) 576-7937
Lacey_S_Siegel@newyorklife.com