Funding Alert: £500m Better Futures Fund – Round 1 Now Open

The Government has launched Round 1 of the Better Futures Fund, a major long-term funding programme aimed at improving outcomes for children, young people and families experiencing poverty across England.

The £500 million Better Futures Fund will run over the next 10 years and is expected to support up to 200,000 children, young people and their families. It will bring together local communities, charities, social enterprises, local government, investors and philanthropists to develop place-based responses to complex social issues.

Round 1 – Pathfinder Projects

Round 1 opened on 9 September 2026, with £37 million of government funding available for a small number of demonstrator or ‘pathfinder’ projects.

The funding will primarily support Social Outcomes Partnerships (SOPs), where funding is linked to achieving measurable improvements in people’s lives. Projects could focus on outcomes such as educational attainment, youth employment and reducing youth offending, while addressing the causes or impacts of child poverty.

Government funding is expected to be matched 1:1 by local commissioners and potentially philanthropic funding, with social investment also supporting organisations with the upfront costs of delivery.

Who can apply?

Round 1 is specifically aimed at organisations and partnerships that are already well placed to deliver a Social Outcomes Partnership.

Applicants must:

• be part of the impact economy, including purpose-led organisations and commissioners;
• have a track record of delivering Social Outcomes Partnerships; and
• demonstrate a clear connection between their proposed project and outcomes relating to child poverty.

The first stage is an Expression of Interest (EOI) to establish eligibility. Eligible applicants will then be invited to develop a full application with support from the Social Investment Business Expert Grant Assessment team.

Key dates

Applications opened: Wednesday 9 September 2026
Applicant webinar: Wednesday 16 September 2026
Expression of Interest deadline: 11:59pm / midnight, Wednesday 23 September 2026
Round 1 awards: Expected to be announced in early 2027.

Successful projects can receive multi-year commitments, with Better Futures Fund funding available up to 31 March 2036.

What about organisations without Social Outcomes Partnership experience?

A much larger Round 2 is expected to launch in summer 2027 and will distribute the majority of the £500 million fund. Importantly, this round will be open to all applicants, including organisations with no previous experience of delivering Social Outcomes Partnerships.

Multiple application windows are expected, alongside a capacity and capability-building programme to help organisations and partnerships develop suitable projects.

Find out more and apply

👉 Better Futures Fund – GOV.UK guidance

👉 Applications and detailed Round 1 guidance are being managed by Social Investment Business, with links to the application guidance, EOI form and applicant webinar available through the GOV.UK Better Futures Fund page.

📅 Round 1 EOI deadline: 23 September 2026 at midnight