Big Issue Invest: Boosting social impact through investment and sport
Big Issue Invest has revealed it has transformed the lives of over 5,000 young people through its £1.25m funding of the Chances Social Partnership.
In 2020, the social investment arm of the Big Issue dedicated the sum to Chances, and its social outcomes programme has now engaged with 5,500 people aged 8 to 17 from deprived backgrounds. The work was carried out across 21 local authorities and included Sport England, professional football club charities and youth and community providers.
With the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic disrupting many educational and development programmes, Chances offered young people support systems through sports and personalised mentoring.
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Riley Butler (pictured), a 20-year-old individual who took part, said he benefited from the Chances programme by participating in Arsenal in the Community when he was aged 16. “My confidence was really shot after school. I shut myself away and went really down in mental health and stuff. I struggled a lot. Being able to come out into the world and reintegrate myself again, it was huge for me.
“At that age – 16 to 17 – you’re transitioning into a young adult, trying to move on in your life, you need to find work, you need to provide for yourself… for people who have lost their way, they’re going to find that difficult. It gave me my life back.”
The Arsenal in the Community project opened up pathways for Butler, leading to his first paid job and studying for a part-time BTEC coaching qualification. He’s now 20 and applying for full-time work.
Mark Lovell, head of the outcomes fund at Big Issue Invest, commented: “The [Chances] programme’s success reflects our goal of creating sustainable social impact while generating financial returns for more community initiatives. It shows how innovative social investment models can address complex challenges and deliver measurable outcomes.
“The success of the Chances programme offers insights for future social investment initiatives that support vulnerable young people and drive change in communities facing socioeconomic challenges. As the government considers new outcome partnership models, we will share our learning with the Social Impact Advisory Group.”
He also noted the UK government is exploring how to build on successes in social outcomes partnerships, such as Chances, through a new ‘social investment vehicle’, as announced in the 2024 Autumn Budget. This month’s Comprehensive Spending Review is expected to lay out the details of this vehicle by the end of the summer.
Lovell added: “Conversations are definitely going on and there are three or four work streams developing on this. I am pretty optimistic in terms of the timeline, late summer feels achievable.
“It’s a really positive platform for those trying to find new approaches to tackle difficult societal problems.”
Sangita Patel, head of programmes at Substance, added: “Chances shows what’s possible when social investors, local authorities, and community organisations unite for a shared vision focused on outcomes. By emphasising early intervention through enjoyable activities, we’ve created sustainable pathways to better life outcomes.”
Jeanette Bain-Burnett, executive director for policy and integrity for Sport England, said: “Sport England are proud to have invested in Chances, which not only transformed young lives through sport and physical activity, but which also redefined how outcomes can be achieved through collaboration, innovation and early intervention.
“Tackling inequalities is at the heart of our strategy, Uniting the Movement, as we aim to break down the barriers people can face in accessing physical activity, and Chances is a great example of how sport can be a powerful tool for social change.”