Better Futures Fund: Expression of Interest

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Admin Section


The Better Futures Fund (BFF) is a £500 million outcomes fund designed to support up to 200,000 children, young people and their families across England over a 10-year period. The fund brings together government, local communities, charities, social enterprises, commissioners, investors and philanthropists to deliver place-based solutions to complex social challenges. It is expected to leverage significant additional investment and funding to improve outcomes and tackle the root causes of child poverty.

The fund will support Social Outcomes Partnerships (SOPs), where funding is linked to the achievement of agreed outcomes and measurable improvements in people's lives. Projects are expected to focus on improving outcomes for children, young people and families, while addressing underlying drivers of poverty and disadvantage.

This application form is for Round 1 of Better Futures Fund and will provide up to £37 million of government match funding towards the Better Futures Fund objectives.   

The first round is aimed at organisations with prior experience of participating in Social Outcomes Partnerships and existing SOP projects that are ready to deliver.   

To be eligible, 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 link between their proposed project and child poverty outcomes. 
Is this fund right for you?

The Better Futures Fund is intended to support Social Outcomes Partnerships (SOPs) and is aimed at organisations and partnerships that are developing or delivering outcomes-based programmes for children, young people and families.

Applications may involve charities, social enterprises, public sector organisations, private organisations, commissioners, investors and delivery partners working collaboratively. Organisations should be able to demonstrate strong partnerships, a clear focus on measurable outcomes, and the capacity to participate in an outcomes-based programme.

This fund is unlikely to be suitable for organisations seeking funding solely for general organisational costs, standalone projects, or early-stage ideas that are not yet supported by established partnerships, delivery plans, and a clear outcomes framework.

Not ready for Round 1?

Round 1 is aimed at organisations and partnerships that already have experience of delivering Social Outcomes Partnerships (SOPs) and have projects that are sufficiently developed to begin delivery within six months of funding approval.

If, after reviewing the eligibility criteria and guidance, you believe your organisation is not yet ready for Round 1 but may be developing a suitable opportunity for the future, then please do register your interest.


By providing your contact details, you consent to the Better Futures Fund team and relevant delivery partners contacting you with information about future funding opportunities, including Round 2, guidance, events, and other support that may help you prepare a future application.

Please note that registering your interest does not constitute an application and does not guarantee eligibility for future funding rounds.

Key Definitions and Guidance

For Round 1, applicants must be operating within the impact economy and seeking to improve outcomes for children, young people and families through outcomes-based approaches.

Before completing this Expression of Interest, applicants should familiarise themselves with the key definitions and guidance: Application Form Guidance and Questions.

Expression of Interest

This Expression of Interest (EOI) is the first stage of the application process. It is intended to help us understand your organisation, your proposed project, and its potential fit with the Better Futures Fund.

This Expression of Interest should be completed by the lead organisation on behalf of the proposed partnership. We welcome applications from individual organisations and partnership-led proposals where multiple organisations are working together to deliver outcomes. Details of known partners will be requested later in the application.

For Round 1, we expect applicants to have:
  1. A relatively well-developed project, partnership or service model.
  2. The ability to begin delivery within 6 months of funding approval.
  3. The lead applicant, or at least one named partner in the application, should be able to demonstrate a track record of delivering a previous Social Outcomes Partnership related to child poverty outcomes.
  4. Strong local partnerships and stakeholder engagement arrangements.
  5. A focus on delivering measurable outcomes for children, young people and families.
  6. Appropriate governance, capacity and resources to participate in a Social Outcomes Partnership.
  7. Credible access to match funding from public bodies, charitable grants or others for at least an equivalent amount to that requested from the fund.
Successful applicants may be invited to progress to the next stage of the application and assessment process, where more detailed information will be requested.

The Better Futures Fund is a programme of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Further information about the fund, its objectives and timelines is available on GOV.UK.

You can save your progress at any time and return to your application later. Simply tick the Save my progress and resume later checkbox at the top/bottom of the form. To go back to a form you have previously saved, please click the Resume a previously saved form link at the top/bottom of the page.

If you have any questions about the Better Futures Fund or need support completing this Expression of Interest, please contact us at enquiries@sibgroup.org.uk or call +44 (0)204 591 2400. Our team will be happy to help and direct your enquiry to the appropriate colleague.

Our office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. Further information is available at www.sibgroup.org.uk.

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Before proceeding, please confirm that your organisation and proposed project meet the minimum eligibility requirements for the Better Futures Fund.

These questions are intended to establish basic eligibility only and do not form part of the assessment process. If you cannot confirm all of the requirements below, your organisation is unlikely to be eligible for funding through this programme.

Further guidance on the Better Futures Fund, including programme objectives and applicant expectations, is available on GOV.UK.








Only applications that include a partner with a track record in a previous SOP related to child poverty outcomes are eligible for Round 1. If none of the proposed partners can meet this requirement, please wait for further information regarding future rounds of the Better Futures Fund.





