Timebanking was introduced in England as a community-based model that enables people to exchange support through time credits. This approach aims to mobilise community assets and promote co-production, strengthening social connections while offering a low-cost preventive care model funded by public bodies and grants.
Aiming to improve access to essential hygiene services for people experiencing homelessness, DoucheFLUX’s Operation 15+15+15 delivers support through a solidarity-based funding model. It combines small user contributions, public subsidies, and donations to maintain affordability while ensuring financial sustainability.
To direct savings towards social and environmental impact, France promotes solidarity finance through the Finansol label, which certifies financial products linked to impact-driven projects. This approach combines traditional savings tools with solidarity mechanisms such as social investment and profit-sharing, mobilising €11.5 billion in assets by 2017 to support high-impact organisations.
Aiming to improve public health and strengthen health system funding, Hungary introduced a tax on unhealthy foods and beverages in 2011, targeting items such as sugary drinks, snacks, and processed foods. This tax aims to reduce consumption, encourage product reformulation, and generate revenue for health workforce salaries and prevention programmes.
To tackle obesity, smoking, and physical inactivity, the Netherlands’ National Prevention Agreement brings together government, municipalities, insurers, and civil society in a long-term prevention strategy. The approach links investment in healthier environments—such as food labelling, tobacco taxes, and active living initiatives—to long-term health and economic gains, supported by measurable targets and shared co-investment models.
Developed to tackle deep health inequalities and rising illness, Scotland’s 10-year prevention strategy ‘Together We Can’ embeds prevention into budgets, policy, and accountability frameworks. The strategy shifts focus from treatment to wellbeing, aligning cross-sector action, equity indicators, and long-term targets to close the healthy life expectancy gap between the richest and poorest communities.
Aiming to improve wellbeing outcomes and expand access to community-based support, England has scaled up social prescribing through a £100m+ national fund and hybrid financing model. This fund combines investment from health partnerships, businesses, and philanthropy with national support, building on 2.6 million NHS referrals and programmes such as the Big Local Programme.
To reduce loneliness and isolation among older adults, County Durham’s ‘Come Eat Together’ delivers co-produced food and social activities such as lunch clubs and cooking sessions through local partnerships. The initiative is funded by local authority grants, Age UK resources, and small participant fees.
Created to transform social services under austerity, Portugal’s €150m Social Innovation Initiative uses results-based financing through Social Impact Bonds and Partnerships for Impact. It shifts funding from activities to outcomes, supporting areas such as youth employability and dementia caregiver networks while building a social investment market.
Created to improve immigrant employment and reduce integration costs, Finland’s Koto-SIB Social Impact Bond links job placements in sectors such as logistics, IT, and cleaning with investor returns tied to fiscal savings and tax revenues. The pilot aimed to place 2,500 immigrants in work, with success measured through reduced welfare spending and increased tax contributions.
