What IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support does

The Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub (formerly the IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support, launched in its current form on 1 January 2025) is a humanitarian coordination center and knowledge platform for mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) within the global Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. Hosted by the Danish Red Cross in Copenhagen, the Hub serves Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies worldwide, providing technical and operational support, capacity strengthening, training, research coordination, and a curated library of resources, toolkits, frameworks, and multimedia content. Its offering includes the Community-based MHPSS Toolkit, the MHPSS Capacity Strengthening Framework, the MHPSS Framework and Roadmap, dedicated focus areas on climate change and digital MHPSS, and a Research Network linking practitioners and academic institutions. The Hub was established on the foundation of the IFRC Psychosocial Centre, which had operated since 1993, and in 2025-2026 published a strategy through 2030 and its first annual report as the relaunched entity.

The Hub operates as a non-profit, donor-funded coordination entity rather than a commercial organization. All resources, tools, and training are provided free of charge to Movement members, and the Hub is governed in collaboration with the ICRC, IFRC, National Societies, and academic partners. Distribution is primarily direct: technical support and training reach National Societies through field-level engagement, while digital resources, webinars, podcasts, and journal clubs are delivered through the mhpsshub.org portal and a multi-channel presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Bluesky. The strategic plan published in December 2025 and the events program (including the Research Carnival and regional Network Forums) indicate a deliberate expansion of geographic reach and thematic scope, including climate-related mental health and digital MHPSS modalities. The organization has a small core staff of 11 and does not currently generate commercial revenue, with all activities funded through the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement's donor base.

Name

IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support

Legal name

Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub

Website

https://pscentre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The MHPSS Hub is the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement's central coordination center for mental health and psychosocial support, serving National Societies worldwide with toolkits, training, research, and technical support from Copenhagen.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Coordination

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

MHPSS & Trauma-Informed Support for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

Keywords

• Mental health support
• Psychosocial services
• Humanitarian coordination
• Capacity strengthening
• Community mental health

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hosting and Organizational Funding: The MHPSS Hub is hosted by the Danish Red Cross and operates with funding from the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. As a humanitarian coordination center, it operates on donor funding rather than commercial revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The MHPSS Hub serves as the central coordination and knowledge platform for mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) across the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. It provides National Societies with technical and operational support, capacity strengthening trainings, evidence-based toolkits and frameworks, a Research Network, and a curated digital library of guides, reports, videos, and podcasts. Its offerings are delivered free of charge to Movement members and funded through Movement and donor contributions.

Product overview

The MHPSS Hub (Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub) is a centralized platform and service hub that replaced the former IFRC Psychosocial Centre on January 1, 2025. Hosted by the Danish Red Cross, it provides a comprehensive portfolio of mental health and psychosocial support resources, tools, frameworks, and services to National Societies worldwide. The offering includes a resource library (guides, toolkits, reports, videos), the Research Network, technical support services, trainings, and multiple focus areas (community mental health care, MHPSS Framework, MHPSS Roadmap, MHPSS and climate change, and Digital MHPSS). The platform serves as both a knowledge repository and operational support mechanism for the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MHPSS Hub Digital Platform The central digital platform serving as the Movement-wide knowledge hub for mental health and psychosocial support, providing resources, news, events, and coordination features for Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies worldwide.
• Technical and Operational Support to National Societies Direct technical and operational assistance provided to Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies for designing, implementing, and scaling MHPSS programs, including capacity assessments, strategic planning, and implementation guidance.
• Capacity Strengthening Trainings Formal training programs building MHPSS capacity among National Society staff and volunteers, covering implementation, supervision, and organizational development for psychosocial support programming.
• MHPSS Resource Library (Guides, Tools, Reports, Videos, Podcasts) A comprehensive digital library of mental health and psychosocial support resources, including practical guides, tools, reports, videos, and podcasts, organized by topic areas such as emergencies, community MHPSS, children and young people, and training.
• Community-based Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Toolkit A practical toolkit providing tools and guidance for community-level implementation of mental health and psychosocial support programs in humanitarian settings, targeted at National Societies and community-based practitioners.
• Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Capacity Strengthening Framework A framework providing structured guidance for organizational and individual capacity strengthening in MHPSS, covering training, supervision, and institutional development for National Societies.
• MHPSS Research Network A collaborative network connecting MHPSS researchers and practitioners to advance evidence-based mental health and psychosocial support within the humanitarian sector, including the annual Research Carnival and journal club sessions.
• Events, Webinars, and Network Forums Recurring knowledge-exchange events including journal club webinars, fireside chats, the annual Research Carnival, and regional Network Forums (e.g., Central Asian and European Network Forum) for humanitarian MHPSS professionals.
• MHPSS Framework for the Movement The strategic framework providing standards and guidelines for MHPSS programming across the entire Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, implemented through dedicated focus-area activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Strategy 2026-2030 published to guide Movement-wide MHPSS priorities

