Can we talk about the harms produced by time-limited, precarious, unsustainable, project-based funding by private foundations and corporations? 1/5

During my 20 year career, I've been involve in incredible initiatives focused on structural change in the mental health system. They're amazing during the 1 or 2 year funding period, but the MH system is so inadequately resourced that sustainability is never a possibility. 2/5

When the funding runs out, the project team leaves. The system reverts to the status quo. Trust is broken. Relationships are damaged. Hope is squashed. Even worse, people with lived experiences have had a taste of how promising things could be, only to have that ripped away. 3/5

Communities depend on this precarious funding because gov't fails to invest in communities. Anyone who has spent time with an NGO knows how harmful this situation is. It hinders long-term transformative change. The strings attached to such funding impairs critical work. 4/5

Mental health parity in Canada would help. The healthcare system should have funding to absorb initiatives created by communities to address local needs. Private funders and academics should also stop chasing the next big thing. 5/5

(Wiktorowicz et al. 2020 Soc Sci Med )

I forgot to add that the competitive process for this funding that pits communities against each other and fractures true collaborative efforts reminds me of another competition. 6/5