The National Lottery Community Fund boosts efforts to tackle perinatal mental health inequities

The National Lottery Community Fund has awarded the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) £1.5 million for a five-year project to address long-standing inequities in perinatal mental health care across the UK.

• Perinatal mental health problems affect at least one in five new and expectant mothers and birthing people.
• Communities facing discrimination, poverty, isolation, and trauma are disproportionately impacted.
• Decades of evidence show persistent disparities in care and outcomes, demanding innovative, community-led solutions to create meaningful change.

The MMHA is a UK-wide charity and network of over 130 member organisations, parents, and clinicians working together to ensure families impacted by perinatal mental illness can access high-quality, compassionate care. With a history of driving improvements – particularly in the development of specialist perinatal mental health services – this project is a critical next step for the MMHA to address gaps in care and ensure equitable support for ALL before, during and after pregnancy.

Thanks to National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes, the MMHA will launch Maternal Mental Health Councils: community-led initiatives driven by women with lived experience and the communities they represent.

About the Maternal Mental Health Councils

The Councils will operate in four locations in the UK and each will focus on different subjects.

Bringing together local stakeholders, the Councils will identify barriers and co-design solutions to better meet the needs of at-risk mothers and birthing people. A significant portion of the funding will be allocated directly to local partners, ensuring resources are invested in the communities the project seeks to serve.

Insights from the Councils will inform wider national strategies via an advisory group and events in each of the UK nations, with the aim of creating scalable, replicable models to tackle perinatal mental health inequities and drive broader improvements.

The project will commence in the spring following recruitment of a National Programme Manager, a brand-new role for the MMHA that will lead this exciting initiative.

Sign-up below for news about this project and other updates.