Mental Health Investment Fund: Dr Charlotte Canniff, Jo Westover and a volunteer (Jane) at the community garden

Mental Health Investment Fund

One of the three strategic ambitions at the heart of the Surrey Heartlands Clinical Strategy is preventing ill-health and specifically doing more to prevent mental ill-health. The Mental Health Investment Fund (MHIF), not to be confused with Mental Health Investment Standard, is key to achieving success in this priority area.

Established in 2022, the MHIF is a joint fund from Surrey County Council and Surrey Heartlands ICB with a total budget of £10.5m. The allocation is dedicated to supporting adults and young people with mental health challenges. Bids are awarded after careful consideration by partners across Surrey Heartlands including the County Council, Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise.

Funding is used to support services which are non-statutory and developed by local, community-based groups. The MHIF is a Surrey wide, all age resource to enable the delivery of the outcomes of Priority 2 of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which focuses on prevention, removing barriers, and supporting people to become proactive in improving their emotional health and wellbeing.

The fund has supported a wide range of groundbreaking initiatives, with future rounds promising even greater impact.

In 2025, £1.2m has been pledged for the Mental Health Scale-Up Fund, with plans for matched funding from the Community Foundation Surrey, to support projects focusing on children and young people up to 30 years old.

Find out more about MHIF on Healthy Surrey

Mental Health Investment Fund projects

Grant helps Flourish Community Garden project blossom

Surrey organisation receives £50k to support autistic girls with the help of Gavin and Stacey

Funding boost to support young people in mental health crises in Surrey

Mental Health Investment Fund grants more than £3m to local schemes

Community-based projects awarded through Mental Health Investment Fund