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Supporting Our
Community Together
We can connect hearts, transform lives and foster a sense of belonging for everyone
Our Core Initiatives
Empowering change for a brighter tomorrow
Direct Support
We help individuals and families overcome financial and other barriers to essential services and resources. Through donations and community partnerships, we help expand access to affordable mental health therapy, autism and developmental evaluations, parent support services, and educational workshops. We also distribute essential supplies, including food, clothing, hygiene products, toys, and baby items, to families experiencing financial hardship. Our goal is to promote healing, strengthen individuals and families, and ensure that those in need can access the support and resources they deserve.
Community Engagement
We partner with individuals and groups to host fundraisers, wellness gatherings and awareness events that reduce stigma and uplift both caregivers and those they serve.
Education and Mentorship
Students and early -career professionals gain hands-on experience through internships and field placements that emphasize equity, healing, and community care.
Strategic Partnerships
We collaborate with schools, nonprofits, healthcare providers, community-based organizations, and grassroots initiatives to expand access to mental health services, educational resources, and essential supplies for underserved communities. Through these partnerships, we connect individuals and families with critical support, coordinate community outreach, and organize initiatives such as food distributions, educational workshops, and resource-sharing events. Together, we work to reduce barriers to care, promote equity, and build stronger, healthier communities.
Connecting Hearts and Helping Hands
Building a better future through compassion: Rooted in our Communities. Connected Across Borders. United by Compassion
Minette Foundation is a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a global vision, founded by Mary Taveras Garcia, LCSW-R, and Madeline Maldonado, LCSW-R. We believe that access to mental health care, essential resources, and opportunities for healing should not be determined by where someone lives, their financial circumstances, or the barriers they face.
Our mission begins locally, but our commitment to healing extends beyond borders. In New York, we work directly with individuals and families to expand access to affordable mental health services, autism and developmental evaluations, parent support groups, educational workshops, and essential resources such as food, clothing, clean water, and hygiene supplies. Through community partnerships and outreach, we strive to reduce stigma, address disparities, and ensure that underserved communities have access to the support they need to thrive.
Our international vision builds upon this same commitment. We seek to collaborate with healthcare providers, nonprofit organizations, community leaders, and grassroots initiatives in other countries to expand access to mental health education, strengthen family and community support systems, and connect vulnerable populations with essential services and resources.
Whether supporting a family in the Bronx or building partnerships with communities abroad, our purpose remains the same: to remove barriers, promote healing, strengthen families, and create opportunities for healthier, more hopeful futures.
We recognize that the challenges affecting mental health and well-being—including poverty, limited access to care, stigma, and social inequality—extend across geographic and cultural boundaries. By connecting local experience with international collaboration, we aim to share knowledge, build meaningful partnerships, and develop sustainable, culturally responsive solutions that empower individuals and communities. Together, we can break down barriers, reduce stigma, promote healing, and create opportunities for healthier, brighter futures.
Building Bridges of Hope
Our international work promotes education, healing, and family reconnection—so that every woman, man and child has the opportunity to reclaim their story and shape a different future.
Founders
Madeline Maldonado, LCSW-R
Maria Taveras Garcia, LCSW-R
Our Story
To Our Beloved Community,
We founded the Minette Foundation with a shared vision: that every person—regardless of income, insurance status, or geography—deserves access to compassionate, culturally responsive mental health care and essential resources like food, clean water, and hygiene items. As clinicians, educators, and women of Dominican heritage, we have witnessed firsthand the barriers that too many individuals and families face when seeking support. We created this foundation to help change that.
At the Minette Foundation, we believe that healing is a human right. We help cover the cost of mental health services for those who are uninsured or unable to afford copayments or deductibles. We also invest in the well-being of the providers who serve these communities—because their healing matters too.
This work is deeply personal. It is rooted in love, justice, and the belief that when we care for one another, we build stronger, more resilient communities. Whether you are a parent seeking support, a provider in need of care, or a partner ready to collaborate—we see you, we honor you, and we welcome you.
Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Together, we can create a world where access to mental health care and essential resources is not a privilege, but a promise.
