Mental Health Initiative

What Mental Health Initiative does

Mental Health Initiative (MHI) is a Munich-based non-profit organization (gemeinnützige GmbH, registered HRB 259714) founded in 2020 by Dr. Joachim Hein to deliver the YAM (Youth Aware of Mental Health) school-based mental health prevention program to adolescents aged 13-17 in Germany. YAM is an evidence-based, dialogue-based intervention comprising five 90-minute sessions of guided discussions, role-play, and mental health education facilitated by trained course leaders and assistants. The program was developed by scientists and validated through the SEYLE randomized controlled trial (n>11,000 adolescents, published in The Lancet, Wasserman et al., 2015), which demonstrated a 50% reduction in suicide attempts and severe suicidal thoughts and a 30% reduction in new depression cases among participants. YAM has been delivered to over 190,000 students in 19 countries globally; MHI holds responsibility for the German implementation.

The organization operates with a 5-person paid core team (Founder/CEO, Program Lead, Program Manager on parental leave, Project Manager, and a working student) supplemented by approximately 60 volunteers and honoraries. Its business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than revenue-generating: the YAM program is delivered free to participating schools, while MHI raises funds through public grants (AOK Bayern, Bundesministerium für Familie via the AUF!leben program in 2022, and the Bavarian state government through the Masterplan Prävention Bayern from 2025), lottery grants (Deutsche Postcode Lotterie in 2025-2026), and individual/corporate donations via betterplace.org and direct bank transfer to GLS Bank. MHI uses a per-student funding benchmark of €50 per participant and states that €3.5 million annually would be required to reach 10% of a German school cohort (~700,000-750,000 students).

MHI currently delivers YAM in Munich, Augsburg, and Berlin, and is actively recruiting partner schools across the Munich S-Bahn zone for the 2025/26 school year with particular focus on Mittelschulen in the Startchannel program. The organization co-implements YAM with AOK Bayern (over 700 students reached in 2023), is a member of the Mental Health Alliance convened by ProjectTogether and major German foundations, and participates in the EU CERV-funded 'Peace in Mind' project alongside IRC Deutschland and IRC Poland. The team has received multiple awards including the Bayerischer Präventionspreis 2024 and the Bayerischer Innovationspreis Ehrenamt 2022.

Name

Mental Health Initiative

Legal name

MHI Mental Health Initiative gGmbH

Website

https://mental-health-initiative.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mental Health Initiative is a Munich-based non-profit that delivers the evidence-based YAM school mental health prevention program to German adolescents aged 13-17. The 5-person paid team plus ~60 volunteers are funded by government grants (AOK Bayern, BMFSFJ, Bavarian state) and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mental Health Prevention Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

School-Based Mental Health Therapy (Licensed Clinicians) (EDAKAMAD), Mental Health Screening, Assessment & Referral Coordination (School-Based) (EDAKAMAN)

Keywords

• Youth mental health prevention
• School-based mental health
• Adolescent suicide prevention
• Mental health education programs
• Nonprofit mental health services

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Grants and Government Funding: MHI receives government grants and public funding from institutions such as the Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (BMFSFJ, via AUF!leben program in 2022), AOK Bayern (major recurring funder 2022–2026), and the Bavarian state government as a partner in the Masterplan Prävention Bayern (from 2025). This represents the primary revenue stream.
2. Individual and Corporate Donations: MHI raises funds from individuals and companies through its donation page. Donations are accepted via bank transfer (GLS Bank), through the betterplace.org online platform, and via an embedded betterplace iFrame on the website. For donations above €300, a donation receipt (Spendenbescheinigung) is issued. A specific fundraising campaign '600 LEBEN: Prävention von Suiziden bei Jugendlichen' is hosted on betterplace.org.
3. Lottery/Foundation Grants: MHI receives funding from the Postcode Lotterie (significant funder in 2025 and 2026), which is classified as a private charitable lottery providing multi-year grant support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Mental Health Initiative delivers the evidence-based YAM (Youth Aware of Mental health) school-based mental health prevention program for adolescents aged 13–17, conducted by trained facilitators in participating secondary schools. The organization also produces the "Mental digital!" podcast, which addresses mental health topics for a broader audience. Program delivery is offered free of charge to schools and is funded through donations, grants, and public funding.

Product overview

Mental Health Initiative is a social impact startup that operates as a single-product organization focused on mental health prevention for young people. The core offering is the YAM (Youth Aware of Mental Health) program, a school-based prevention program for adolescents aged 13-17. Additionally, they produce the 'Mental digital!' podcast as a supplementary educational resource. The organization operates from Munich with programs implemented in Munich, Augsburg, and Berlin.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• YAM - Youth Aware of Mental Health: A school-based prevention program for adolescents aged 13-17 that promotes mental health awareness, aims to reduce suicide attempts by 50% and new depression cases by 30%, and has been evaluated in a large EU-wide study with over 11,000 participants.
• Mental digital!

