National Mikey Powell Family Fund 1st funding round opens
image credit: www.4wardeveruk.org
source: 4WardEverUK | published: 7 July 2020
We are extremely pleased to announce that the first ever National Mikey Powell Memorial Family Fund (NMPMFF) grants round officially opened for families/campaigns affected by custody deaths on 7 July 2020.
Important:
Affected families and/or campaigns will need to be registered
on the NMPMFF website before applying for grants from the fund – various partners are available to assist with applications.
The first round will close on 7 September 2020 (the 17th anniversary of the death of Mikey Powell) or when all funds set aside for this round have been allocated.
The NMPMFF have set aside £10,000 to be distributed to applicants
that meet the criteria for grants. However, in addition to the current conditions of grant, affected families can also apply for general cash support if they have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be considered even if those families do not
have an active campaign which is ongoing!
What applicants need to do?
Please direct any enquiries to Jenine Springer, Jaki Miller or Tippa Naphtali at enquiries@memorialfamilyfund.org.uk
Important Note:
We are volunteers so responses may sometimes be delayed!
The future for the National Memorial Family Fund
As well as the core purpose of providing small grants to affected families/campaigns, the National Mikey Powell Memorial Family Fund will also:
- Stage a range of national events (e.g. live music, theatre & drama, films & Q&A’s etc) to raise both awareness of the issues of deaths in custody in the UK, and revenue for the fund
- Develop regional helplines (in partnership with Red Alert HELP!) for families concerned about a loved one detained in police, immigration, prison institutions or detained under the Mental Health Act
- Develop a range of counselling & therapy hubs across the UK to help children, young people and families deal with the devastation following a custody death
- Provide respite, group outings and short UK-based holidays for families affected
Mikey’s cousin, Tippa Naphtali said;
“This fund has the potential to make a real difference for families and their campaign groups that need financial support during the often long and drawn out struggles for justice that can last for decades.
“The needs of affected families and children can often get lost in the equally important work of campaigning and lobbying of state institutions. We want to change that with a permanent national support fund set up specifically for their needs.“
A lack of supported housing was the biggest reason for delayed discharges from mental health hospitals in England last year, costing the NHS about £71m, according to a report.
The chair of England's first public inquiry into mental health deaths, Baroness Lampard, has vowed to "seek out the truth" - despite difficulties getting documents from the NHS.
The mother of a man shot dead by police in a London Underground station after being mistaken for a terrorist has said “everyone should watch” a new dramatisation of her son’s killing.
Families of people who died in police custody in the United Kingdom held the first public People’s Tribunal on the 5th & 6th of April 2025 at Regent's University in Central London.
Four more prisoners serving Public Protection sentences have taken their own lives, taking the number to 94. Another 37 released IPPs took their own lives in the five years to 2024.
The objective of this Black emancipatory action research project was to explore the role of Black-led community organisations in supporting Black mental health and wellbeing in the UK.
