Over 200 million Indians live with diagnosed mental health conditions, yet treatment gaps reach 95% in some regions. The fallout is felt across families, workplaces, and communities, and economically it is staggering: untreated mental health conditions could cost India over $1 trillion by 2030, making mental health a critical developmental and financial priority.
Against this backdrop, the India Mental Health Alliance (IMHA)—India’s first pan-India, cross-sectoral mental health platform—hosted its inaugural National Convening in New Delhi on Monday. In just one year, IMHA has grown to 220 member organisations across 30 states, bridging philanthropy, policy, and service delivery to transform fragmented mental health interventions into a cohesive ecosystem.
The convening highlighted the vital role of private capital in scaling India’s mental health sector. Leading philanthropists including Rohini Nilekani, Raj Mariwala, Neerja Birla, Pheroza Godrej, and Ashish Dhawan underscored how strategic funding can catalyse cross-sector collaborations, build knowledge assets, and expand care delivery.
Vasvi Bharat Ram, Founding Trustee of IMHA, noted, “Mainstreaming mental health as a development priority requires unrestricted funding and robust partnerships. Philanthropy is key to creating foundational systems for one billion people.” Recent commitments from Manisha Dhawan of Convergence Foundation and Pheroza Godrej of Raika Godrej Family Trust signal growing investor confidence in the sector.
Addressed adolescent wellbeing, climate change, financing models, and community care. A highlight was the session on Embedding Lived Experience Expertise, demonstrating how people with first-hand experience of mental health conditions can shape service design, organisational structures, and national policy.
IMHA also partnered on the launch of Homecoming: Mental Health Journeys of Resilience, Healing & Wholeness, the first anthology of lived experience narratives by women leaders, co-authored by IMHA founding cohort member Neha Kirpal.
IMHA unveiled India’s most comprehensive Knowledge Centre for Mental Health, hosting over 300 curated resources—including toolkits, policy briefs, case studies, podcasts, and academic research—designed for actionable insights and shared learning across sectors.
Capacity building is a key focus. In its first year, IMHA trained more than 2,000 professionals across over 100 cities through initiatives like The Therapist’s Compass for early-career psychologists and Neuro-Dramatic Play for educators. An early-career psychiatrists programme is set to launch later this year.
IMHA represents a shift from siloed interventions to ecosystem-level solutions. For funders, it offers visibility into India’s diverse mental health landscape; for service organisations, it provides scale and partnerships; for policymakers, it demonstrates actionable models for national impact.
As India faces a mental health crisis with social and economic ramifications, IMHA is positioning itself as a catalyst for systemic change, translating philanthropic capital into measurable developmental outcomes.