Mental Health UK's strategy: 2026-2031
Good mental health is the foundation of strong families, thriving communities, and a productive UK. Our 2026–2031 strategy sets out how we’ll make this a reality.
Our strategy sets out the path ahead with urgency, clarity, and heart
Delivering this strategy will take more than ambition. It needs long-term, sustainable funding — so we grow what works, invest in people and systems, and reach communities where support is often missing.
On this page:
Who we are
Mental Health UK is both a charity in its own right and part of a UK-wide alliance alongside four national charities, one in each nation of the UK.
Our alliance combines deep local knowledge with UK-wide reach — enabling us to test, adapt, and scale programmes while staying rooted in communities.
We focus our work where mental health is most shaped — at home, in school, and at work — helping people through money worries, school demands, and workplace stress.
We proactively:
- Partner with schools, employers, and communities to deliver targeted support.
- Involve people with lived experience to shape and improve our work.
- Share insights to influence better services and long-term change.
- Build sustainable funding partnerships with corporates, trusts, individuals, and commissioners.
Working within an often overstretched mental health system, our role is to fill gaps, connect people with support, and share learning so services work better for everyone — helping people before things reach crisis point, often in places where mental health support hasn’t traditionally existed.
The need and case for change
Across the UK, more people than ever are struggling with their mental health, yet many people struggle to find the support that fits their lives.
Our focus areas
We build our work around the areas of life that most affect mental health:
Trusted advice and support for people facing money worries and mental health challenges.
Helping people get into and stay in work, while supporting employers to create inclusive, mentally healthy workplaces — with a growing focus on youth employment.
Building resilience early and embedding mental health support in schools and youth settings.
Providing accessible, practical tools so people can look after their mental health before problems reach crisis.
Shaped by lived experience, across life stages including perinatal health, menopause, and unpaid care.
Our vision, mission and values
At the heart of our work is a simple belief: life’s pressures can deeply affect mental health — and we’re here to make sure support is within reach.
A future where good mental health is a shared priority, and everyone has the tools and support they need to live well and get through life’s challenges.
We make sure people get the support they need to look after their mental health and unlock their potential — at home, at school, and at work.
We achieve more together.
We focus on those most affected and challenge inequality.
We try new things and grow what works.
We measure what matters and focus on making a real difference.
We listen, learn, and co-design with people who’ve been there.
How we work
our Cycle of Change
Our work focuses on five themes:
- Money
- Employment
- Young People
- Advice and Information
- Women’s Mental Health
These guide how we identify need, design programmes, and measure impact, ensuring we create meaningful change while staying responsive to new challenges across the UK.
Across all themes, mental health is shaped by where we live, learn, and work.
In each setting, we use our Cycle of Change — a simple but effective framework that turns insight into action and local learning into national impact.
Our strategic objectives
Our four strategic objectives set the direction for the next five years. Each one is rooted in our Cycle of Change and brought to life through our alliance and programme delivery. These objectives aren’t abstract — they’re about making a real difference in people’s lives.
Together, they provide a shared focus for our team, our alliance partners, and everyone who supports our work.
Create practical solutions that respond to real-life challenges like money worries, school pressures, and workplace burnout.
Break down barriers so more people — especially in underserved communities — can access inclusive support.
Use lived experience and programme learning to influence services, policy, and practice across the UK.
Build a culture of learning, inclusion, and innovation across our programmes and alliance.
Sustaining our impact
Delivering this strategy will take more than ambition. It needs long-term, sustainable funding — so we grow what works, invest in people and systems, and reach communities where support is often missing.
Our funding model rests on three commitments:
1. Diverse and balanced income
We will continue to grow a balanced portfolio of income streams, including charitable trusts and foundations, corporate partnerships, individuals, public fundraising and donations, and sustainable statutory funding sources. This approach ensures resilience and flexibility, helping us remain agile in a changing funding landscape.
2. Mission-aligned funding partnerships
We work closely with partners to co-create, deliver, and evaluate high-impact programmes that make a difference. Our award-winning collaboration with Lloyds Banking Group, for example, has helped over a million people through Mental Health & Money Advice. Our partnership with Bank of America supported us to pilot Into Work, helping people with mental health challenges find and stay in employment. We know funders want to see meaningful outcomes, and we are committed to demonstrating the value, insight, and long-term impact their support makes.
3. Investment in impact and innovation
We put funding behind ideas that work, and scale them carefully. That means investing in both proven programmes and in new approaches that respond to emerging need. Whether it’s developing services for women’s mental health or improving digital access, we use insight and evidence to guide investment and measure outcomes.
Partnering for impact
We know lasting change in mental health takes more than a single programme — it takes a movement of people and organisations ready to imagine a better future.
To achieve the vision set out in this strategy, we need to work in partnership with funders, businesses, policymakers, communities, and people with lived experience.
Download our strategy
Strategy 2026-2031
