What is the Stratford Scholarship?

Mind established the Stratford Scholarship and lecture to honour the late Anthony Stratford’s immense contribution to the lived experience movement. 

Each year, Mind offers a $10,000 scholarship for an emerging Peer leader or small group of peers within Australia to complete a 12-month project that contributes to innovation and transformational change to support the mental health and wellbeing of people in their own and the broader community.  

2026 Recipient

Mind's CEO, Gill Callister had the pleasure of announcing the recipient of this year’s Stratford Scholarship, Nancy Bates at Mind Australia's third annual Stratford Lecture held at The Edge, in Melbourne's Federation Square on Wednesday 11 March, 2026.

Nancy Bates is a proud Barkindji songwoman based in Adelaide. Nancy will use the $10,000 scholarship to undertake leadership, Narrative Therapy and Music Therapy training to further strengthen the therapeutic value of her powerful music and storytelling program in Adelaide Women’s Prison. This is an incredibly worthy initiative that Mind is honoured to support.

Find out more about The Stratford Scholarship and Nancy's work here 

Mind established the Stratford Scholarship and lecture to honour the late Anthony Stratford’s immense contribution to the lived experience movement. 

2025 Recipient 

The 2025 Stratford Scholarship recipients were KJ Hepworth and Tabitha Lean. KJ has withdrawn from the scholarship and the project has been adapted for completion by Tabitha Lean. 

2024 Recipient 

The inaugural successful candidate of the 2024 Stratford Scholarship was Mush McLoughlan (they/them). Mush is a psych survivor who is exploring non-pathologising responses to suicide.

You can read more about their project here.

Anthony Stratford’s legacy 

Mind Australia established this annual scholarship in 2024 to honour the late Anthony Stratford’s immense contribution to the lived experience movement. 

The Stratford Scholarship builds on his leadership legacy and the legacy of consumers and family/carer Lived Experience leaders who have gone before us and in whose footsteps we walk.