Fountain House

What Fountain House does

Fountain House is a New York City nonprofit for people living with serious mental illness. It began in the 1940s as a self-help group of patients at Rockland Psychiatric Center who met in a 'club room' and later formed a group to support people leaving the hospital. It was incorporated in 1948 and named for a fountain on the patio of its brownstone on Manhattan's 47th Street.

That origin became the clubhouse model: a community-based program where members come together and can get meals, job training, education and help with housing. Fountain House runs its own clubhouses in New York City and Los Angeles, and it also works on national policy, advocacy and research. The model has spread widely. Fountain House counts more than 370 clubhouses in nearly 40 states and 31 countries, and ABC News reported that clubhouses nationwide serve roughly 60,000 people a year.

In May 2026 Fountain House published a study of its members, which found that average quality-of-life scores rose 9.1 percentage points after one year of clubhouse participation. Charity Navigator gives Fountain House four out of four stars. A gift to Fountain House supports its own clubhouses and national work. Most other clubhouses are separate programs inspired by its model.

Key facts

• Grew out of a 1940s self-help group of patients at Rockland Psychiatric Center; incorporated in 1948 (Wikipedia)
• Runs its own clubhouses in New York City and Los Angeles, plus national policy, advocacy and research work (Fountain House press release, May 2026)
• More than 370 clubhouses now operate in nearly 40 US states and 31 countries (Fountain House press release, May 2026)
• A May 2026 Fountain House study found members' quality-of-life scores rose an average of 9.1 percentage points after one year (Fountain House press release)

Before you give

• Fountain House directly runs clubhouses in New York City and Los Angeles. Most clubhouses elsewhere are separate programs inspired by its model, so a gift to Fountain House doesn't fund them directly.