CATALYSING
FOCUS AREAS
Enhancing community
mental health care.
We believe that mental health care works best when it’s rooted in communities, where people can stay connected, supported and engaged in everyday life.
Enhancing community mental health care means bringing services that are human rights compliant closer to home and building support systems that go beyond clinical settings. This approach values the role of individuals, families, peers and local networks, not just professionals, in making care accessible, inclusive and relevant. Our goal is to help create community-based systems of care that are responsive, respectful, and truly centered on people’s lives.
Tackling discrimination and social stigma within communities
Many people living with mental health conditions continue to experience stigma and discrimination. Harmful stereotypes, unequal treatment and the ongoing threat of violence, abuse and coercion – whether in healthcare systems, communities, or even within their own homes – persist on a global scale.
These harms violate basic human rights and create powerful barriers that prevent people from seeking help, leaving many to struggle in silence.
We aim to enable a fundamental shift in the collective mindset, fostering a culture where mental health is recognised as a normal part of every life, and where people are valued and can find the support they need.
Strengthening community mental health services
Around the world, mental health systems face significant gaps that prevent people from accessing appropriate care. In high income settings, only half of those affected by severe mental health problems can access adequate services. Where care is available, systems often struggle to ensure quality due to limited resources, workforce shortages and structural inefficiencies.
These challenges are even more pronounced in low- and middle-income countries, where two out of three people living with severe mental health problems have no access to mental health services at all.
We work to bridge these gaps by strengthening local mental health services, improving the quality of support, and advancing equitable access to effective, rights-based care.
Fostering recovery in the community
For many people living with mental health conditions, clinical care is only one of the steps toward recovery. While it may help manage immediate symptoms, clinical interventions alone often don’t support individuals in the complex realities of daily life. Facilitating inclusion in the community means a holistic approach, addressing issues like isolation, housing, unemployment, and difficulty in continuing education.
We focus on creating the circumstances that make long-term recovery possible, ensuring that people with lived and living experience are truly supported to thrive.
Strengthening
the mental health ecosystem.
We see the mental health ecosystem as a network of people, organizations, services, communities and institutions that make inclusive, community-based care possible. Strengthening this ecosystem means investing in what helps it thrive — from improving access to sustainable and flexible funding, to encouraging peer learning and knowledge exchange, to fostering meaningful, long-term partnerships.
Our goal is to help build a more connected and resilient system where mental health support is conducive to recovery and inclusion.
Investing in lived experience led organizations
Individuals with lived experience bring vital, authentic insights, rooted in their personal journeys and the challenges they’ve faced or are facing, whether navigating stigma and discrimination, accessing the right type of care, or finding meaningful support in the community.
By sharing their stories, they help humanise mental health and break down the stigma that continues to surround it, challenging deeply rooted misconceptions and offering a powerful reminder: no one is alone, and recovery is possible. Their contribution of expertise through lived experience is crucial to creating policies and practices that are effective and respond to real needs.
We advocate for change by fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment that amplifies the voices of those with mental health conditions to shape the policies, services and public attitudes that drive more inclusive, compassionate and person-centred systems of care.
Supporting families and caregivers along the way
Throughout a loved one’s journey, family and supporters help manage care, provide emotional support and share day-to-day responsibilities. Despite their critical role, these informal caregivers are often left without the support they need. Many neglect their own well-being as they focus entirely on the person they’re caring for, which can lead to a sense of isolation, stress, emotional exhaustion and burnout.
We strive to shape a more supportive and nurturing environment for all by equipping families and supporters with the guidance, tools and emotional care they need for their own well-being, while better supporting their loved ones.
Strengthening platforms and movements in the mental health ecosystem
As mental health challenges continue to grow worldwide, strengthening the ecosystem for action in mental health is essential to building resilient systems and requires collective action.
By connecting stakeholders, mobilising resources and advocating for systemic change, national, regional and global networks bring together diverse voices – from people with lived experience and community leaders to researchers, policymakers and service providers – to ensure that mental health initiatives are not only more effective and inclusive, but also better equipped to meet the diverse and growing needs of communities around the globe.
We are committed to supporting collaboration among diverse stakeholders to facilitate knowledge exchange, resource sharing and collective action, amplifying efforts to create lasting, sustainable solutions worldwide.
