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.
Designed to reduce inequality among children and young people in West London, the programme connects schools, charities, and community groups to provide personalised early support. Funded through a Collective Impact Bond, it links payments to measurable progress in wellbeing, education, and social outcomes.
Developed to address rural unemployment in France, ADIE’s Social Impact Bond expands access to microcredit for job seekers and aspiring entrepreneurs in rural areas. It provides loans and business support to help participants start businesses or find employment, with investor repayment linked to measurable social and economic outcomes.
The Children’s Welfare Social Impact Bond (Lapset-SIB) in Finland uses private investment to fund preventative child welfare services across five municipalities. Designed to reduce harm to children and lower the cost of expensive remedial care, the SIB enables municipalities to pay only for successful outcomes.
The Projeto Família Social Impact Bond in Portugal supports at-risk children by helping them remain safely in their family homes and preventing institutionalisation. Funded through a Social Impact Bond, the programme provides intensive family support and parenting guidance, with investors repaid only if agreed outcomes are achieved.
Developed to provide emergency accommodation and support for homeless people and asylum seekers in France, the Hémisphère Social Impact Fund combines Social Impact Bond financing with social investment. It transforms hotels into housing and delivers social services, with investor returns partly linked to outcomes such as access to education, social benefits, and permanent housing.
The Mental Health and Employment Partnership (MHEP) in the United Kingdom helps people with mental health conditions, learning disabilities, or autism access paid employment. Using a Social Impact Bond, the programme funds evidence-based support services that guide participants into work, linking investor returns to measurable outcomes like job starts, job sustainment, and programme engagement.
