Introducing Money and Mental Health's 2025-2030 strategy

The toxic relationship between money and mental health problems is undeniable. The evidence is now crystal clear, the case is made, and action to tackle it is starting to snowball. 

And yet the catastrophic harm that it causes is still destroying lives every single day.

The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute is here to change this, and we’re making progress — from protecting people in mental health crisis from escalating debts, to improving debt collection, debt advice and the way that banks treat their customers.

But our work now is more important than ever. The cost of living crisis left a deep financial scar in the lives of millions who were already struggling, and exposed many people who had never faced money and mental health problems to their destructive effects. The significant number of people with mental health problems who are out of work should also be concerning to all of us – both for the economic growth of the country and the happiness and fulfilment of people in it.

2025 is a good moment to take stock and renew our efforts. We have a new government, bringing new opportunities and challenges.

This strategy document is a vital tool in that mission. It outlines a clear and ambitious plan for how we can work together to make a lasting difference for people who are struggling.

This isn’t just a paper exercise – it’s a promise. A promise to use our resources wisely, to focus on where we can have the greatest impact, and to remain accountable to those we aim to help. It lays out how we’ll build on the progress we’ve already made, respond to new challenges, and keep pushing for real change.

The purpose of this strategy document is simple:

• Clarity: To explain our mission, vision, and the difference we want to make.
• Focus: To identify our priorities and guide decisions about how we use our resources.
• Accountability: To set measurable goals and help us stay true to our values while we work towards them. 
• Inspiration: To engage supporters, partners, and funders in our mission.

Together, we can tackle the vicious cycle of money and mental health problems. This strategy is our guide to achieving that goal, and we’re proud to share it with you.

We’re working for a world in which the vicious cycle of money and mental health problems is broken.

That means we all have an equal chance of financial security, regardless of our mental health. 

And it means that everyone’s mental health can flourish, regardless of their financial circumstances.

What our charity is doing is working, so this isn’t a radical change of direction; in the next five years we aim to learn even more from what’s worked – and do more of it – while continuing to be creative and nimble to pursue opportunities to create even bigger change. 

That means further growing our hands-on delivery work to embed changes across essential services and beyond.

It means using our new Super-complainant status to push for regulatory change where particular products or markets are causing harm to people with mental health problems.

It means ensuring our research remains at the cutting edge of understanding the impact of technology on both the risks that people with mental health problems face day-to-day from harms like scams or gambling, and the potential for innovative solutions.

And it means improving our impact measurement and evaluation so we know exactly what is making the biggest difference. 

We will refresh our strategy after any General Election, ensuring that we continue to shape our work around the greatest opportunities for people with money and mental health problems.

At the heart of everything we do is our Research Community, a group of over 5,000 of people with personal experience of mental health problems who take part in our research every week. Our Research Community shapes our campaigns, test products and processes for companies like banks or energy firms, share their stories in the media and at events – and who have helped us to write this strategy.

Over the next five years we will redouble our efforts to ensure the Community is as representative as possible, and to offer them new, varied and more accessible ways to engage with our work. 

For now we want to say thank you, to them and to all the other friends of the charity who have supported our journey so far, and shared their ideas about where we go next.

Thank you.