Rethink Mental Illness welcomes £10m suicide prevention funding for charities

25 August 2023

The government has today announced a £10m grant fund for charities to deliver initiatives addressing suicide

Mark Winstanley, Chief Executive of Rethink Mental Illness, said:

“We welcome this funding which will enable charities to deliver targeted interventions addressing the root causes of suicide, support people in crisis, and help families navigate the aftermath of a tragic loss. Just one life lost to suicide is one too many, yet the latest data shows suicides remain at unacceptably high levels. There is often no single explanation behind why someone has taken their own life but instead a complex and overlapping web of issues, such as social isolation, financial issues, housing insecurity, and other problems at work, school or home. But despite this complexity, we must remember that suicide is preventable. Reducing these avoidable deaths will require sustained efforts across society, which must be led by government tackling the causes of suicide across all its departments, particularly as people struggle in the aftermath of a pandemic and amid the cost-of-living crisis, against the backdrop of an NHS struggling to meet rising need.”

Charities can find out more and submit an application on the government's dedicated page for the suicide prevention grant fund