Overall Score: 7 based on 18 data points
Finance: -6
Governance: -2
Support: 15
Low unrestricted reserves: -2, Accounts overdue, Deficit latest year: -2, Fundraising costs low: +3,
Dynamic board: +3, No Gift Aid: -5,
Large volunteers +3, Supporters: +12

MENTAL HEALTH INNOVATIONS 

Overview

Mental Health Innovations works with charity partners, academic institutions and the corporate sector to help improve mental health in the UK. It's first digital mental health service called Shout provides 24/7 text message support to anyone who is struggling to cope and has been a lifeline to many during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Support from The Royal Foundation has given the charity significant momentum in establishing the platform, and the increase in demand this year has been met by additional volunteer training.

Data driven external evaluations of user conversations hopes to develop the tools effectiveness in the future and aid in expansions to a wider demographic base.

Source: Giving is Great

Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • This charity has been successful in attracting volunteers relative to its size
  • The charity has received backing from several prominent grant makers recently
  • Fundraising costs are low relative to funds raised
  • The Board appears to be dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • This charity raises funds from the public but is not recognised by HMRC for Gift Aid according to its latest published return

Financial issues to consider:

  • Unrestricted reserves appear to be dangerously low at the latest year end
  • Latest accounts are overdue for filing
  • Income was lower than spending in the latest year

How you can help

Established: 6 years

www.mentalhealthinnovations.org

info@mhiuk.org

02045384500

Charity Commission for England and Wales
UN SDGs
?

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/12/21£5,235£5,941£-706£358£1,242£1,2422.5791,794
31/12/20£5,975£5,367£609£207£1,949£1,6013.6622,314
31/12/19£3,545£3,965£-420£168£1,340£8072.4391,671
31/12/18£3,787£2,027£1,760£45£1,760£1,76010.418543
Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 6.9%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 6%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 22%
Highest pay band: £120,000-£130,000
Liabilities/Assets: 73%
Liabilities/Income: 66%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 57%
Reserves/Spending: 2.5 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 9 months
Quick Ratio: 9.8
Asset Split ?
Comment: Support from funders enabled the charity to significantly grow their Shout service last year. In order to respond to the growing demand due to the lockdown in March 2020, there was significant investment in building the staffing of the organisation, the volunteer community and the underlying systems supporting service delivery and robust governance.

Source: Giving is Great

What it does
  • General Charitable Purposes
Mental Health Innovations is a digital mental health charity, which develops new ways to help people have conversations about mental health. They combine digital innovation, data-driven analysis and the experience of mental health experts. Their purpose is to transform lives by improving access to helpful digital resources for mental ill health in the UK.
Who works here?
  • 79 employees
  • 1,794 volunteers
Who it helps
  • The General Public/Mankind
How it operates
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Northern Ireland, Scotland, Throughout England And Wales,

Who's supporting them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following significant donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years
Greenwood Place£760,000
The National Lottery Community Fund£500,000
Garfield Weston Foundation£300,000
CHK Foundation£270,000
The Rayne Foundation£90,000
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
CHK Foundation
£75,000 07/09/2022
support towards running cost
Greenwood Place
£100,000 01/07/2022
Unrestricted funding
Greenwood Place
£150,000 01/07/2022
Unrestricted funding
Wolfson Foundation
£30,400 08/06/2022
Purchase of IT equipment to support a UK wide 24/7 text based mental health support service
Greenwood Place
£50,000 01/04/2022
Unrestricted funding
CHK Foundation
£16,000 22/02/2022
to support specified work
CHK Foundation
£4,000 22/02/2022
to support specified work
The EQ Foundation
£5,000 15/09/2021
Research into effectiveness of SHOUT
Greenwood Place
£150,000 01/07/2021
Unrestricted funding
Greenwood Place
£100,000 01/07/2021
Unrestricted funding
The Dulverton Trust
£35,000 09/06/2021
Shout, the UK's only 24/7 crisis text line
CHK Foundation
£25,000 22/03/2021
to support specified work
CHK Foundation
£75,000 01/12/2020
to support specified work
Greenwood Place
£160,000 01/07/2020
Unrestricted funding
Greenwood Place
£50,000 01/07/2020
Unrestricted funding
Garfield Weston Foundation
£300,000 07/02/2020
Shout (Core Costs)
CHK Foundation
£50,000 04/12/2019
to support specified work
CHK Foundation
£25,000 04/12/2019
to support specified work
The National Lottery Community Fund
£500,000 05/07/2019
19
Shout ' the UK's first free text service for people in crisis
The Rayne Foundation
£90,000 11/03/2019
36
Towards the salary of a Mental Health Innovations Fellow.
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How do they operate?

Shout Text Message Support Services

Objectives: To transform lives by improving access to helpful digital resources for mental health in the UK

Intervention period: Dependant upon the needs of the service user

Beneficiaries: People who are anxious, stressed, depressed, suicidal or overwhelmed and who need immediate support

Description: Shout is a free, confidential, 24/7 text message support service for anyone in the UK who is struggling to cope. The service is staffed by trained volunteers who are overseen by clinical supervisors. The Shout service is available around the clock and is designed to enable individuals to take their next steps towards feeling better.

Comment: As a largely digital, cloud-based, distributed workforce, MHI has been able to continue operations through the COVID-19 pandemic while responding to 25% growth in daily demand from service users since the beginning of lockdown (daily conversations increased from around 750 to around
950).

Source: Giving is Great

How effective are they?
Outputs
Outcomes
Y/EActive volunteersTotal conversationsTotal texters
31/08/20202,100220,097101,829
Notes: Figures for 2018 were only for part of the year, collected between May to December.

See what you could achieve with a donation of: £
Documents
Mental Health Innovations_Annual Report 2018 Programme Report Download Document
Mental Health Innovations_Annual Report 2019 Programme Report Download Document
Shout info pack Download Document

Who works here?

  • VICTORIA HORNBY
    CEO
    Appointed: December 2017
From 2011 to 2017, Victoria was Director of Programmes at The Royal Foundation, building a portfolio of projects including the Invictus Games, Coach Core, United for Wildlife and Heads Together. Before joining the Foundation, she was a Senior Executive at the Sainsbury Family Trusts and CEO of an international development charity. She began her career as Field Director of an aid agency, living and working in Eastern Europe for four years. ....more
Commentary: The staff team has growth significantly through the pandemic period from 26 full time equivalent (FTE) team members at the end of 2018, to 46 FTE at the end of 2019.

Source: Giving is Great

How is it governed?

Legal constitution
  • Charity registered in England & Wales on 09/11/2017, number: 1175670
  • NOT registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Policies in force
  • Complaints handling
  • Conflicting interests
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Volunteer management
Main office

PO Box 78319
LONDON
W10 9FE

Objectives

TO ADVANCE SUCH CHARITABLE PURPOSES (ACCORDING TO THE LAW OF ENGLAND AND WALES) AS THE TRUSTEES SEE FIT FROM TIME TO TIME IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT LIMITED TO PROMOTING THE PRESERVATION AND THE SAFEGUARDING OF MENTAL HEALTH.

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving
CharityBase

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