Centre for Mental Health

What Centre for Mental Health does

Centre for Mental Health is a UK-registered charity and company limited by guarantee (charity no. 1091156; company no. 4373019), founded in 1985 and headquartered in London. It operates as a research, policy, and training organisation focused on reducing mental health inequality driven by exclusion, poverty, and racism. Its work targets UK policymakers and service commissioners, including integrated care systems, NHS trusts, local authorities, schools, the criminal justice system, employment services, and the voluntary and community sector.

The organisation sells a portfolio of professional services through direct commissioning: needs assessments, programme evaluations, peer research, policy analysis, economic analysis, and strategic support to health systems. It also runs a CPD-accredited Individual Placement and Support (IPS) training programme for employment specialists and managers, delivered as live online courses. Distribution mixes direct enterprise commissioning (NHS, local authorities, large charities such as BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief) with free, global top-of-funnel content distribution through a 264-publication library, blogs, and podcasts.

Revenue is generated from three streams: commissioned research and consulting, fees from IPS training courses, and individual donations. There is no proprietary technology platform beyond a standard web/content publishing stack, no apps, no APIs, and no AI/ML capabilities referenced in the source material. The organisation holds no disclosed funding rounds and operates without external investor ownership, governed instead by a board of trustees.

Name

Centre for Mental Health

Legal name

Centre for Mental Health

Website

https://centreformentalhealth.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Centre for Mental Health is a UK charity founded in 1985 that delivers commissioned research, evaluations, policy and economic analysis, needs assessments, and CPD-accredited IPS employment training, serving NHS bodies, local authorities, and voluntary-sector partners to reduce mental health inequality.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Policy Research and Consulting

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

Keywords

• Mental health research
• Mental health policy analysis
• Programme evaluation services
• Mental health needs assessments
• Employment support training

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Support: The organization accepts donations from individuals to support their work fighting for equality in mental health. Donations help fund research, policy work, and advocacy efforts.
2. Commissioned Research and Consulting: Centre for Mental Health generates revenue through commissioned work including mental health needs assessments, evaluations, economic analysis, policy analysis, peer research, and strategic support for health systems. They work with integrated care systems, local authorities, and mental health services.
3. IPS Training Courses: The organization offers paid training courses for Individual Placement and Support (IPS) implementation, including courses for employment specialists, managers, supervisors, and employer engagement. Training is delivered as live online courses with fees per delegate.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Centre for Mental Health is a UK mental health charity that delivers commissioned professional services to public sector and voluntary sector clients, including mental health needs assessments, programme evaluations, economic and policy analysis, peer research, and strategic support for integrated care systems. It also provides paid CPD-accredited Individual Placement and Support (IPS) training courses for employment specialists, managers, and supervisors, delivered live online. Its work is underpinned by a 264-publication evidence library, podcast series, and professional learning networks for system leaders and councils.

Product overview

Centre for Mental Health is a UK-based mental health charity that operates as a research, policy and training organization rather than a commercial product company. Its offerings comprise professional services (IPS Training, Evaluations, Mental Health Needs Assessments, Peer Research, Policy Analysis, Economic Analysis, and Supporting Health Systems) and content platforms (Publications library of 264 resources, Podcast series, and Writer in Residence programme). These services work together to drive change in mental health through evidence-based research, policy analysis, economic analysis, programme evaluation, and workforce training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IPS Training

Quantifiable outcome

• Mental ill health costs England £300 billion per year (double the NHS budget)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mental Health Economics CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA partnership between Centre for Mental Health, NHS Confederation Mental Health Network, and London School of Economics. This collaborative brings together decades of expertise in research, health economics, mental health policy, and service development. The collaborative has direct access to frontline services, system leaders, clinicians, and experts by experience.
• Wellbeing Economy AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentre for Mental Health is a member of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, a collaboration working towards a Wellbeing Economy to deliver human and ecological wellbeing.
• NHS Benchmarking NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with NHS Benchmarking Network for data-driven mental health needs assessments and service reviews. Combines Centre's sector expertise with Network's powerful visualization tools to build evidence-based understanding of local mental health needs.
• Young Changemakers Programme Partners (UK Youth and The Diana Award)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UK Youth and The Diana Award to create the Young Changemakers programme, which seeks to reimagine mental health for racialised young people through social action projects.
• Shifting the Dial PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity programme partners for the Shifting the Dial project, promoting young Black men's mental health in Birmingham. Includes organizations led by Amarno Inai and Androulla Harris.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mind (National Mind): Large UK mental health charity offering information, support, and policy/advocacy. Comparable on mental health policy influencing and publications, though Mind is a service-delivery charity of significantly larger scale than CFMH.
• Samaritans: UK mental health charity combining helpline service delivery with policy/influencing work. Thematically adjacent to CFMH's crisis and mental health inequality focus, though distinct in operating a large volunteer-led service rather than commissioned research.
• Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR): UK cross-policy think tank producing economic analysis, policy reports, and commissioned research. Comparable in commissioned research and policy output model, though operating across all policy domains rather than mental health specifically.
• Rethink Mental Illness: UK mental health charity combining service delivery, campaigning, and policy work. Overlaps with CFMH on policy/advocacy output and on the commissioning landscape, though Rethink also operates direct services.

Direct peers

• The Health Foundation: UK health research charity funding analysis, economic modelling, and improvement programmes for the NHS. Overlaps with CFMH on economic analysis, evaluation, and policy influencing for UK health systems.
• Nuffield Trust: Independent UK health research institute producing evidence-based policy analysis, evaluations, and economic research for NHS and government — comparable on commissioned research, policy analysis, and senior-leader convening.
• Mental Health Foundation: UK mental health charity focused on prevention, research, and policy advocacy. Directly comparable as a peer charity operating in mental health policy, publications, and public-sector influencing.
• Centre for Mental Health (UK) competitor — NHS Confederation Mental Health Network: Membership body for NHS mental health providers that influences policy and produces system-level analysis. CFMH is explicitly a member of its Mental Health Economics Collaborative partnership, making it a peer collaborator in the same commissioning and policy ecosystem.
• The King's Fund: Independent UK health think tank that produces policy analysis, economic research, evaluations, and leadership development for NHS and integrated care systems — the closest direct comparator to Centre for Mental Health's commissioned-research and policy model, with a broader health-system remit but identical GTM.

Regional players

• YoungMinds: UK charity focused on children and young people's mental health, with policy influencing and training programmes. Comparable on policy/advocacy and training delivery, with thematic overlap in CFMH's children/young-people and schools segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/centreformh
• Facebookfacebook.com/centreformh
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-for-mental-health

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Centre for Mental Health