For decades, people who are most impacted by mental health research funding, those with lived experience of mental health issues, have been excluded from decision making.
Our Lived Experience Working Group aims to change this by providing funders with the resources and support they need to involve people with lived experience of mental health issues at all stages of their work.
Current members of the group include the IAMHRF's lived experience advisors (Anne-Laure Donskoy and Vijay Kumar) as well as representatives from Fondation Botnar, Grand Challenges Canada, Mariwala Health Initiative, McPin Foundation, Meeting for Minds, MQ Mental Health Research, and Wellcome.
A paradigm shift is unfolding in the world of mental health research funding. Historically, decisions about what research should be funded and how have been made without consulting people with lived experience (PWLE) of mental health issues. However, a recent survey from the International Alliance of Mental Health Research Funders (IAMHRF) suggests that the tide is beginning to turn, with an increasing number of funding organizations recognizing the value of involving PWLE in their decision-making processes.