Shareholder update - June 2024

Our 2023 final dividend of 22.3 pence per share was paid on 23 May 2024.

The mission of Mental Health Innovations (MHI) is to improve the mental health of the UK population through the use of technology. Their pioneering service 'Shout' is the UK’s only free, 24/7, confidential text service for anyone who is struggling to cope.

With the Foundation’s support, MHI is strengthening their response to supporting people experiencing mental health and financial challenges. This partnership recognises that, without understanding and supporting the root causes of both money and mental health challenges, the impact of tackling one without the other, may be limited.

Together with PayPlan, MHI will help individuals in financial distress access immediate mental health support, while signposting to relevant services those suffering with poor mental health due to financial issues to relevant services. Research will inform a campaign to help people improve their financial wellbeing, as well as influencing the future activities and strategies of different stakeholders with a responsibility for supporting the mental and financial wellbeing of those who need it the most.

“We are incredibly grateful to Aviva Foundation for their support, which means that we will be able to strengthen our response to supporting people experiencing mental health challenges due to financial issues. Every day, around 50 people reach out to our free, confidential text message service ‘Shout’ for support due to money worries, and we know that there are many more people across the UK who are struggling and in need of help. We will be undertaking research to understand more about the relationship between financial wellbeing and mental health and launching a campaign to provide support to those who need it, during the cost-of-living crisis."

Victoria Hornby, OBE, CEO of Mental Health Innovations

SEA is the only UK charity dedicated to raising awareness of economic abuse and transforming responses to it. 

With the Foundation’s support, they are working with partners in two locations (Brighton and Hove, and Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland) to develop a model of ‘economic advocacy’ as part of the ‘coordinated community response’ to domestic abuse. Economic advocacy can include access to flee funds, grants, benefits, debt advice and housing. It can also include supporting victim-survivors to develop their financial capability and to access employment, so that they can gain or regain financial stability and build an independent life.  

This project aims to ensure that local services work together to help victim-survivors of economic abuse to (re)build financial resilience. At present, many services prioritise immediate physical safety, yet do not recognise and respond to the harm of economic abuse which can often prevent a victim-survivor from safely leaving the abuser or force them to return. 

Over two years, the project plans to support approximately 1,750 cases where economic abuse is identified. Lessons learned from this work will be used to influence the policies and practices of organisations that play a role in supporting victim-survivors.

"We’re delighted that the Aviva Foundation has committed to funding the Compass Project for two years. Together with RISE and Living Without Abuse, this funding will allow us to make sure local services can better meet the multiple and complex needs of victim-survivors of economic abuse. We’re also creating a model of economic advocacy which will ensure local services can help survivors not just escape an abuser but rebuild their economic safety and stability after abuse.”

Sonu Masania, Head of Specialist Team and Survivor Engagement, Surviving Economic Abuse