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The social media challenge from the mid-2010s was revived by the Mental Illness Needs Discussion (MIND) club at the University of South Carolina. MIND posted its first Instagram video of the challenge on Monday, March 31.
The ice bucket challenge is now a fundraising effort for the mental health support group Active Minds. The movement has generated more than $195,000 in donations as of Monday, April 21.
The group's founder, South Carolina junior Wade Jefferson, started MIND after two of his close friends died by suicide.
"It started as a random idea, inspired by the original ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and how powerful that movement was," Jefferson said. "We wanted to bring that same energy to mental health."
The challenge encourages participants to pour a bucket of ice water over their heads, post the video online, and tag three others to do the same. People are also urged to donate to Active Minds, a nonprofit focused on mental health education and suicide prevention for children and young adults.
The campaign quickly gained support, with Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning among the celebrities who have done the challenge. Manning was also one of the first NFL players to do the original challenge.
Another big name in football also took part in the challenge. South Carolina football head coach Shane Beamer posted an Instagram video on Monday, April 7, and challenged Gamecocks athletic director Jeremiah Donati.
NBC's TODAY has also gotten involved. Carson Daly posted a picture of himself and Savannah Guthrie getting small bowls of cold water dumped on them by Jenna Bush Hager.
Active Minds has a goal of raising $250,000.
"This campaign is everything Active Minds stands for — bold, mission-driven, and youth-led," said Alison Malmon, founder and executive director of the nonprofit based in Washington, DC. "To see youth and young adults take an iconic viral moment and breathe new life into it for mental health advocacy is incredibly powerful.
"It's proof that when young people rally together with passion and purpose, they don't just raise awareness — they ignite a movement. This is how we create a new era of mental health."
The original ice bucket challenge dominated social media in 2014 and 2015, raising $115 million in the fight against ALS, a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells. According to the ALS Association, those funds helped lead to nearly $1 billion in research and doubled access to ALS care nationwide.
The ALS Association praised the rebirth of its famous trend.
"We're thrilled to see the spirit of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge live on in new forms of activism," the nonprofit said. "The original challenge was a grassroots movement that helped transform the fight against ALS — funding groundbreaking research, expanding access to care, and bringing unprecedented awareness to a devastating disease. But ALS is still fatal and we urgently need a cure."
The association also said the new challenge's mission can help those suffering from ALS.
"We applaud efforts to raise awareness for causes like mental health – an issue that also affects the ALS community in profound ways," the association said. "People living with ALS, their caregivers, and loved ones often face depression, anxiety, grief, and isolation as they navigate a fatal disease that changes every aspect of life."
Active Minds, which began on a college campus more than 20 years ago, now supports more than 10,000 student advocates annually through programs like its chapter network and the "Send Silence Packing" traveling exhibit.
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