Mental Health Foundation
British charitable organisation
The Mental Health Foundation is a UK-based charity dedicated to promoting good mental health and addressing mental health issues. Founded in 1949, the foundation aims to help people understand, protect, and sustain their mental health through prevention, research, community programs, and advocacy. The organisation is known for its annual Mental Health Awareness Week, which raises awareness and promotes action on mental health issues across the UK. By focusing on the root causes of mental health problems and advocating for policy changes, the Mental Health Foundation plays a significant role in improving mental wellbeing and reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues.
History
The Mental Health Foundation was founded in 1949, as the Mental Health Research Fund, by Derek Richter, a neurochemist and director of research at Whitchurch Hospital. Richter enlisted the help of stockbroker Ian Henderson, who became the chair, while Victoria Cross recipient Geoffrey Vickers became chair of the research committee.
In 1972, the Mental Health Foundation took its current name, shifting its "focus away from laboratory research and towards working directly with—and learning from—people [who] experience mental health problems."
Mental Health Awareness Week
Each year, for a week in May, the Mental Health Foundation leads Mental Health Awareness Week.
Mental Health Awareness Week was first held in 2001, and became one of the biggest mental health awareness events in the world.
Themes
Green ribbon
The green ribbon is the "international symbol for mental health awareness."
The Foundation's green ribbon ambassadors, include: Olly Alexander, Aisling Bea, Olivia Colman, Matt Haig, David Harewood, Nadiya Hussain, Grant Hutchison, Alex Lawther, and Graham Norton.
The movement uses the hashtag #PinItForMentalHealth.
Funding
The Foundation's total income for the financial year ending 31 March 2024 was £7.7m.
The public source identifies “Mental Health Foundation” as british charitable organisation. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Mental, Health and Foundation.
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The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6817412. VIAF identifies the subject as 153281748. The Library of Congress control number is n50000197. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1949, 1972, 2001 and 2024.
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This entry incorporates text from “Mental Health Foundation” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.