# UK government seeks delivery partner for £500mn Better Futures Fund

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/05/06/uk-government-seeks-delivery-partner-for-500mn-better-futures-fund/
- Published: 2026-05-06T08:04:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**The UK Government has opened a competition to appoint a delivery partner for round
one of the £500 million Better Futures Fund (BFF), which was announced last year.**

The BFF is designed to deploy funding over a 10-year lifecycle, aiming to support
up to 200,000 children, young people, and their families. Round one commits up to
£37 million in government funding to Social Outcomes Partnerships (SOPs) that are
ready to begin delivering quickly. The successful delivery partner will be selected
by 10 July 2026, with the fund set to open for project bids this summer.

SOPs utilise outcomes-based contracts, tying government payments to measurable improvements
in people’s lives, including school attainment, youth employment, and reduced reoffending.
This model builds on nearly 15 years of outcomes-based commissioning in the UK, 
with over 100 SOPs already launched, supporting more than 100,000 people.

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The BFF is anticipated to be “the largest outcomes fund of its kind in the world”.
It is structured to catalyse up to £1 billion in total by combining government outcomes
payments with up to £500 million in match funding from local commissioners and philanthropists,
alongside upfront capital from social investors. 

Further funding rounds will begin in 2027 and will be open to all applicants, including
those without prior SOP experience.

**James Burrows**, Managing Director at [Better Society Capital](https://bettersocietycapital.com/),
commented that the [search for a delivery partner](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-futures-fund-delivery-partner-round-1)“
signals that the fund is moving from ambition into action,” and that the scale of
the BFF reinforces the long-term commitment necessary for capital to mobilise across
the investment market.

![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2026/05/image.png)

_Comment from James Burrows, Managing Director at Better Society Capital_

 * **[LEONARDO call by European Commission](https://fundraising.co.uk/1997/02/08/leonardo-call-european-commission/)**(
   8 February 1997)
 * **[Action Planning launches roadshow on statutory funding developments](https://fundraising.co.uk/2005/03/24/action-planning-launches-roadshow-statutory-funding-developments/)**(
   24 March 2005)
 * **[Home Secretary and key funders to address Funding the Future conference](https://fundraising.co.uk/2005/09/25/home-secretary-and-key-funders-address-funding-future-conference/)**(
   25 September 2005)