You have not confirmed that your organisation and proposed project meet all of the minimum eligibility requirements for the Better Futures Fund and therefore cannot proceed with this application.

If you believe this is incorrect or require further guidance, please contact enquiries@sibgroup.org.uk

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You will be the main point of contact for this application. Should your application progress, we may ask for additional contacts, including finance contacts and authorised organisational signatories, for due diligence, legal documentation, and payment purposes.

Please provide a direct, monitored email address (not a generic inbox such as info@), as we may contact you about important updates that require a timely response.

The details provided below will be used for all communications relating to this application and the fund. You can ask us to update the contact details at any time.
Your Details





We will use the information you provide to contact you about relevant funding opportunities, including grants and loans, related services, and sector updates.

You can opt out at any time. See our Privacy Policy for details.

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Organisational Details
These questions are about the lead applicant. There will be further opportunity to provide information about partners on the project.

This is the official name registered with Companies House or other regulator.

For example, the name you use on your website or in your public communications.


Select the option that best describes how your organisation is set up (for example, a charity, company, or community group).

e.g. Trust, statutory body, academy trust

Companies House

Financial Conduct Authority: (Mutuals Register)


Charity Commission

The postcode must be in uppercase and the correct format, for example, M2 1BB or BS32 0BQ.
Select “Yes” if your organisation is part of a larger organisation or is owned or controlled by another.

Please use legal names if known.

This information helps us understand your organisation and may be used to identify relevant funding opportunities in the future.

If you are applying on behalf of another organisation that will receive the funds and be legally responsible, you will be asked to provide their details during the assessment stage.
Board and Senior Leadership Diversity
We collect equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) data to better understand the organisations supported by this fund.

This information helps us monitor the reach of our funding, identify potential barriers to access, and inform future programme development. Data is analysed in aggregate and used for reporting, evaluation and learning purposes.

For further information on how SIB uses diversity data, please visit our Diversity Data Dashboard.

For the purposes of this section, people whose day-to-day activities are limited by a long-term physical or mental health condition or illness are considered disabled.

Completion of these questions is voluntary but encouraged.

What percentage of your board and senior leadership team identify as:




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This section is intended to help us understand your proposed Social Outcomes Partnership, the organisations involved, the outcomes you are seeking to achieve, and the current stage of project development.

Please provide as much information as is known at this stage. We recognise that partnership arrangements, commissioner engagement and project details may continue to develop as proposals progress.

Round 1 of the Better Futures Fund is intended for projects that are relatively well developed and capable of mobilising at pace. The information provided in this section will help us understand the readiness, scale and delivery experience of the proposed partnership.

You will be asked to provide:
  • Information about your organisation's role within the proposed Social Outcomes Partnership.
  • Details of the proposed commissioner(s) or outcome payer(s).
  • A summary of the proposed project and intended outcomes.
  • Information about the geographical areas where delivery is expected to take place.
  • Details of known partners and their role within the partnership.
  • Relevant experience of participating in previous Social Outcomes Partnerships.
Please provide concise but sufficiently detailed responses to support assessment of your proposal. Where information is not yet confirmed, please provide your current expectations or best estimate.
Project Summary

If the organisation is expected to perform multiple roles, please select the role that best represents your primary involvement. There is an opportunity to add details on known partners in subsequent questions.

Your response should include: Target cohort, Proposed intervention or service model, Intended outcomes, Scale of delivery, How the project will help address child poverty and improve outcomes for children, young people and families.


Please be specific with the scale of geographical area (e.g. local neighbourhood or Local Authority)

Only applications that include organisations with a track record in a previous SOP related to child poverty outcomes are eligible for BFF R1. If none of the partners or the lead applicant can meet this requirement, please wait for further information about future rounds of the Better Future Funds

Please list all known partners at this stage of the project. Where multiple organisations are involved, include each organisation separately within the response.

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Declaration
By submitting this form, you confirm that the information provided is true, complete and accurate to the best of your knowledge. You also confirm that you are authorised to submit this application on behalf of the organisation.

By applying to this fund, you consent to the sharing of your information (including your name, contact details, organisational information, and relevant financial information) with the fund partners for the purposes of assessing, administering and managing the fund.

Your information may also be shared, where necessary, with the fund's investors, advisers, agents, contractors, auditors and service providers involved in the operation, administration or evaluation of the fund. Each organisation's privacy notice can be accessed via its respective website.

Your information will not be shared with any other parties except where required by law, regulation, or for the purposes described above. All personal data will be processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation.

The full privacy policy of The Social Investment Business is available at:
As you were unable to confirm that your organisation meets all of the eligibility criteria on page two of this form, you are not eligible to apply for this fund. Please do not continue with this application. If you believe this is incorrect or have any questions, please contact us at enquiries@sibgroup.org.uk
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