The Ice Bucket Challenge is back in more than one form. In 2025, University of South Carolina students adapted it to promote mental health awareness and support Active Minds. In 2026, the ALS Association reported a separate ALS-focused revival sparked by former NFL player Chris Johnson’s diagnosis announcement and call to bring the challenge back. The original 2014 campaign was tied to ALS; the newer versions use the same viral format for different causes.
Why the Ice Bucket Challenge returned
The format is simple and recognizable: people take part in an ice-water challenge, share a video, and invite others to act. That familiarity helped it travel again, but the cause depends on which campaign a post belongs to. The 2025 University of South Carolina campaign focused on mental health; the ALS Association described a renewed ALS wave in 2026.
So a post captioned “the Ice Bucket Challenge is back” does not, by itself, identify the campaign or its beneficiary. Check the post, campaign page, or donation link before assuming where support is going.
The 2025 mental health campaign
USC MIND launched #SpeakYourMIND
The University of South Carolina reported that its Mental Illness Needs Discussion (MIND) club launched the #SpeakYourMIND challenge in late March 2025. The students adapted the familiar format to encourage conversations about mental health, challenge stigma, and support suicide prevention on campus. The campaign spread beyond USC and raised money for Active Minds.
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In an April 21, 2025 update, USC said the campaign had raised more than $240,000 toward a $250,000 goal for Active Minds. That figure is a dated fundraising snapshot, not a current total. USC MIND founder Wade Jefferson described the aim as making conversations about mental health “just as comfortable” as conversations about physical health.
ALS and mental health groups backed the adaptation
In May 2025, the ALS Association and Active Minds announced a collaboration for Mental Health Awareness Month and ALS Awareness Month. They presented the mental-health version as an evolution of the original: a way to honor the challenge’s ALS origins while directing attention to mental health. ALS Association president and CEO Calaneet Balas said the original had helped advance ALS research and care, and that the grassroots energy could also be used to advance mental health awareness.
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Active Minds founder and executive director Alison Malmon called the campaign “a symbol of solidarity across movements.” The collaboration did not replace the original ALS campaign: the 2025 student effort named Active Minds as its beneficiary, while the ALS Association continued to recognize the challenge’s history.
The 2026 ALS-focused revival
In a July 10, 2026 report, the ALS Association said former NFL player Chris Johnson disclosed his ALS diagnosis on Good Morning America and called for the challenge to return. The Association described a fan’s video in Johnson’s honor as the spark for another wave, with hundreds of videos appearing within days. It named Marshawn Lynch, LenDale White, and Johnson’s daughter among those who participated.
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This account comes from the ALS Association’s report; the sequence and scale should be understood as the organization’s description of the revival. Its stated cause is ALS, unlike the 2025 USC campaign’s mental-health focus.
How the different waves compare
| Wave | Initiator or source of momentum | Primary cause | Named beneficiary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 original | Anthony Senerchia, Pete Frates, and Pat Quinn, identified by the ALS Association as the three young men with ALS who launched the challenge | ALS | ALS Association fundraising campaign |
| 2025 return | University of South Carolina’s MIND student club; the campaign spread online | Mental health awareness and suicide prevention | Active Minds |
| 2026 return | Renewed attention following Chris Johnson’s diagnosis announcement and call, according to the ALS Association | ALS awareness and support | ALS Association |
What the original challenge raised—and what that means
The ALS Association says the 2014 challenge inspired more than 17 million participants. In a 2025 joint release, the Association reported that the campaign raised $115 million for it in 2014. The same release said the challenge was followed by $1 billion in ALS research funding. Those are Association-reported figures; the follow-on figure should not be read as an independently established causal estimate or as proof that the viral campaign alone produced every subsequent research advance.
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In an October 2024 retrospective, the ALS Association also reported changes in research and care during the broader period: its supported Certified Treatment Centers of Excellence increased from 30 to 108; Department of Defense program funding rose from $10 million to $40 million; and NIH funding went from $52 million in fiscal year 2016 to an estimated $218 million in fiscal year 2024. These are organizational report figures about wider developments, not evidence that the challenge by itself caused each change. The campaign helped draw attention and resources to ALS, but it did not cure the disease, and no single treatment outcome should be attributed solely to a viral trend.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to tell what a post supports
- Look for the campaign name: #SpeakYourMIND identified USC’s 2025 mental-health effort.
- Check the named organization or donation destination. Active Minds was the beneficiary named for the USC campaign; the original and 2026 revival were ALS-focused.
- Read the date and caption. A reused video format can refer to a different wave, cause, and organizer.
How to participate without pouring ice water
The campaign is voluntary. The instructions associated with the 2025 effort included sharing a post or reaching out for help among possible actions, so taking part does not require a bucket or a cold-water pour. If you do choose the physical version, make sure everyone involved freely agrees; the reviewed campaign materials do not establish that pouring ice water is safe or suitable for every person. Sharing the cause’s message, contacting someone who may need support, or donating through the named organization are alternatives.
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