A tragic ending,
an overwhelming beginning.

Losing a spouse or life partner to suicide is an extremely difficult experience—and far less understood than suicide itself.
‍
The Suicide Widows Project exists to change that.

The Problem

There is more to the story than statistics.

We know that almost 50,000 people in the US end their lives each year, along with many other heartbreaking facts about the scale and scope of suicide. But we don't know enough about how life changes, often permanently, for spouses and partners left behind.

The Gap

Suicide loss is a lifelong journey.

It begins with acute grief and immediate hardships. With the right support, it can get easier. This project seeks to uncover what that support looks like for people widowed by suicide.

135

The number of people left behind after a suicide. Spouses and partners, children, other family members, friends, and colleagues navigate a variety of challenges associated with suicide exposure.

Statistic

(Cerel et al. 2019)

"I wish more people would talk about suicide loss. It’s so much more common than people think."

Story

(SWP Participant, 2026)

"The excess risks of mental, physical, and social health outcomes highlight a need for more support directed toward spouses bereaved by suicide."

Statistic

(Erlangsen et al., 2017)

"I kept thinking 'Is there ever going to be a day that this isn’t part of my reality?' Then I found my people. Connecting to other widows around the world through online communities gave me glimmers of hope."

Story

(SWP Participant, 2026)

Effects of a suicide loss include an increased risk of suicide in bereaved spouses or partners and increased risk of depression in children bereaved by the suicide of a parent.

Statistic

(Pitman et al. 2014)

"In the beginning, I was overwhelmed with fear by the statistics I was reading. Over time I learned that they describe risk, not inevitable outcomes."

Story

(SWP Participant, 2026)

The Project

Three years, two outcomes, one goal.

The purpose of the Project is to support people who lost a spouse or partner to suicide. It begins with a needs assessment and culminates in an action plan.

Year one · 2026

Assess Needs

Conduct one-on-one interviews

Build partnerships

Identify funding gaps and opportunities

Year two · 2027

Develop Action Plan

Analyze interview responses

Share initial findings

Collaborate with partners

Year Three · 2028

Publish & Advocate

Finalize recommendations

Publish the action plan

Advocate from evidence

The Suicide Widows Project is a U.S. 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization (EIN 33-3568737).
At the conclusion of the three-year project, SWP aims to have recommendations integrated into partner organizations or expanded into a new organization, based on what the data and findings support.

Participate

Personal experience shapes what comes next.

If you've lost a spouse or partner to suicide, please consider sharing your experience in a one-on-one interview conducted by someone who's been through it. Test interviews have shown that participants appreciated having the opportunity to tell their story to someone who truly understands suicide loss.

Start with this short form, which includes a preview of interview questions. What you've navigated — not just the grief, but the whole story — is the foundation of this project's first outcome: the needs assessment.

Participants who complete the interview process will have the option to receive a stipend or donate it to a suicide-related organization.

Fill out the interest form

Donate

Fund the questions that lead to better support.

The Suicide Widows Project is a grassroots initiative. Every donation supports the work directly: conducting interviews, covering operational costs, and preserving the independence to follow the findings wherever they lead.

This project advances the field of suicide postvention: organized support and resources for people impacted by suicide. We aim to expand funding for critically needed resources rather than compete for it. If you already donate to postvention work, please continue! Your additional gift to the Suicide Widows Project is much appreciated.

September Is Suicide Awareness Month

Donate by September 30, and your gift is doubled.

Thanks to a generous donor, every dollar is matched toward the $15,000 goal, bringing better support for suicide loss survivors within reach faster.

Donate

$25

Supports technology needs

$50

Funds interview prep and materials

$100

Covers one participant stipend

$250

Sponsors one interview

Founder Story

Leda Cunningham, smiling softly into the camera

Suicide is life changing.

When my husband ended his life in 2014, questions were everywhere. I thought I’d landed on a new planet, completely alone, desperately trying to understand the unfathomable.

Why did this happen? How can I explain to our young kids why they don’t have a dad? How will we ever get through this?

While I had wonderful family and friends for support, none had lived through the suicide of a loved one. Books, online resources, and honest discussion about suicide loss were scarce, and with two preschoolers, there wasn’t time to look for them. It was all I could do to fit in a shower.

In survival mode, I began leaning on my “work brain” to create order amid the chaos. I’d built a career in environmental conservation that required strategic planning and project management, including techniques for understanding and overcoming challenges.

One model kept surfacing as I struggled through those days: What – So What – Now What.

What actually happened?

So, what did we learn?

Now,what are we going to do with what we learned?

Fast forward to today. My kids are older and more independent. In many ways my heart has healed enough for my head to think clearly about how my experience can help others.

The Suicide Widows Project is my Now What. I hope you’ll join me.

Community is everything.