Mission and Objectives of the Foundation

The Foundation aims to promote the mental health of people living in Ontario, to prevent mental illness and to improve diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. This is done primarily by supporting the professional development of researchers and by funding excellent mental health research. The Foundation looks to people with mental disorders, providers and the research community to identify important and innovative areas of research.

The three principal mandates of the Foundation are:

• research in mental health
• training
• education

Of these three mandates, research has priority. The Foundation will support research which deals with any of the biological, psychological or social factors which either foster mental health or lead to mental disorder. The Foundation aims to improve knowledge about the prevention of mental disorder, and the rational and efficient diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of the mentally ill. The Foundation will accept applications for projects dealing with any period of the life-span, any of the factors thought to promote mental health or to cause mental disorder, and from any of the relevant scientific specialties. The Foundation has a particular interest in studies which address mental health problems of importance in Ontario.

Funding Principles

The Foundation adheres to the following principles:

1. The grant application process will be, and should be perceived to be, equitable and accessible.
2. The Foundation will actively encourage applications for research into a broad spectrum of important mental health issues.
3. The Foundation will ensure that the grant review process allows fair and informed judgements concerning the broad spectrum of applications received.
4. The Foundation will ensure that all research it funds is relevant to mental health and constitutes excellent research in a broad range of methodologies.
5. The Foundation will facilitate the development of excellent researchers in a broad spectrum of methods, disciplines and mental health concerns.
6. The Foundation will actively disseminate, in plain language, the results of its funded research.
7. The Foundation will be a leader in the coordination and development of funding and research partnerships and in the search for new ways of increasing the funds available for mental health research.
8. The decision-making processes of the Foundation will be based on the above principles and will be, and appear to be, free from conflict of interest and undue external influences.

The Foundation aims to serve the citizens of Ontario by directing its resources: first, to funding research which will improve and enlarge the knowledge required to promote mental health and to prevent, treat and cure mental disorders; second, to providing information to practitioners so that the knowledge generated by investigation is promptly disseminated and used; and third, to communicating the results of research to the general public in order to develop a general understanding of mental health and the nature of the mental disorders.

Annual Report

• 2007-2008 Annual Report
• Financial statements

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