New report to guide donors supporting adults with mental health problems
Howard Lake | 31 May 2006 | News
Philanthropy research organisation New Philanthropy Capital has published a new report to help donors and funders decide where their giving can make the most impact in the area of adults facing mental health problems.
The report, “Don’t mind me”, also sets out to helps donors and funders understand the issues facing adults with mental health problems.
As the report points out, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem at some point in our life. For some, this can lead to time in hospital, unemployment, homelessness, debt and isolation. In England alone, the taxpayer spends £18bn a year on benefits payments and health and social care for people with mental illness.
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New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) argues that both the human cost and cost to the taxpayer could be significantly cut if treatment focused more on helping people back into work, paid or unpaid, as work is good for mental health.
The report highlights a number of ways of doing this, ranging from getting people involved in gardening to other types of paid, part-time or volunteer work. NPC says that work projects can cut hospital stays for people with mental illness by up to 70%.
The report highlights a host of opportunities for donors and funders to help people experiencing mental distress, and lists charities that it found achieving excellent results in the priority areas that it examined.
Donors and funders interested in supporting the work of mental health charities are encouraged to look at NPC’s associated charity recommendations.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.