Authors: Andreea Anastasiu, Eleanor Carter, Mara Airoldi
Organisation: Government Outcomes Lab (GO Lab)
Location: United Kingdom
The Life Chances Fund was launched by the UK Government in 2016 to support people facing significant barriers to leading happy and productive lives. Its primary objective was to increase both the number and scale of social outcomes partnerships commissioned at the local level in England.
Over its nine-year lifespan, the programme co-funded 29 projects alongside local commissioners, spanning a range of policy areas, including child and family welfare, health and wellbeing, employment and training, education, criminal justice, and homelessness.
As the Fund’s learning and evaluation partner, the GO Lab examined whether, when, and how social outcomes partnerships can provide a more effective approach to tackling complex social challenges compared with conventional public service commissioning models.
This report synthesises the extensive evidence generated through that evaluation.
Part I provides an overview of the Life Chances Fund, including its objectives, thematic focus areas, application and fund management processes, and the key organisations involved.
Part II presents a cross-cutting analysis of the projects supported by the Fund, summarising their characteristics and the outcomes they achieved.
Part III synthesises the main findings from the different strands of the evaluation. These findings are structured around the four original research questions and are complemented by broader reflections and lessons drawn from the evaluation experience.