Chance the Rapper pledges $1 million to mental health services in Chicago

Chance the Rapper on Thursday announced he’s donating $1 million to improve mental health services in Chicago.

The Grammy-winning South Side native made the announcement during an annual summit for his charity SocialWorks.

Six mental wellness providers in Cook County will each receive $100,000 grants, and SocialWorks is starting a new initiative called “My State of Mind” aiming to connect people with treatment.

“We want to change the way that mental health resources are being accessed,” Chance said at the summit.

“We need a new space where people can get information on how they feel, on where to go and a network for us to interact and review our mental health spaces, and create a community of people helping people.”

Chance has been a vocal critic of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the 2012 closure of six city-run mental health clinics.

His charity has also made about $4.2 million in donations over the past two years to Chicago Public Schools, among his other charitable efforts.

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