Comic Relief: Community Mental Health Matters

Overview

They welcome applications from organisations working in the following areas of work:

• Improving the health and wellbeing of vulnerable and disadvantaged people
• Demonstrated successful experience in advancing mental health care in community settings in Sub-Saharan Africa

They expect to make six grants with £1.8 million total funding available through this initiative. Funding requests are welcome up to the value of £300,000 each.

What is funded?

They are interested in funding projects which use at least one of the following approaches:

• Supporting the establishment of and/or building the capacity of grassroots, community-led mental health self-help groups or user groups, particularly in rural hard to reach contexts where there is little or no access to formal mental health care, or it is unaffordable.
• Integrating mental health care into the community in low resource settings to address common and more easily-treated issues such as minor depression and anxiety, many of which can be treated effectively without drugs.
• Training of community health workers to facilitate self-help groups and recognise mental health issues in the community, referring serious cases where referral facilities are available.
• Tackling stigma and discrimination about mental health in the community, and/or amongst health workers.
• Community approaches to mental health which embrace local cultures and values.
• Approaches which empower people with lived experience of mental health issues to participate and advocate for improved mental health care in their community and country. Innovating new, community-led approaches to supporting mental health, or taking proven community mental health approaches to scale.

Eligibility

Organisations applying to this initiative must meet Comic Relief’s general eligibility requirements. Please read their FAQs and grant-making policies.

In addition:

• Activities should take place in Malawi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Zambia or Zimbabwe.
• Applicants must have demonstrated successful experience in advancing mental health care in community settings in Sub-Saharan Africa. Approaches should be in line with the WHO Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020 and national policies and priorities in the relevant country, where these are in place and appropriate to community mental health needs.
• Applicants may be UK based organisations working in partnership with a local organisation leading the delivery of the project, or Africa-based organisations leading implementation directly. There is no minimum grant size but the maximum grant size available will be £300,000. Grant proposals must be for a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 36 months.
• There is no minimum / maximum turnover for applicant organisations.