Transforming Public Services: Key findings from the evaluation of the Life Chances Fund
Findings from the overall Life Chances Fund (LCF) evaluation, covering 12 publications delivered.
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This report summarises findings from the overall Life Chances Fund (LCF) evaluation, covering 12 publications delivered over the last 5 years. The LCF ran from 2016 to 2025 as a locally-led Social Outcomes Partnerships (SOP) fund to tackle entrenched social issues across England. The LCF contributed to SOP projects through payments by results contracts. These contracts involved social investors and were locally commissioned. DCMS worked in partnership with the Government Outcomes Lab (GO Lab) to evaluate the LCF and the use of SOPs in local commissioning.
This report provides an overview of the 29 LCF projects, their outcomes, and key findings, structured into three parts:
- Part 1 outlines the LCF’s objectives, thematic areas, application and fund management processes, and key organisations.
- Part 2 summarises the types of projects supported and the outcomes achieved.
- Part 3 synthesises the main findings from the evaluation, grouped around the four core research questions, and includes broader reflections and learnings.