With gratitude and solidarity,
Mary Taveras Garcia, LCSW-R
Madeline Maldonado, LCSW-R
Co-Founders, The Minette Foundation
900
Lives Touched
Every Hand Helps Us Grow
Minette Foundation launched their first donation giving drive in December 2025
16
Volunteers
Uniting Hearts and Actions
Our volunteers help to move our mission forward
8 Partners
Milestones of Hope and Change
Our recent partnership with organizations of impact have led sustained giving
Partners in Collaboration
These organizations believe in our mission and hope for change
Hogar Madelaes
A girls’ home in La Victoria, Santo Domingo Norte
Hogar Madelaes provides safety, housing, and comprehensive care for children who are orphaned or living in extreme poverty.
The home supports approximately 40 young girls by offering medical care, academic support, emotional nurturing, and a stable environment that promotes healthy development. Founded through community and faith‑based efforts, the organization continues to operate with the help of local and international partners to ensure the girls receive consistent resources and opportunities.
Hispanic Federation
Hispanic Federation is a national Latino nonprofit that works to empower and advance Hispanic communities through programs in education, health, immigration, civic engagement, economic empowerment, and climate justice.
Across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, they deliver direct services and mobilize resources to support children, youth, families, and immigrants, while advocating for systemic change that improves quality of life for Latino communities.
Sensory Stop Daycare
The Sensory Stop, Inc. offers safe, loving childcare in the Bronx area. Kids learn through curriculum-based, educational activities. The facility is a home daycare providing a safe, nurturing space where kids learn important social skills. Sensory Stop Daycare help to distribute diapers and baby supplies donated to Minette Foundation by the Hispanic Federation, directly to families—both onsite and through home visits. They serve to support access to essential resources.
Beantown
Early Intervention Services of New York
An organization based in Bronx, NY works closely with mothers and families living at or below the poverty line through their involvement in the NYC Early Intervention Program for children ages 0–3. Beantown distributed diapers and baby supplies donated to Minette Foundation by the Hispanic Federation, directly to families—both onsite and through home visits and paired those deliveries with toys collected during their December 3rd toy drive, bringing additional joy and relief to families during the holiday season.
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SparkLife International
SparkLife International is a nonprofit organization in Ghana focused on empowering women and children through education, healthcare, menstrual hygiene support, vocational training, and community development initiatives.
They also work to prevent human trafficking and exploitation by providing safety education, resources, and reintegration support for vulnerable youth and families. Minette Foundation helped them to fund their International Women's Day event on March 8, 2026, and to purchase refreshments and small gifts for the women that attended, and they purchased 5 sewing machines to help local women to launch their own home-based seamstress businesses.
Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting solutions for individuals with autism and their families through advocacy, support, research, and community partnerships.Across the United States, they work to increase early identification, expand access to services, and improve quality of life by providing resources, advancing public awareness, and supporting initiatives that foster inclusion, understanding, and long‑term wellbeing for autistic individuals and their caregivers.
Upcoming Events
Mark your calendar
Villa Barone ManorYour Ticket Makes an Impact Minette Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Proceeds from our Inaugural Gala will support the Foundation's programs and initiatives serving individuals, families, and communities.
Bronx River Houses Community CenterJoin us for a day of community support and giving back! Minette Foundation is proud to partner with HopeNearMe Mobile Food Pantry, Beantown Community Initiatives, and Hispanic Federation for a special Thanksgiving season food distribution event at Bronx River Houses.
Minette FoundationFamilies living in the Bronx who have a child ages 0–5 years old with an autism diagnosis or a suspected autism diagnosis may be eligible to receive up to five free support visits by phone, video, or in person. No insurance required. For additional details see more in our event description.
Minette FoundationIn support of our ongoing efforts and work with families, children, and women facing financial barriers - both locally and in the Dominican Republic.
Help Us Grow
Your contribution makes a huge difference. Though U.S.-registered, the Minette Foundation operates globally partnering with providers and organizations to create tangible, cross-border impact and uplift women, men, children, and families. Our international work promotes education, healing, and family reconnection—so that every woman, man and child has the opportunity to reclaim their story and shape a different future.
Get in Touch
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