Financing

We are committed to a world where increased levels of finance are in place to fully support effective mental health systems. At present, countries spend less than 2% of their national health budgets on mental health, and international global mental health funding is a tiny fraction of development assistance for health and other sectors.

Image of school children and one teacher in India

Our vision is a world where:

  • Every government spends a minimum of 5% (for low- and middle income countries) or 10% (for high-income countries) of their health budget on mental health;
  • Global donor financing to low- and middle-income countries s increases to US$1.9bn per year
  • Mental health finance is spent on quality services that uphold human rights.

To realise this we need:

  • Governments to prioritise mental health and increase the funding of mental health systems, with a focus on primary and community level services;
  • Global financing mechanisms that integrate mental health into their investments;
  • Philanthropic spending that catalyses more and better improved mental health financing;
    Global institutions, such as UN agencies, to use their influence towards generating political action and funding;
  • Donor governments to integrate mental health into their aid strategies and to use their influence with other governments to increase domestic spending on mental health.

Our Focus

From 2021 – 2023 our focus is to substantially increase quality financing for mental health, with a target of contributing to an additional US$0.5 billion. We are:

  • Leveraging global health funds to accelerate substantial financing for mental health
  • Influencing bilateral (government development agencies) and philanthropic donors on where and how to invest in mental health

Investing in HIV, TB and mental health

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted to governments, and to key figures in the private and non-profit sectors alike, that mental health outcomes are intertwined with physical and disease healthcare.

There will be no end to HIV or to TB without addressing mental health. The relationship between HIV/TB and mental illness is bi-directional.

Our goal is for mental health and psychosocial support to be integrated into all approaches to treating HIV and TB and into all investments relating to HIV/AIDS and TB, now and in the future. This will deliver better physical and mental health for all those at risk of, and impacted by, HIV/AIDS and TB.