Funding Targets Mental Health Inequalities in Black Men

New grants aim to reduce detention rates under Mental Health Act

Leeds Community Foundation has awarded £50,000 in its latest round of funding focused on addressing mental health inequalities experienced by minority ethnic groups. This funding round specifically targets the disproportionately high rate of Black men being detained under the Mental Health Act in Leeds.

Background and purpose of the funding

Black men in the UK are overrepresented at multiple stages of detention, including police custody, mental health sectioning, immigration holding, and prison custody. The funding aims to support Black-led organisations in Leeds to work within their communities and in partnership with statutory services to address these disparities.

Organisations funded

• AFRIKINDNESS
• Black Health Initiative
• Community Black Achievers
• GIPSIL
• Ol’ Man Swanny
• Umoja Leeds

Activities supported by the grants

The funded organisations are undertaking a range of activities, including:

• Community outreach and culturally responsive mental health interventions, such as community-led engagement sessions and safe spaces for Black men to discuss mental health.
• Peer support groups and culturally tailored workshops and awareness campaigns aimed at reducing stigma around mental health.
• Holistic, person-centred support addressing wellbeing, identity, social connection, and life circumstances, delivered through group and one-to-one sessions.
• A photography project exploring themes of aspiration, grounding, and identity, alongside workshops on expressing emotions, mental health strategies, and building support networks within friends and community.

Context of the programme

This targeted funding round follows a multi-year grants programme that supported nearly 2,000 local people from minority ethnic backgrounds with their mental health. That programme distributed £300,000 across 12 organisations to build capacity, reduce stigma, increase trust, and support early interventions for mental health needs.

Partnership with Synergi-Leeds

The programme is delivered in partnership with Synergi-Leeds, a citywide initiative addressing ethnic inequalities in mental health. Synergi-Leeds supports Priority 2 of the Leeds All-Age Mental Health Strategy, which focuses on reducing the overrepresentation of people from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities admitted in crisis. The partnership uses a whole system, life course approach and incorporates ‘Creative Spaces events’ to centre the voices of people with lived experience.

Source: Leeds Community Foundation