Mind receives largest ever donation of £7.5 million
Howard Lake | 2 February 2026 | News
Mental health charity Mind has received the single largest donation in its 80 year history. The $10 million pledge, currently equivalent to £7.5 million, was made by philanthropist, entrepreneur and global investor Dale W. Wood.
The funding, channelled through his firm Dale Ventures, will support Mind’s work over the next decade.
The donation arrives at a crucial time when the need for mental health support is growing, with waiting lists at an all time high and existing systems stretched to breaking point. Mind will use the support to focus on campaigning for and delivering access to quality mental health care.
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Mr. Wood is the founder and chairman of the global venture capital firm Dale Ventures, which invests in a wide range of global companies and has stakes in UK based tech firms. He was introduced to Mind by Stuart Watts, an entertainment publicist, entrepreneur, and longstanding charity supporter.
Semi-unrestricted funding
The significant donation is “semi-unrestricted”, allowing Mind the necessary flexibility to direct the funds towards the areas that will achieve the greatest impact for people with mental health problems.
The charity intends to use the funds to strengthen its network of nearly 100 local Minds across England and Wales. These local services supported more than 664,000 people in the year to April 2025 through a variety of tailored services, including urban crisis cafes for teenagers and befriending services to combat loneliness and isolation.
Help for helplines
The donation will also help sustain and improve Mind’s helplines. In the year to April 2025, Mind responded to 116,000 queries to its support and information helplines, noting an increase in calls from people who were in distress or at risk of harm.
Donation is subject to blockchain verification
The Dale Ventures’ donation to Mind will soon be subject to blockchain verification. This is intended to ensure that donors and recipients alike have a clear understanding of exactly how the charitable funds were applied to benefit those in need.
A spokesperson for Dale Ventures FZE commented on the commitment, stating:
“It is a huge honour for Dale to support Mind over the upcoming years, through this donation. Dale’s hope is that, by working together, we can achieve better for people living with a mental health problem. This is a cause close to Dale’s heart, and as many people know from life experiences, no community is untouched by mental health challenges”.
Dr. Sarah Hughes, CEO of Mind, emphasised the critical nature of the gift:
“This extraordinary commitment from Dale Wood comes at a time when too many people are struggling to access mental health support. In England alone, 1.6 million people are stuck on waiting lists, and public attitudes towards mental health are sliding backwards”.
Dr. Hughes also acknowledged the financial headwinds facing the charity sector:
“We must also be honest about the financial challenges we face in the charity sector. Rising costs, unpredictable income, and growing demand since the pandemic have seen mental health services stretched like never before, including across the local Mind network.”
She concluded that the generosity demonstrates real confidence in the charity’s direction:
“It empowers us to respond and adapt, to keep investing where it matters most, campaigning for change, strengthening our network of local Minds, and making sure people have access to accurate mental health information. The decade ahead will require courage and collaboration. That’s why every single donation matters so much. Together, we know we can make a real and lasting difference, and we will build a future where no one faces a mental health problem alone”.
Mind has also embarked on a transformation programme to ensure its sustainability and to strengthen its impact in the challenging environment facing the charity sector.
- Royal Osteoporosis Society receives £1 million donation (25 February 2026)
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.