In 2018, the Milken Institute’s Center for Strategic Philanthropy (CSP) partnered with the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) to bring the experiences of people living with depression and bipolar to groups developing drugs and setting research priorities. This effort resulted in the creation of a national survey that garnered over 6,000 responses. The results were used to inform an externally led, patient-focused, drug-development meeting that united patients, regulators, and industry researchers to explore the needs of individuals living with depression. The survey also contained rich data regarding wide-ranging mental-health research topics, and it showcased the potential value of patient input in the development of research priorities that could more directly affect those living with mental health conditions. We will use this meeting to share these findings with the mental-health-research-funder community, as well as begin a conversation to understand key efforts in the space and potentially identify opportunities for future collaborations.