Project name

A Roadmap for MHPSS Funding in a New Era

Status

Project Description

This page describes a concept being developed in collaboration with the Peace of Mind Foundation, with ongoing conversations with MHIN, mhpss.net, and UNICEF.

Project lead

MHPSS Collaborative

The challenge: A critical rethinking of MHPSS funding

Humanitarian financing is undergoing a fundamental and historic shift. Major reductions in aid from traditional donors signal a potential end to humanitarian aid as we have known it. At a time when conflict, displacement, and climate-related shocks are driving mental health needs to record levels, frontline programs are facing closure, specialist staff are leaving, and vital community safety nets are unraveling.

With an estimated 20-30% reduction in global funding for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), the impact on people in humanitarian settings will be severe. This crisis demands more than just appeals to restore funding; it forces a critical rethinking of how we deliver MHPSS, what we fund, and how we can be most effective and efficient in a rapidly changing system. While other initiatives have documented the immediate impacts of the funding cuts, this project seeks to answer the vital next question: “So, what do we do now?”.

Our response: Architecting a solution

This project will develop a practical, evidence-informed roadmap for any actor that allocates MHPSS-related humanitarian funding. Moving beyond describing the problem, this work will provide concrete recommendations on how to re-strategize, prioritize, and allocate scarce resources for maximum impact. The roadmap is designed to guide funders, policymakers, and practitioners as they navigate this new reality, ensuring that MHPSS is embedded more smartly and sustainably for the future.

The project will consider the different phases of MHPSS financing – where we’ve been, the reality of where we are, and what a smarter future could look like. The primary focus is on providing a practical guide that transforms current investment practices.

What the roadmap will include

The final output will be a concise, ~15-page roadmap designed for a wide audience of funders and humanitarian actors. The roadmap will be structured around two central themes:

Localization in Practice and Integration for Impact.

Key features of the roadmap will include:

A clear picture of the funding cliff: The roadmap will provide clear numbers and describe the human consequences of the MHPSS funding crisis. It will ask critical questions about the gap between the needs of millions of children in humanitarian crises, the cost of support, and the available global funding.

Five evidence-based arguments for investment: The roadmap will make the case for continued and smarter investment in MHPSS, with arguments that it is lifesaving, preventive, economic, a key component of peacebuilding, and a “force multiplier” when integrated with other sectors. It will also include a rights-based and moral imperative argument for the relief of suffering.

“Proof in practice” case stories: The roadmap will feature case stories of diverse actors who have successfully adapted to funding reductions, providing powerful, real-world examples of the principles outlined in the roadmap. It will highlight “local first” (locally generated) initiatives and compare them with “localized” (adapted) approaches, analyzing key success factors.

A “decision points” guide for funders: This practical guide will provide a menu of concrete options for funders on how to make tough choices regarding targeting, channel selection, risk-sharing, and monitoring in scarce times. It will include a specific focus on practical risk mitigation strategies to make direct funding to local actors more feasible.

Tools for action: The final chapter will include a concise, one-page decision checklist for funding teams and a forward-looking blueprint for sector-wide collaboration over the next two years.

Our collaborative approach

This project will employ a mixed-methods approach to ensure the roadmap is practical, credible, and reflects the reality on the ground. The process will include:

A rapid, structured review of peer-reviewed and grey literature on MHPSS effectiveness, integration, and localization benefits.

Leveraging findings and datasets from other initiatives, such as the MHIN survey, with a specific focus on humanitarian contexts to sharpen the data.

Collating short stories and documented case studies from community-based organizations, NGOs, and UN agencies that exemplify effective and adaptive MHPSS work.

Conducting targeted interviews and focus group discussions with private foundation representatives, local and national organizations, and international humanitarian actors to understand their needs, challenges, and insights.

The roadmap will be informed by direct consultations with these key actors to ensure the final product is grounded, useful, and actionable.

Interested to find out more or collaborate, reach out to the MHPSS Collaborative’s Senior Technical Advisor, Dr Victor Ugo – [email protected]