Service Shoutout: Catalyst 4 Change
The team at PEGS know how important it is for people to feel heard, understood and supported. We also know that strong communities and organisations play an important role in helping people access the support they deserve.
This month, we’re shining a light on Catalyst 4 Change, an organisation working to strengthen community-led services and challenge mental health inequalities impacting African and Caribbean communities across the West Midlands.
Through its work supporting grassroots organisations, bringing people together and amplifying lived experience, Catalyst 4 Change is helping to build stronger networks of support and encourage positive change.
Who are Catalyst 4 Change?
Catalyst 4 Change was first conceived in 2015 by founding directors Sandra Griffiths and Tippa Naphtali, before becoming a Community Interest Company in June 2017.
Its work was inspired by the need for better mental health support for African and Caribbean communities, with the organisation's origins connected to the death of Mikey Powell following an incident involving police restraint in Birmingham.
This experience helped shape its commitment to improving mental health support, challenging inequalities and ensuring communities have a stronger voice in the services designed to support them.
You can learn more about its history and their fantastic mission on the Catalyst 4 Change website.
What support do they provide?
Catalyst 4 Change works to strengthen the organisations and community networks that provide support to others.
Its work includes:
Capacity building: Helping grassroots and community organisations access resources, develop their work and explore funding opportunities.
Service development: Providing incubation support to help organisations strengthen their governance, infrastructure and ability to work independently.
Research and evaluation: Carrying out research and working with others to build understanding and inform improvements to services.
Collaboration and representation: Connecting organisations and helping bring community experiences into conversations with public bodies and decision-makers.
Signposting: Sharing information about mental health, wellbeing and other sources of support through its website.
This work helps strengthen the organisations that communities rely on, while supporting a more collaborative approach to improving services.
Celebrating their work and achievements
Catalyst 4 Change's website highlights several examples of the fantastic work in action.
Its Pathways to Independence programme brought together six community organisations to deliver activities for people receiving care in settings in Birmingham and Solihull.
In an update published in February 2026, Catalyst 4 Change reported that 143 service people had been supported towards transitioning into the community during the programme's first year.
Activities included yoga, employability, podcasting, music production and soft archery, offering opportunities for people to develop skills and engage in activities both within care settings and in the community.
You can read more in its Pathways to Independence update.
Listening to the experiences of carers
In July 2026, Catalyst 4 Change highlighted work bringing together Black carers from Birmingham, Sandwell and Wolverhampton to share their experiences of caring for a loved one with mental ill health.
Creating space for carers to share their experiences matters. Listening to their voices can help build a better understanding of the challenges they face and where support could be improved.
Celebrating ten years of working towards change
In 2025, Catalyst 4 Change marked ten years since its inception, alongside its fifth year as a Black Thrive partner in Birmingham.
Its anniversary assembly brought together representatives from statutory and voluntary organisations, faith communities, businesses, and service-user and carer groups.
The event celebrated its work towards challenging mental health inequalities and developing community services that better understand the needs of the people they support.
These milestones reflect the organisation's ongoing commitment to strengthening communities and encouraging meaningful change.
You can explore more of the work they do through their news and blog page.
Why are we highlighting Catalyst 4 Change this month?
Our Service Shoutout is an opportunity to recognise organisations doing important work and help more people discover the support and resources available to them.
We’re highlighting Catalyst 4 Change because of its commitment to lived experience, community-led support and challenging inequalities in mental health services. We particularly value their work to strengthen grassroots organisations and create opportunities for communities and carers to have their voices heard.
Although our organisations work in different areas, we share an understanding of how important it is to listen to people's experiences and work towards support that better understands their experiences.
For parental figures experiencing child to parent abuse, feeling heard and accessing appropriate support can make a real difference. We believe that recognising organisations working to improve services and strengthen community support is an important part of raising awareness of the wider support available.
Find out more
If you would like to learn more about Catalyst 4 Change and the work they do, you can visit their website:
Website: www.catalyst4change.org.uk
Email: hello@catalyst4change.org.uk
Telephone: 0121 517 0175
A huge thank you to Catalyst 4 Change for the fantastic work you do to strengthen community organisations, bring people together and challenge mental health inequalities. The team at PEGS believe that positive change grows when people are listened to, lived experience is valued and organisations work together to improve support.