Products and services

• YAM (Youth Aware of Mental health) Program Evidence-based school mental health prevention program for adolescents aged 13–17, delivered by trained facilitators in participating secondary schools; free of charge to schools and funded by donations, grants, and public funding, with reported outcomes including a 50% reduction in suicide attempts and a 30% reduction in depression among participants.
• Mental digital! Podcast Podcast produced by Mental Health Initiative that addresses mental health topics for a broader public audience, complementing the YAM prevention program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% reduction in suicide attempts and severe suicidal thoughts among YAM participants vs. control group (SEYLE study, Lancet 2015)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Mental Health AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024MHI is a member of the Mental Health Alliance, a growing and learning movement initiated and supported by ProjectTogether, Bertelsmann Stiftung, Beisheim Stiftung Deutschland, krisenchat, alv foundation, and Robert Bosch Stiftung. The alliance works to make mental health a self-evident part of education, health, prevention, and social participation in the living environments of young people. MHI contributes its expertise in prevention and school-based programming.
• IRC Deutschland (International Rescue Committee)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023IRC Deutschland leads the EU CERV-funded 'Peace in Mind' project, which aims to integrate mental health into school settings in Germany and Poland. MHI develops and implements a peer-to-peer program for German schools within the project, while other partners handle measures like retreat spaces and teacher training. Project locations include Leipzig, Munich, and Poznań.
• TOMS (10x10 Campaign)supportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022TOMS selected MHI as one of ten global mental health organizations for its 10x10 campaign launched on World Mental Health Day in 2022 and again in 2023. The campaign provides global visibility and marketing support for selected mental health organizations.
• IRC Polen (International Rescue Committee Poland)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRC Poland co-implements the Peace in Mind project alongside IRC Deutschland, MHI Munich, and the Ośrodek Doskonalenia Nauczycieli (Teacher Training Center) in Poznań. The project is co-financed by the EU CERV program.
• Ośrodek Doskonalenia Nauczycieli in Poznań (Teacher Training Center, Poznań)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Teacher Training Center in Poznań is a project partner in the EU CERV-funded Peace in Mind project, contributing to the integration of mental health into school environments in Poland.
• gut.org gAG (betterplace.org)supportingGTM or Marketing Partnergut.org gAG operates betterplace.org, Germany's largest online donation platform. MHI has an organizational profile and a dedicated fundraising campaign '600 LEBEN: Prävention von Suiziden bei Jugendlichen' on the platform. MHI also embeds betterplace.org's iFrame donation form on its own website, enabling online donations.
• ProjectTogethercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProjectTogether initiated and supports the Mental Health Alliance. It acts as a convening organization bringing together MHI, Bertelsmann Stiftung, Beisheim Stiftung Deutschland, krisenchat, alv foundation, and Robert Bosch Stiftung to advance youth mental health policy and programs.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• U25 Deutschland: Network of anonymous online counseling services for young people up to age 25 in Germany, focused on suicide prevention. Comparable to MHI as a German nonprofit working on youth suicide prevention; complementary channel (online counseling vs. MHI's school-based prevention).
• krisenchat: Germany-based digital crisis-counseling service for children, adolescents and young adults. Direct peer as another German nonprofit/initiative delivering youth mental health support, frequently co-referenced with MHI in the Mental Health Alliance and in German mental health week programming.
• Lions-Quest Deutschland: School-based life-skills and character-education program operated in Germany by the Lions Clubs international foundation. Direct peer as a school-delivered SEL/character-building program for adolescents, competing for the same school curriculum slots and teacher attention that MHI's YAM targets.
• MindUP (Goldie Hawn Foundation): US/Canada-based school-based social-emotional learning program originally founded by Goldie Hawn, now operated as a nonprofit. Closest international direct peer as an evidence-based school-delivered SEL/mental health program for children and adolescents targeting comparable classroom integration.
• YoungMinds (UK): UK charity focused on children and young people's mental health, advocating for better mental health support in schools and providing resources for young people. Closest international analog as a youth mental health charity with policy advocacy and school-channel programs.
• Nummergegenkummer: Children's and youth helpline (116111) operated by the German non-profit Verein Nummer gegen Kummer e.V. Direct peer in the German youth mental health nonprofit landscape, providing crisis and counseling support that complements MHI's school-based prevention focus.
• Papilio gGmbH: Augsburg-based German non-profit delivering evidence-based social-emotional learning programs in early childhood and school settings. Comparable to MHI as an evidence-based SEL nonprofit targeting German schools, though Papilio focuses on earlier age groups.

Broad incumbents

• Save the Children Deutschland: Large German branch of the international child-welfare and rights non-profit, with programs addressing children's mental health and well-being in schools. Broader incumbent peer with overlapping youth welfare/mission and access to schools in Germany.
• Telefonseelsorge Deutschland: Nationwide German crisis helpline operated under church-affiliated non-profits. Larger, more established youth-and-adult mental health support organization serving as the incumbent in MHI's broader category; comparable as a publicly funded crisis/intervention counterpart to MHI's prevention work.
• Mental Health Foundation (UK): Large UK-based mental health charity running school-based prevention and awareness programs including Mental Health Awareness Week. Broader incumbent peer covering a wider age range and topic scope, but directly comparable in its school-delivery model and public-facing campaigns.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mhi-mental-health-initiative
• Instagraminstagram.com/mental.health.initiative

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Mental Health Initiative