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Danish Red CrosscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The Danish Red Cross hosts the MHPSS Hub, providing organizational infrastructure and support. The Hub replaced the former IFRC Psychosocial Centre on 1 January 2025.
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICRC collaborates with the MHPSS Hub on MHPSS implementation and coordination within the broader Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, particularly in conflict and emergency contexts.
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFRC works closely with the MHPSS Hub on Movement-wide MHPSS strategy and coordination. The Hub succeeded the IFRC Psychosocial Centre.
• Red Cross Red Crescent National SocietiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Societies are the primary beneficiaries and partners of the MHPSS Hub, receiving technical support, training, and resources to implement MHPSS programs in their countries.
• Academic InstitutionssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe MHPSS Hub collaborates with academic institutions for research network activities, evidence generation, and academic partnerships in MHPSS.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• War Trauma Foundation: War Trauma Foundation is a Netherlands-based NGO specializing in psychosocial support in conflict and post-conflict settings. It directly competes in the niche of humanitarian MHPSS capacity building, training, and resource development that the MHPSS Hub also serves.
• IASC Reference Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings: The IASC Reference Group is the original inter-agency MHPSS coordination body that produced the foundational IASC MHPSS Guidelines. It is the most direct functional comparable to the MHPSS Hub, as both serve as coordination and standard-setting hubs for MHPSS in humanitarian settings, though the Hub is Movement-specific.
• International Medical Corps: International Medical Corps is a humanitarian NGO that runs extensive MHPSS programs in conflict and disaster settings, including training of local responders and community-based psychosocial support — directly comparable to the Hub's community MHPSS and capacity-strengthening focus.
• Sphere Project: Sphere sets the Humanitarian Charter and minimum standards in humanitarian response, including MHPSS-relevant standards. It is a direct comparable as another Movement-adjacent standard-setting and coordination body influencing MHPSS quality across humanitarian actors.

Regional players

• Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research (HPCR) at Tufts University: HPCR is an academic-policy center producing research and policy guidance on humanitarian action and conflict. It is comparable in generating evidence and convening humanitarian actors around MHPSS-relevant themes, though it sits primarily in the academic and policy domain.

Broad incumbents

• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): MSF delivers large-scale humanitarian medical care including mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies. While a broader medical-humanitarian actor, MSF's mental health programming overlaps with the MHPSS Hub's humanitarian MHPSS remit and target beneficiaries.
• UNICEF Child Protection and MHPSS Programmes: UNICEF operates substantial MHPSS programs for children and families in emergencies globally, including guidance, training, and country-level deployment. It is a broad incumbent comparable in target population (crisis-affected populations) and in building MHPSS capacity across country offices.
• WHO Department of Mental Health, Brain Health and Substance Use: WHO's mental health division drives global MHPSS policy, normative guidance (e.g., mhGAP), and country-level mental health programming. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps significantly with the MHPSS Hub's mandate of setting standards and building capacity for mental health in humanitarian and low-resource settings.

Emerging players

• International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS): ISTSS is a global professional society advancing research, education, and practice on traumatic stress. It is comparable as an academic-adjacent knowledge network focused on psychosocial trauma, similar to the Hub's research and capacity-strengthening functions.
• Mental Health Innovation Network (MHIN): MHIN is a global community of mental health innovators and researchers sharing resources, evidence, and tools. It overlaps with the MHPSS Hub's Research Network and resource-sharing mission, especially for evidence generation and community-of-practice functions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/mhpsshub.bsky.social
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ifrc-ps-centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support